Reviews tagging 'Violence'

In Memoriam by Alice Winn

169 reviews

lostintime_73's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad 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? No

5.0

I'm crying. This was so beautifully written and I deeply adore both Ellwood and Gaunt. Absolute emotional rollercoaster of the best kind. I found all the references to little historical details really 'fun' to spot, clearly, Winn has put a great deal of research and time into this masterpiece. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Death, and Violence

Minor: Homophobia

brynpemery's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad 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

This was beautiful. Can’t believe it’s a debut, but I will be looking forward to what the author does next. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Grief, War, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Blood, Gun violence, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Bullying, Death of parent, Classism, and Homophobia

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic

sharanya's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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

God, what did this book do to me??? It has gently, lovingly rearranged my insides. I am in awe. The characters were loveable and their dynamic so gorgeous. Yes, the plot does follow aspects of a ~typical~ wartime novel in some respects, but it does so with absolutely magnificent writing, full of tenderness, humor, and vivid, gut-wrenching prose. A stunning, visceral, heartwrenching portrayal of holding on to the most aching, tender, beautiful parts of yourself in the midst of humanity’s most horrific moments.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, War, and Gore

kjgreen's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

This book felt a bit like watching a car crash in the sense that it’s horrible and traumatic and yet you can’t look away. It made me cry more times than I can count and despite the depressing topic it was filled with a humanness that felt deeply authentic. 

*SPOILERS*

There is also something completely radical about writing a war novel where the gay characters survive and even find some form of happiness and safety with each other. Whilst this does unfortunately make the novel that bit unbelievable, it was a welcome surprise as I braced for a depressing ending.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Death, and Violence

lindasoderlundd's review

challenging dark emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Bullying, Child death, Suicide, War, Blood, Homophobia, Alcohol, Cursing, Mental illness, Violence, Medical content, and Sexual content

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Classism, Colonisation, Miscarriage, and Antisemitism

botanicpanic's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Bullying, Homophobia, Sexual content, and Suicide

Minor: Antisemitism and Classism

kelsbng's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Homophobia and Sexual harassment

gemin1reader's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad

5.0

I feel like this book ripped my heart in two. It’s a really unflinching look at the brutalities of war entwined with a love story of two boys. It’s beautifully written and heartbreaking, made me cry and will be living in my head for a long time, I think. Although it’s fiction, it really brings the reality of WW1 to life in a very haunting way. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Blood, Gun violence, War, Violence, Mental illness, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death

Moderate: Suicide, Xenophobia, Homophobia, and Classism

Minor: Sexual violence

lizziaha's review against another edition

• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

I was trying to decide, while I was reading this book, what makes boarding school stories feel so idyllic. I suppose it is the most wonderful version of life: surrounded by friends, intellectual conversations, secrets, sports, homoerotic tension. It’s not all good of course, but every time Elwood quotes a poem, I long for such an existence. But this isn’t a boarding school book exactly. It’s a war book. And it gets gory; the horrors of war are all too present in this book. But more than that, woven into every word of this book is love. There are different kinds: romantic, platonic, familial, love of life, love of country, love of poetry, but everywhere you look, there is love. And there is something captivating about love that persists against all odds. I think that is why I enjoyed the semi-epistolary nature of this book so much. It shows how these characters attempt to bundle that love up and put it into words as much as they can. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, Blood, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, War, and Gore

Moderate: Alcohol, Classism, Ableism, Racism, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Antisemitism, Confinement, Homophobia, Bullying, and Sexism

Minor: Suicide, Colonisation, and Pandemic/Epidemic

estellegodard's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad fast-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

4.75

I loved loved loved this book! it was a poignant and devastating depiction of war while also being a beautiful story of love and friendship. I really enjoyed the different forms through which the story was told. I found that there was so much humanity behind each of the characters and even though we didn’t spend long with many of them, I was still touched by the way the author wrote about them and their deaths. the parts I enjoyed less were in the prisoner camp, though I was still invested and appreciated the arrival of new characters. all in all, this is a book that is both beautifully written and incredibly bingeable.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and War