daniellekat's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated

4.5

A tragic look at the cost of war. This was powerfully told and has understandably stood the test of time. At times the language was a bit dense and difficult to follow, but the translation was superb. I also found the pacing strange, although the unpredictability of it did add to the overall reading experience. All-in-all this was heavy but absolutely worthwhile.

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heuteschongekurtet's review against another edition

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

4.0


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xlaraxk's review against another edition

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

3.0


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diddlydoo333's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

4.5


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namizaela's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

"A little soldier and a clear voice, and if anyone were to caress him he would hardly understand, this soldier with the big boots and the shut heart, who marches because he is wearing big boots, and has forgotten all else but marching."

The thing that stuck out to me about this book was how gory it is, and how matter-of-fact it is about its goriness. Retrospectively I should have expected this since it's a book about WW1, but I don't think I've ever read a book about war that seems so truthful. I've never been a soldier, but from what I know about wars, the actual violence of them can't be glossed over. This book made me feel empathy, hope, and finally sadness--but mostly horror. It's a great book that does exactly what it sets out to do, but personally I wasn't prepared for the graphic descriptions of violence and death. 

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