When I saw Jenn the Librarian, an expert on Wilfred Owen and WWI literature, pan this book sometime ago I decided not to read it. Since then my resolve had begun to weaken because I have seen so many positive reviews. So thanks for helping me resist reading In Memoriam. Like you I have spent a good bit of time reading WWI fiction and history and I think I would have had a similar reaction. Hope that you and yours are safe. You are in my thoughts.
Thanks Brian. I'm so pleased I wasn't the only one to have the reaction I did. I went back to find Jen's response and I really identify with her disappointment. I've been away so long, I just unlearned how to express it so politely.
I’m constantly baffled by the praise for this book, so I’m glad I’m not the only one who didn’t like it. As an aside, Garth Greenwell would blurb a wallpaper catalogue, it’s never a selling point.
Lol, this is a book about shame, it is not meant to be erotic. It is meant to be fumbling and awkward. It is a stunning piece of queer art. Stay away from my lovely soft boys!! And as for Garth Greenwell, his books are some of the worst queer books Ive ever read. Cold and soulless and completely without heart. I guess that's why we say different strokes for different folks 😂
I finished In Memoriam the.other day and also went looking for reviews online and I was shocked when I discovered that apparently everyone had loved it and thought it was amazing, when I had felt like it was missing something from the very first page. I feel like the most interesting and important bits of the novel were poorly described (like you say, the sex scenes, for example, were so anticlimactic), and the parts that should have been shorter (like the descriptions of extreme violence) were just way too long. This book seemed to me like it wasn't finished in some way, like it was an embryo of a story that should have been very curated. I haven't read any other WWI novel, so I can't say that it wasn't original to me, but even not knowing what previous works it was based in, I could tell it was just a puzzle made of other stories (which the author clearly states at the end of the book). I see potential in the story, it's a shame it wasn't worked on as much as it deserved.
My words, i really loved the first part and now, after the big plot twist i dont even want to continue to reading it. Right now I am in my bed, looking at the book and thinking if i should be reading it or to stop. Because after the first part i think it is very boring and it just discribes to much of the war and not about ellwoods emotions. So my attitude on this book is mainly negative. I dont know guys, should I read the second part??
Thank you, Daniel, for your great review. I really had to force myself to finish In Memoriam. I was very disappointed because I was looking forward to reading it. It's some time since I read such a poorly written book on WWI. It is not a good book, very pretentious, way too long and needed a lot of a professional editing and cuts. Pat Baker's Trilogy is still one of the best...
I feel like certain authors are paying close attention to what the BookTok community say they want, and not really considering that it might not always work. There is reader demand for gay sex to be more explicit and normalized and not so coy and soft focus which is very reasonable but that line ""Well?" he asked, once he'd swallowed"... So unsexy, clinical. I feel this could have been a good novel but it was trying too hard to appeal in a certain way and ran off the rails.
i'm sorry but i do enjoy it when you don't enjoy a book.it's so visceral and it reminds me of my reactions to books that i really dislike which have been praised by many. like the wren, the wren..yuk!...and as soon as world war one fiction is discussed i always flash back to the amazing experience of reading pat barker's trilogy....i love her. i pray that the war in your land ends soon.
I thought this book was "meh". However, I was super annoyed that not a single person expressed a homophobic view of their relationship. The longer the book went on, the less realistic it seemed. You aren't alone, Daniel.
I guess it's the challenge of writing for a 2024 audience who in large part want clear acceptance and validation of gay relationships, but that means it clashes awkwardly with how things would really have been.
Is it the same-sex love story in the trenches, the thing that is new to this? I haven't had an appetite to read about WW1 nor WW2 recently, not with Ukraine and Gaza going on. I still have Birdsong on my TBR which I think I'll try before this one. Hope that yourself and many others can keep ducking the onslaught overhead.
When I saw Jenn the Librarian, an expert on Wilfred Owen and WWI literature, pan this book sometime ago I decided not to read it. Since then my resolve had begun to weaken because I have seen so many positive reviews. So thanks for helping me resist reading In Memoriam. Like you I have spent a good bit of time reading WWI fiction and history and I think I would have had a similar reaction. Hope that you and yours are safe. You are in my thoughts.
Thanks Brian. I'm so pleased I wasn't the only one to have the reaction I did. I went back to find Jen's response and I really identify with her disappointment. I've been away so long, I just unlearned how to express it so politely.
I understand how it feels to have a person in power that one does not support and the consequences of that person in power are dire
Thanks. This too will pass.
I’m constantly baffled by the praise for this book, so I’m glad I’m not the only one who didn’t like it. As an aside, Garth Greenwell would blurb a wallpaper catalogue, it’s never a selling point.
