Reviews tagging 'Violence'

In Memoriam by Alice Winn

176 reviews

lpats82's review

challenging emotional informative inspiring 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

An achingly beautiful book. It reminded me of Falkes' Birdsong in many ways - I just couldn't put it down. Winn describes the horrors of war with such accuracy it sends chills. The fondness you grow for the characters makes this WW1 tale all the more poignant. Can't recommend highly enough.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, War, Blood, and Death

knittingtipsy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-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? No

4.75

This was an *amazing* read, but quite difficult. Detailed descriptions of trench warfare in WWI, including casualties, injuries, and daily indignities and all the mental trauma that comes along with that. All the same, there was joy, moments of startling humor, and truly captivating (often devastating) narrative. I appreciate that Winn didn’t gloss over the horrors of war or force her protagonists through hasty and unrealistic healing. This was an immense and meaningful read and will live on in my brain for quite some time.

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Content Warnings

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

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

alexandramillar's review

dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, and War

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

julievancan's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

I was entirely gripped by this devastating story. As other reviews note, the descriptions of trench warfare are viscerally violent and relentless bleak, but Winn brings humanity and intimacy to the love story, which is the beating, bleeding heart of this beautiful novel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Violence, and War

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

lc_27's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Cannot stop thinking about this book and the characters. So good. I can't put into words how much I love it! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, War, Blood, and Violence

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Sexual content