Reviews tagging 'Racism'

In memoriam by Alice Winn

26 reviews

ambersoda's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Violence, Blood, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Antisemitism, Medical content, and Alcohol

Minor: Confinement, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Classism

gentlemanjack's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and War

redheadorganist's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Blood, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Racism, Death of parent, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Classism

Minor: Sexual content and Suicide

bethanwx's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I couldn't put this down. An epic, emotional, tender story of Gaunt and Ellwood, two men coming face to face with gory WWI. Their lives are shattered but they begin to be sewn up again, both anchored by their feelings for the other. Their love story is beautifully delicate, passionate and all-consuming.

Winn carefully crafts how people attempt to mentally protect themselves in war and the futility of war on common people. In the stories of these soldiers, many no more than teenagers, we also see that the priveleges of money, class and connections play am important role in survival.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, and War

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Colonisation, and Classism

my_weird_bookish_heart's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

knmo1's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

3.25

Bal kəsmə səbəblərimdən biri yazıçının biraz abayı zırlatmasıdı. 1914-15-ci ildir e, necə olur ki british imperiya kimi bi yerdə hamısı rahatlıqla geylikdən danışır? O hissələr biraz lüzumsuz gəldi mənə. Enough homophobia yox idi zort. Nəysə başqa bi səbəbdən də bəyənməmişdim yadımdan çıxıb indi, deyəsən hekayənin ordan bura sıçramasını bəyənməmişdim. Sevdiyim tərəfləri amma şey idi, adamı həyəcanda saxlayırdı oxuduqca oxumaq istəyirdin, sonra müharibə hissələri maraqlı idi necə boktan yaşayışları olub görmüş olduq.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Rape

megelizabeth's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.5

"Gaunt wished the War had been what Ellwood wanted it to be. He wished they could have ridden across a battlefield on horseback, brandishing a sword alongside their gallant king."

This was SO good. It was a bleak, painful read much of the time, but also filled with so much love and so many beautiful friendships and relationships. It paints a brilliantly vivid picture of life at war and also does such a good job of doing what is often omitted in war-based fiction - exploring the long-lasting mental effects of experiencing war. 

This is a story that's devastating but also just hopeful enough to completely capture your heart. The ending is so clever, bittersweet, and not at all what I was expecting. I just loved this (and both Gaunt and Ellwood <3) so, so much, and I cannot wait to see what else Alice Winn writes in the future.

I think the main reason this wasn't quite a 5* read for me is that I didn't connect with the characters quite as much as I might have done if the cast wasn't so predominantly made up of private-school boys. That's not a criticism of the book as those are simply the experiences it explores, and it does touch on their privileges within the setting of a war frontline - it just meant that, whilst I loved this and loved many of the characters, I wasn't quite as connected as I have been with absolute top-tier books.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Homophobia, Violence, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Racism, and Antisemitism

Minor: Death of parent

maregred's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Homophobia, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, and Classism

Minor: Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

lou702's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

This is one of the most devastating books I ever read. Even with the knowledge of it being set in the first world war, I was not prepared to cry so many tears for fictional characters.

You start to love them and read about funny moments and just some word later you find out that they died.

I cried horribly and will probably never touch it again, even if it was such a good written book.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Violence, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Antisemitism, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

oddio's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Blood, and War

Moderate: Bullying, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Vomit, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual harassment