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kttylatte's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
4.25
i was hesitant to read it because i couldn’t really tell what it was going to be about (plus reading it for college) but i really enjoyed it. it put me through the mill a bit, i found certain sections very emotional and reflective. i do just love and adore pat barker’s writing style, which i think made it even better!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, War, and Injury/Injury detail
ed_moore's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Barker’s ‘Regeneration’ is a different sort of war story. It focuses on the physiatrist Rivers and his patients at Craiglockhart Memorial Hospital, helping those traumatised from their service in WW1. His job is to cure them so they become mentally stable enough to return to the front, and when this is impossible the patient is deemed a ‘failure’. This mindset evolves when Rivers is assigned the poet Siegfried Sassoon as a patient, who believes the war is only still ongoing due to warmongers, all the death is futile and it can be stopped, and hence begins Rivers evolution in mindset towards the First World War.
‘Regeneration’ followed the storylines of numerous patients, and inevitably I preferred the company of some than others. Unfortunately one of the primary characters was a man called Prior who Barker placed a lot of emphasis from and I just really didn’t like the chapters that focused on him. He was generally unlikeable and though his mental condition completely justifies such, it still didn’t mean I wasn’t yearning for Sassoon. That being said, I adored the scenes between Wilfred Owen and Sassoon and the budding relationship of the two poets. The mentorship was so wholesome and yet so painful knowing how history plays out. Owen also played a very small role in the book which I would have loved to see more of.
The book felt both very static and constantly changing somehow, especially with the shift of Rivers setting towards the end which left me desiring what I already knew. The speed in which departures of characters occurred I suppose contributed to such. All together ‘Regeneration’ was heart-wrenching and traumatising given its themes and context, yet also Barker wrote it so beautifully. I am surprised that it is a trilogy however as I feel there isn’t much more to be said and its harsh conclusion made the point that Barker had intended.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, and War
erinbrenner's review against another edition
challenging
dark
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, War, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Torture, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Chronic illness, Confinement, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, and Antisemitism
davbat's review against another edition
medium-paced
- 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
2.5
Well written and engaging. Remarkable that the author could take one of the saddest periods in British history and write it in a way that provokes almost no emotion or sympathy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Death, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, and Cannibalism
Minor: Homophobia, Infidelity, Antisemitism, Death of parent, and Classism
svrye_docx's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
First encountered this book several years ago in a university writing class (Literature of the First World War) and got really into it. We sadly only read part of it and now, years later, found the book again and read it in full.
It's not a gripping page turner, nor is it your standard war novel full of battlefield exploits. It's a psychological exploration of men dealing with war trauma.
Though the book is fiction, Pat Barker has dived deep into historical records and research to feature historical figures as the main characters in this book and from what I was able to gather through my own parallel googling, most of what she's depicted is fairly accurate.
As the first in a trilogy, I think 'Regeneration' is a strong entry into the series' themes of war trauma, masculinity in turn-of-the-century Britain, mental illness and its treatment and homosexuality. It's full of conflicted characters and a sense of inevitability that neither the characters nor we, the readers, can quite look away from.
It's not a gripping page turner, nor is it your standard war novel full of battlefield exploits. It's a psychological exploration of men dealing with war trauma.
Though the book is fiction, Pat Barker has dived deep into historical records and research to feature historical figures as the main characters in this book and from what I was able to gather through my own parallel googling, most of what she's depicted is fairly accurate.
As the first in a trilogy, I think 'Regeneration' is a strong entry into the series' themes of war trauma, masculinity in turn-of-the-century Britain, mental illness and its treatment and homosexuality. It's full of conflicted characters and a sense of inevitability that neither the characters nor we, the readers, can quite look away from.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , War, and Injury/Injury detail
ginnydw's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
s_copeland22's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Medical trauma, and War
abidoodle's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
3.0
This book was pretty average. I appreciate some of the comments it makes about society but I also feel like nothing happened in it at the same time. There were some things that were confusing, but it was also very intriguing and kept my interest pretty well. If I had access to the other books I think I would continue the series. It was quite intense at times so I’d recommend being aware of any possible trigger warnings.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Torture, and War
Minor: Violence
anitaxlit's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
Picking this up I expected to simply enjoy some content about Siegfried Sassoon —a character that's fascinated me for years— and I was delighted to find that Regeneration offers so much more. Its reflections on the horrors of trench warfare, doctor-patient relationships and the changing views on masculinity at the time are insightful, sensitive and emotional.
The author doesn't always state what she wants to say plainly: instead she takes you on a journey with the characters, and with subtle allusions and clever dialogue guides you to develop the same ideas as them. But Barker is direct and raw where it counts, and I was truly shaken by some of the soldier's descriptions of life in the trenches.
On a lighter note, I enjoyed seeing Wilfred Owen here. His few interactions with Sassoon are a welcome reprieve from the despair governing the lives of the other characters, and I loved the scene where they work on "Anthem for Doomed Youth".
"What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?
— Only the monstrous anger of the guns."
The author doesn't always state what she wants to say plainly: instead she takes you on a journey with the characters, and with subtle allusions and clever dialogue guides you to develop the same ideas as them. But Barker is direct and raw where it counts, and I was truly shaken by some of the soldier's descriptions of life in the trenches.
On a lighter note, I enjoyed seeing Wilfred Owen here. His few interactions with Sassoon are a welcome reprieve from the despair governing the lives of the other characters, and I loved the scene where they work on "Anthem for Doomed Youth".
"What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?
— Only the monstrous anger of the guns."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Vomit