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romcomqueen85 's review for:
In Memoriam
by Alice Winn
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
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
I’m not usually one to read novels that take place in the trenches of the first world war, but I was intrigued by the love story between the two main characters, Gaunt and Ellwood, so I decided to give it a go. I wasn't disappointed. As expected the war scenes are harrowing, but they also focus on the male friendships and bonding that was created at Preshute, the private boarding school, where Gaunt and Ellwood meet their friends who later end up becoming fellow soldiers during the Great War.
Winn weaves a compelling tale richly developed about what it was like to be a closeted young man, first at a private boarding school, to then what it is like on the front line, during a time when homosexual acts were still criminalised. It was extremely easy to feel sympathy and empathy for the two men as they navigated their close friendship as it turned into something more.
Whilst Gaunt and Ellwood are separated by war, and also by the homophobic society of Edwardian England, their love for each other drives them forward and drives the narrative forward. It's also what kept me hooked on reading this modern day classic and it definitely got me out of my reading slump. I can’t wait to watch the film version of this novel when it is released in the future, especially since Winn writes for the screen.
Winn weaves a compelling tale richly developed about what it was like to be a closeted young man, first at a private boarding school, to then what it is like on the front line, during a time when homosexual acts were still criminalised. It was extremely easy to feel sympathy and empathy for the two men as they navigated their close friendship as it turned into something more.
Whilst Gaunt and Ellwood are separated by war, and also by the homophobic society of Edwardian England, their love for each other drives them forward and drives the narrative forward. It's also what kept me hooked on reading this modern day classic and it definitely got me out of my reading slump. I can’t wait to watch the film version of this novel when it is released in the future, especially since Winn writes for the screen.