Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Facemaker: A Visionary Surgeon's Battle to Mend the Disfigured Soldiers of World War I by Lindsey Fitzharris

18 reviews

readwithmarie23's review

dark emotional informative inspiring tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, War, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Medical content

Moderate: Mental illness and Grief

Minor: Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Medical trauma

pardonmylord's review

informative medium-paced

4.5

While I love the book, I do think there was something lost in audiobook vs physical book, but I liked it so much I’d be interested in seeing the physical book and flipping through it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, War, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Violence, Gore, Gun violence, and Grief

Minor: Death and Fire/Fire injury

lifesarosch's review against another edition

challenging informative medium-paced

4.75

Deeply difficult to read in places but a fascinating look at how plastic surgery came to be.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Gore

isaarusilor's review

informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, and Medical content

cyberhavok's review against another edition

adventurous informative medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, War, Ableism, Blood, Death, and Gun violence

alisonvh's review

informative inspiring fast-paced

4.0

The author said her goal was to inform the reader without overwhelming them with information and I would say she nailed it. I learned so much from this book, but never felt it was going on too long or getting lost in tangents.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, War, Violence, Death, Transphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, and Vomit

sarahbiegelsen's review

dark hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, War, Medical content, and Violence

angelofthetardis's review

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

We've all heard about, read about and probably studied at some point the First World War and the hideous waste of life. We see 'The Glorious Dead' honoured every year at the Cenotaph. We even consider those who were injured and lost limbs in museum exhibits (I'll never forget walking through the museum at Ypres on a school trip and walking over a mocked up battlefield, complete with severed arms, legs and hands poking out of the mud). But, strangely, it has never really occurred to me that limbs aren't the only things that could be destroyed by a bullet or a bomb. This books sheds light on some of those stories; of those that lost their faces, and of their subsequent treatment under the care of one man, Dr Harold Gillies.

First and foremost, this is incredibly well written. It takes the stories of each of the patients and Dr Gillies and treats them with such sensitivity, while also ensuring the reader has the facts and bringing some of the Doctor's personality and even humour into the narrative. Details of injuries are (for the most part) given in layman's terms and well illustrated with her words, while not being too graphic. Likewise, the author doesn't get bogged down in the horrors of warfare; the stories of the Somme and other battles, of the field hospitals and the overwhelming difficulties faced by all are stark and reflect the truth of the matter, but are not overstated. There are a few small moments where she repeats herself, which make it feel like she might have been a couple of hundred words off of the requested word count of the book, but it's such a minor thing it can certainly be overlooked in this case!

I'll admit this is one of the few times I haven't skipped ahead to look at the pictures; I was nervous about what I'd find as I'm reading this of an evening and my brain has ways of keeping me up at night if I see something disturbing. However, as with the narrative, they are incredibly informative without being overtly shocking. I took them as a whole; the before, during and after images showing that patient's journey, and my takeaway wasn't about the debilitating injuries 'before', but rather a deep appreciation of the skill and genius of the surgeon that results in the 'after'. They really serve to bring home what the author is trying to convey.

Dr Gillies himself seems like a man way ahead of his time. The author doesn't hesitate to share the credit for discoveries with his contemporaries where appropriate, but his treatment of his patients, both medically and just on a human level, is incredible. You rejoice with him at his triumphs and lament with him at his losses, marvel at his thought processes and applaud his drive and hard work in the face of never-ending carnage. It's a real shame more people don't know his name!

This book is thought-provoking, insightful and brings to the fore an aspect of history that many more people should appreciate. The only reason I'm not going to rush out and buy it immediately is because it's more of a 'one and done' book, but I would not hesitate to recommend to anyone. It's absolutely worth your time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Gore, Medical trauma, War, Medical content, Blood, Death, and Fire/Fire injury

drkappitan's review against another edition

challenging informative medium-paced

3.5

As with many nonfiction books written for general audiences, I found myself appreciating the information and the overall shape of the narrative while being immensely irritated by the repetition of facts that had already been told. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, War, Body horror, Medical trauma, and Medical content

amyjo25's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, War, and Violence