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Reviews tagging 'Body horror'
The Facemaker: A Visionary Surgeon's Battle to Mend the Disfigured Soldiers of World War I by Lindsey Fitzharris
13 reviews
sakisreads's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Genocide, Gore, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and War
pardonmylord's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Medical content, Medical trauma, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Violence, and Grief
Minor: Death and Fire/Fire injury
beepbeep101's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, Medical content, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Body horror, Gun violence, Medical trauma, and Alcohol
Minor: Deadnaming, Homophobia, and Transphobia
lego28's review against another edition
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
lady_bountiful's review against another edition
3.5
Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Chronic illness, and Grief
ptaradactyl's review
4.25
I enjoyed it, and I learned from it. But it’s not for those who can’t handle body trauma. It wasn’t gratuitous; it was needed to explain the needs for treatment and the scale of the injuries. But it horrific and tragic.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Blood, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Gore and Fire/Fire injury
savage_book_review's review against another edition
5.0
First and foremost, this is incredibly well written. It takes the stories of each of the patients and Dr Gillies and treats them with such sensitivity, while also ensuring the reader has the facts and bringing some of the Doctor's personality and even humour into the narrative. Details of injuries are (for the most part) given in layman's terms and well illustrated with her words, while not being too graphic. Likewise, the author doesn't get bogged down in the horrors of warfare; the stories of the Somme and other battles, of the field hospitals and the overwhelming difficulties faced by all are stark and reflect the truth of the matter, but are not overstated. There are a few small moments where she repeats herself, which make it feel like she might have been a couple of hundred words off of the requested word count of the book, but it's such a minor thing it can certainly be overlooked in this case!
I'll admit this is one of the few times I haven't skipped ahead to look at the pictures; I was nervous about what I'd find as I'm reading this of an evening and my brain has ways of keeping me up at night if I see something disturbing. However, as with the narrative, they are incredibly informative without being overtly shocking. I took them as a whole; the before, during and after images showing that patient's journey, and my takeaway wasn't about the debilitating injuries 'before', but rather a deep appreciation of the skill and genius of the surgeon that results in the 'after'. They really serve to bring home what the author is trying to convey.
Dr Gillies himself seems like a man way ahead of his time. The author doesn't hesitate to share the credit for discoveries with his contemporaries where appropriate, but his treatment of his patients, both medically and just on a human level, is incredible. You rejoice with him at his triumphs and lament with him at his losses, marvel at his thought processes and applaud his drive and hard work in the face of never-ending carnage. It's a real shame more people don't know his name!
This book is thought-provoking, insightful and brings to the fore an aspect of history that many more people should appreciate. The only reason I'm not going to rush out and buy it immediately is because it's more of a 'one and done' book, but I would not hesitate to recommend to anyone. It's absolutely worth your time.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
drkappitan's review
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Gun violence, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, War, and Injury/Injury detail
jhbandcats's review against another edition
5.0
For soldiers with mangled faces whose fiancées left them or whose children ran away screaming in terror, Dr Gillies was a savior. He suffered many failures as he was learning along the way but they were outstripped by his successes. He went on to perform facial reconstruction in WWII, working in private practice in times of peace. His two books on plastic surgery of the face are still valuable.
Lindsey Fitzharris gives an overview of the wartime medical complex on the Continent and its expansion to England, and shows how Gillies continued to grow his knowledge as he did all he could to return his patients to lives as normal as possible. An excellent medical history.
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Death, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
monarchgirl's review
4.25
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Medical content, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Due to the nature of the book in the accompanying material with this audiobook there are pictures of graphic injuries caused during war.