Reviews tagging 'War'

Everyone Brave Is Forgiven by Chris Cleave

9 reviews

calamitywindpetal's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring sad slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Confinement and Suicide

maxwellkb2's review against another edition

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? Yes

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, War, and Classism

lech4617's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

2.0

Set during world war 2, I find the characters to have very little in the way of goals that they are working at throughout the book. It is realistic in that sense, that they go through life in a similar manner to ourselves, but i find that it does take away from the engagement of the book.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

bethusery's review against another edition

funny informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

When I first started this book, I thought I’d made a mistake because it started a hair slow and I don’t DNF anything so I was scared I was going to be stuck with it. But, as soon I heard the banter between Tom and Alistair it took off. I absolutely LOVED the characters and their dialogue. It gave me Rose Code (my favorite book) vibes, but from the lives of normal Brits, as opposed to those cracking enigma. I would absolutely recommend (and already have!)

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and War

Minor: Child abuse

jnlundy's review against another edition

emotional slow-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, Medical trauma, Death of parent, War, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Drug abuse, Gore, and Violence

Minor: Cursing, Abandonment, and Alcohol

aevpoetry's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Grief, and War

jebowman123's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.5

This book was clearly written by a Man™️. I find the racism indulgent, even for a historical book, but the tales woven offer a unique perspective on the times and the strands of which are smoothly intertwined. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Racial slurs, Car accident, and Murder

Moderate: Drug use, Hate crime, Racism, Suicide, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

manola's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, Medical content, Grief, and War

Moderate: Child death

nothingforpomegranted's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? Yes

3.0

When war is declared in London, Tom is making blackberry jam. Alistair, Tom's roommate, surprises them both by enlisting, sailing off to the front in France and eventually to besieged Malta. From the other side of town, Mary has volunteered enthusiastically, only somewhat deflated when she is assigned a post as a schoolteacher under Tom's jurisdiction. When (most of) Mary's students are evacuated without her, she barrels into Tom's office, demanding a classroom to continue teaching those "unwanted" children, rejected by the countryside for their skin color, disability, or trauma. The love story that ensues among these three characters--and Mary's best friend Hilda, whose patriotism for the war mostly has to do with all the men in uniform--addresses classism, insecurity, passion, loss, and the nature of bravery. 

This book had all the components that I should absolutely adore in historical fiction (except that it wasn't set in France), yet somehow, I didn't enjoy this WWII novel about an educator! There were elements, of course, that I appreciated, and certainly Mary's devotion to her underserved students topped the list, but ultimately, I only intermittently connected to the characters and was bored more often than not by the lengthy descriptions and extended metaphors. Indeed, the excessive use of "one" as a pronoun frustrated me, and nearly every page contained a line or two that felt overly crafted for the purpose of being "beautiful writing."

I liked Alistair and almost every scene on Malta. Another reviewer mentioned that Alistair had the special effect of making any other character he interacted with seem likable, and it was so true! The scenes on the home front, between Mary and Tom, Mary and her mother, and Mary and her students, particularly Zachary, whose father is the announcer at the local minstrel show, were sometimes interesting, but it was the promise of another scene with Alistair that kept me turning pages. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Racial slurs, Racism, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Grief, and Abandonment