I was delighted to find that I wasn't alone in finding this trite and underwhelming. Thanks for the Greenwell update!
I loved it
Lol, this is a book about shame, it is not meant to be erotic. It is meant to be fumbling and awkward. It is a stunning piece of queer art. Stay away from my lovely soft boys!! And as for Garth Greenwell, his books are some of the worst queer books Ive ever read. Cold and soulless and completely without heart. I guess that's why we say different strokes for different folks 😂
I'm glad you got something out of it. I found it deeply disappointing.
I loved it
I finished In Memoriam the.other day and also went looking for reviews online and I was shocked when I discovered that apparently everyone had loved it and thought it was amazing, when I had felt like it was missing something from the very first page. I feel like the most interesting and important bits of the novel were poorly described (like you say, the sex scenes, for example, were so anticlimactic), and the parts that should have been shorter (like the descriptions of extreme violence) were just way too long. This book seemed to me like it wasn't finished in some way, like it was an embryo of a story that should have been very curated. I haven't read any other WWI novel, so I can't say that it wasn't original to me, but even not knowing what previous works it was based in, I could tell it was just a puzzle made of other stories (which the author clearly states at the end of the book). I see potential in the story, it's a shame it wasn't worked on as much as it deserved.
Agreed. Very undercooked.
Really really glad to see you OK at least in body if not in mood
That about sums it up, healthy in body if not in mood. Thanks.
Wholeheartedly agree that this was a not-good book. I was baffled by how many people praised it.
Good to know I'm not alone. I appreciate your phrasing also. It wasn't offensively awful, but it was definitely a not-good book.
My words, i really loved the first part and now, after the big plot twist i dont even want to continue to reading it. Right now I am in my bed, looking at the book and thinking if i should be reading it or to stop. Because after the first part i think it is very boring and it just discribes to much of the war and not about ellwoods emotions. So my attitude on this book is mainly negative. I dont know guys, should I read the second part??
Please someone help, is it worth it? Or my head just dont want to finish the book
I can't tell you what to do, but I don't think it gets better in the second half.
@@GuiltyFeat thank you so much
Tell us what you really think, Daniel!
I will always try to! Thanks Andi.
Was thinking about you last night Daniel - stay safe
Thanks for your thoughts. Hoping that everyone, everywhere stays safe.
Thank you, Daniel, for your great review. I really had to force myself to finish In Memoriam. I was very disappointed because I was looking forward to reading it. It's some time since I read such a poorly written book on WWI. It is not a good book, very pretentious, way too long and needed a lot of a professional editing and cuts.
Pat Baker's Trilogy is still one of the best...
I am with you both on "In Memoriam" and the majesty of Barker's Regeneration trilogy.
I feel like certain authors are paying close attention to what the BookTok community say they want, and not really considering that it might not always work. There is reader demand for gay sex to be more explicit and normalized and not so coy and soft focus which is very reasonable but that line ""Well?" he asked, once he'd swallowed"... So unsexy, clinical. I feel this could have been a good novel but it was trying too hard to appeal in a certain way and ran off the rails.
i'm sorry but i do enjoy it when you don't enjoy a book.it's so visceral and it reminds me of my reactions to books that i really dislike which have been praised by many. like the wren, the wren..yuk!...and as soon as world war one fiction is discussed i always flash back to the amazing experience of reading pat barker's trilogy....i love her. i pray that the war in your land ends soon.
Thanks for you good wishes. Yes x 3 for the Pat Barker Regeneration trilogy.
No you're spot on. The book was written and nothing was felt at all. Book is very very overrated.
That was my experience for sure.
I thought this book was "meh". However, I was super annoyed that not a single person expressed a homophobic view of their relationship. The longer the book went on, the less realistic it seemed. You aren't alone, Daniel.
Thanks. Yes, it was awfully idealized and it just felt a bit silly to me.
I guess it's the challenge of writing for a 2024 audience who in large part want clear acceptance and validation of gay relationships, but that means it clashes awkwardly with how things would really have been.
Is it the same-sex love story in the trenches, the thing that is new to this? I haven't had an appetite to read about WW1 nor WW2 recently, not with Ukraine and Gaza going on. I still have Birdsong on my TBR which I think I'll try before this one. Hope that yourself and many others can keep ducking the onslaught overhead.
Birdsong is a masterpiece. This doesn't ever come close. Thanks.
Sorry about the bad read..glad to see you though.
The good news is there are always more books to read.
I loved it so we agree to disagree
I love that you loved it, even if I didn't.