Reviews tagging 'Outing'

In Memoriam by Alice Winn

17 reviews

melodious47's review against another edition

emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and War

Moderate: Outing

kimmag92's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

In Memoriam may be the best book I've read in 2023 and it makes me sad that it's not getting the same traction in North America as it is in the UK as it was absolutely phenomenal.  Winn paints a heart wrenching picture of what the First World War was like for those who fought in the trenches as well as what life was like for gay men at the time.  I spent the whole book worried about what would happen to Ellwood and Gaunt and if they would survive the war.  Besides her depiction of young gay men in the 1910s, she also reminds us how young many of the boys who fought in the conflict were and how it impacted their lives both through what they witnessed as well as through those they lost.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Homophobia

bookishthots's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Homophobia, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Ableism, Terminal illness, Excrement, and Abandonment

nirima's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Grief, and War

Moderate: Child death, Gore, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Hate crime, Homophobia, Rape, and Outing

ramreadsagain's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

If you want the emotional devastation of The Song of Achilles but spread out over a full book, this is for you.

This blew me away and was so much more than I expected it to be. I usually steer clear of World War books, too used to those endless straight romance books you see in charity shops with a random photo of a milkmaid on the cover. 

It's an exploration of queer love in the 1910's, yes, but it's also predominantly a criticism of war, war propaganda, UK public school culture and the classism it foments, British imperialism, and more. It does not shy away from the horrors of war, both in the trenches and outside of them, with a large focus as well on the mental strain and PTSD it left in all who survived. 

It's incredibly violent and a difficult read at times (and I discovered a new trigger of mine in books!! tw enclosed spaces i guess) but I absolutely recommend it for anyone who feels up to it. 

Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Homophobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Outing, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Sexual content, and Antisemitism

lenchen25's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Murder, Outing, and War

amydave's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Outing, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism