Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

In Memoriam by Alice Winn

107 reviews

kiwij96's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

A harrowing loce story between two young public school boys who find themselves serving their country in World War 1.

The characters were all privileged brats in the best possible way. You can imagine these boys existing and having these conversations, they're so realistic. The history was well-researched and beautifully written - the horror and the brutality of war. The romance was appropriately written for two teenage boys navigating a world where their love is forbidden, it was also age-appropriately awkward as most teenage love is.

This book broke me in more ways than one. By halfway my heart had broken maybe 5 or 6 times, and by the end I was just broken and sobbing.

Great pace, characters, history and plot. Would highly recommend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Murder, Grief, Homophobia, War, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, and Death

Moderate: Classism and Suicide

Minor: Sexual content and Antisemitism

lealula's review

challenging dark emotional informative tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, War, Mental illness, Grief, Gore, Mass/school shootings, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Colonisation, Blood, and Death

Moderate: Alcoholism

Minor: Suicide

novelshire's review

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Gore, Death, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Suicide, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Confinement and Antisemitism

catorureads's review

challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

This book does not romanticize war, yet it shows us how we can find love even in the cruelest places.
While this book is disturbing and sad, I found the moments that will haunt me the most are the smallest little things. The In Memoriam pages in the newspaper. When you see 16 years old next to a name of a boy in the list of killed in action. When people who're both German and English are forced to fight against their kin. 

The thing that will keep lingering in my mind however, is the very last page of this book. Without spoiling, it's another newspaper article of 10 November 1918. I think that says enough. 

I did not cry but it was a very brutal book so make sure you're in the right headspace to read this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Gore, War, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, and Genocide

Moderate: Mental illness, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Antisemitism

Minor: Suicide, Vomit, and Toxic relationship

laurennicole98's review

dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gore, Death, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Confinement, Alcoholism, Suicide, Homophobia, Sexual content, Mental illness, and Xenophobia

kiwialexa's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Mental illness, War, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Grief, and Violence

Moderate: Homophobia, Bullying, Suicide attempt, Antisemitism, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Classism, and Suicide

whatnovareads's review

adventurous 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

4.5

Oof [hand on chest & deep exhale] ❤️‍🩹

When I started reading In Memoriam, I never thought I would stay up until the early hours of the morning to finish reading it- for me that's a huge deal! This is heartbreaking, harrowing, beautiful and epic.
 

I learnt so much about boys' public schools, conscription (and white feathers), the hierarchy of officers during war (and how unjustly titles were allocated) and the brutalities of the First World War - even poetry. 

I regularly forgot how young the soldiers were. The atrocities of war forced them to grow up quickly, oftentimes i imagined the main characters as grown men but was reminded they were teenagers and the gut punch worsened when i read the Roll of Honour in the Preshutian. These were school boys going to war, lambs to the slaughter. 

I was keen to know how the love story between Gaunt and Ellwood would develop, would they "make it" or not? What can I say? 

I love true love, I love enduring love. 

I usually find a good quote from the book to summarise the main theme but in this instance there are too many. The writing is simply beautiful- elegant. I can’t believe this is a debut novel! I would encourage everyone who reads this book to also read the Author’s Note - it’s fascinating. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, War, and Gore

Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, and Homophobia

mobooks's review against another edition

emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Death, and Gore

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Gun violence, Homophobia, Suicide, and Medical content

Minor: Death of parent and Bullying

maritzasolo's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Homophobia, War, Gore, and Sexual content

Moderate: Suicide

Minor: Classism, Panic attacks/disorders, Antisemitism, Death of parent, and Alcoholism

arayo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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: Grief, Violence, Suicide, Medical content, Homophobia, Bullying, Gun violence, Blood, Child death, Gore, War, Mental illness, Death, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcohol, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Classism, Outing, Cursing, Antisemitism, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Vomit, Excrement, Xenophobia, and Sexism