A review by naomi_hyde
Regeneration, by Pat Barker
3.0
This book was OK. Not good, not bad, just OK.
To cover the positives, I thought it was an important depiction of WWI and the impact it had on the mental health of so many soldiers. We always hear about the gruesome injuries and acts of heroism, but never the breakdowns and associated shame. I liked that each character had a unique background and response to their war trauma, and found the exploration of wanting to return to war to fight for your country vs. not wanting to go back to such a horrible place really interesting. I much preferred the conversations with Rivers over any of the other parts of the book as that's when we got to learn about the characters and what they'd been through. The inclusion of real-life people as characters was unexpected but also a nice touch; it really helped to bring the book to life and remind the reader that although a work of fiction, these were real experiences.
On the other hand, I found this book quite dull. Nothing really happened, and there were too many characters to follow, with the author only touching the surface of these characters and not going in-depth at all. I would have preferred fewer characters and more depth. I also thought the part at the end when Rivers watches the electric chair treatment felt a random addition. I found the book quite hard to get into as well, and I would often only read 4-5 pages until I was falling asleep!
Overall, the book felt a bit "meh". I didn't hate reading it, but I wouldn't recommend it or read it again.
To cover the positives, I thought it was an important depiction of WWI and the impact it had on the mental health of so many soldiers. We always hear about the gruesome injuries and acts of heroism, but never the breakdowns and associated shame. I liked that each character had a unique background and response to their war trauma, and found the exploration of wanting to return to war to fight for your country vs. not wanting to go back to such a horrible place really interesting. I much preferred the conversations with Rivers over any of the other parts of the book as that's when we got to learn about the characters and what they'd been through. The inclusion of real-life people as characters was unexpected but also a nice touch; it really helped to bring the book to life and remind the reader that although a work of fiction, these were real experiences.
On the other hand, I found this book quite dull. Nothing really happened, and there were too many characters to follow, with the author only touching the surface of these characters and not going in-depth at all. I would have preferred fewer characters and more depth. I also thought the part at the end when Rivers watches the electric chair treatment felt a random addition. I found the book quite hard to get into as well, and I would often only read 4-5 pages until I was falling asleep!
Overall, the book felt a bit "meh". I didn't hate reading it, but I wouldn't recommend it or read it again.