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kiwij96's review against another edition
- 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
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.
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 against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and War
lealula's review against another edition
- 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
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
catorureads's review against another edition
- 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
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.
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
lc_27's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, War, Blood, and Violence
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Sexual content
aloe_v's review against another edition
- 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
Intense and compelling read
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Grief, War, Murder, Bullying, Blood, Gun violence, and Homophobia
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Antisemitism
arayo's review against another edition
- 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
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
mikkiokko's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
War is depicted painfully accurate here. At times it is horribly difficult to read, but it sheds an important light on its reality and helps you empathize with the complexities of each character. Each character, down to the smallest and bleakest ones are also handled with extreme car. Every soldier, every family member, every student at Preshute, felt so incredibly real. It brought life to the soldiers who died in a senseless war, and framed them as individuals that cannot be defined simply by a number of casualties and wounded. Furthermore, I appreciate how Winn handled the end and the deeply painful and complex reality of war after it is over.
I am a reader that has a hard time with romance, I care for Ellwood and Gaunt so deeply that I don't have many words for it. It is hard to believe they are not real with how well written they are.
I will always be thinking about this book. Please read it. Thank you Winn for your story.
Graphic: Death, War, and Blood
Moderate: Homophobia
ellislilylovestoread's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Body horror, Gun violence, Gore, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, War, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Death of parent
oliverlang's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
(I was thinking about the rating of this as I went and it only kept climbing so I'm defaulting to 5 stars for the minute. We shall see if my eventual reread upholds this.)
This was stunning and incredibly managed to capture the guts and brutality of the front lines of war while also providing moments of light and warmth.
I'm on a constant quest for stories with "old-timey queers" and this delivered exactly what I wanted.
Not really a spoiler, could potentially be described as an anti-content warning but just incase you like to go in knowing nothing about what to expect:
I also really like when multiple languages come together and this book gave me French, German and Greek so that was very nice.
Graphic: Suicide, Violence, War, Gore, Grief, Confinement, Body horror, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, and Death
Minor: Death of parent