Reviews tagging 'War'

Durch das große Feuer by Alice Winn

312 reviews

gemloukay's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative sad tense medium-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? No

5.0

When World War 1 breaks out, poetic Ellwood and classicist Gaunt, along with all their public school friends, enlist despite being underage. Gaunt is a little older and enlists early due to family pressure. Ellwood can’t stand to hear the letters from Gaunt sounding more and more resigned to death and enlists too. What follows is far more harrowing than either of them anticipated.  

But their secret love for one another blossoms in the trenches and we’re left wondering whether they’ll survive to discover it for themselves. And if they do, what will happen since homosexuality was still illegal in England at that time? 

It’s a stunning debut that made me root for both of the main characters alongside their ever dwindling group of friends. It’s horrifying to hear about life in the trenches and the major battles of the Great War but I realised in reading it that I don’t know much about it despite having family members that died in Gallipoli and the Somme. The numbers of dead is just staggering to think about. 

Such a good book, and although it’s never going to be a cheery topic, it leaves you wanting them to survive and be able to celebrate their love for each other after the war has ended. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, and War

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

kriziny's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

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

sha's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail

milliefitz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

Minor: Alcoholism, Self harm, Suicide, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism

rebeccaquinton's review against another edition

dark emotional funny fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

bookishnanna's review against another edition

dark emotional sad

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, War, and Classism

pamscafati's review against another edition

dark informative sad

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and War

loveclairebearx's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

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

3.5

I haven’t read many (any?) other WWI books to compare this to, but Winn paints a vivid portrait of the day to day atrocities of the warfront. I expected a bit more gay and a lot less gore, but that’s a personal problem. The real problem here? In a time where homosexuality was criminalized, it feels like some serious revisionist history to not have worked the immense threat and unique challenges of that into the storyline.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Homophobia

djrezzyrez's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, and War

bekacrook's review against another edition

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? No

5.0

Absolutely heart wrenching. I cried. Devastatingly sad, with such a combination of hopefulness and hopelessness. The naivety, the poetry and the horror all combine. There was a sense of emptiness left. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and War

Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Suicide