Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Regeneration by Pat Barker

5 reviews

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. 

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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

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

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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

caitban's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Medical content, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Abortion

Minor: Classism

dana_katherine's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Bought this a bit on a whim while stranded in a train station; devoured in a few sittings. I loved the way she weaves fiction and history together, the characters are beautifully drawn and the reflection on the traumas of war is thoughtful, incisive, sad, hopeful, humanist... a challenging read but wonderful.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, War, and Injury/Injury detail

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."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Vomit