I think a good director could turn this book into a beautiful and unforgettable movie in the future! I read Winn's book in italian and I found it enchanting and very well written! Thank you for your review
I am happy you are bringing attention to this book. I hope next awards season we are seeing it on many short lists. It is definitely my favorite this year.
I concur with everything you said. I assume this work is eligible for the Booker and, if so, it is already my choice to win. Btw, I have my grandfather’s WWI military records. He enlisted in the Canadian army in 1914 at the age of 15. The recruiting officer only had to sign a statement that the recruit was “of apparent age.” It seems many countries were winking and smirking as they sent their children off to hell.
Absolutely adore the way you described this book. I was struggling to put into words the beauty of the story (achieved without sugar coating the realities of war) and the way it tugged at my heart, and hearing you talk about it made me really happy. Thank you for the video!
Thank you for bringing this novel to my attention! I’m currently halfway through and so far it’s quickly becoming one of my favourite reads of this year ❤
37 seconds in and I was so happy you were talking about In Memoriam! It definitely made me feel like that! Ever since I read it I have been hoping some of my favourite booktubers would read it too! Would love to chat about it with someone who has read it! I have watched all the interviews with Alice Winn too and as a result, I read Giovanni's Room which was also amazing and also have The Runaways. Now I'll listen to the rest of the video to see what you have to say about it. Think it's definitely going to be my favourite book of the year!
Oddly, I ordered this book a few days ago and it is arriving today. It's a period I've never been drawn to so this is my first WW1 novel. What a fabulous review you've done and I feel circumstances have aligned to this book being my next read. I really enjoy your in-depth reviews and am excited to enter the lives of these two young men.
I loved this too! I thought I was familiar with this era, but this was a side I hadn’t seen before. So multidimensional and well done, I’m glad you’re talking about it, Eric!
Thank you for this video, I am fascinated by this period so will definitely read this book. Aside from All Quiet on the Western Front and Testament of Youth which are brilliant books written at the time, I would definitely encourage you to read the poetry of the time. Par Barker’s Regeneration trilogy is wonderful.
I only just came across this book today and thought it sounded really good, even though I don't generally read books set in wartime (for various reasons). Your ringing endorsement, coming along mere hours later, can only be serendipity - you have sold me completely! A note on the White Feather Brigade; though it was initiated in England by a man who was a big proponent of conscription (and instructed women to do the job, believing it would be more effective), it reached as far as over here in Australia. I remember hearing a story of a man who received several white feathers in his mail (the hypocrisy of such cowardice is unbelievable), and because he kept being rejected from the army for some physical impairment, and due to his own shame being compounded a hundred times over by these feathers, he ended up committing suicide. Of course, the sheer scale of the tragedy in war is unfathomable, and is no small part of why I don't often read books set in those periods - but it seems I'm making an exception for this one! Thanks for the recommendation, I hope I get as much out of it as you have😊
When that sort of thing happens I think it really is fate telling you to read it. 😜📚 I hope you find it as powerful as I did. And that's so interesting! Incredible the guilt which was laid on people who really shouldn't have been fighting but made to feel they were letting their country and neighbours down. Thank you for telling me that story.
I've seen In Memoriam a couple of times in recent booktuber videos but this is the first detailed review I hear, the books sounds so interesting and heartbreaking, it's definitely in my TBR now! Off topic, but when I watch your videos I sometimes wish you filmed in front of your bookshelves - when watching booktuber videos I always love seeing what books are in the background, it makes for a very aesthetically pleasing and interesting added bonus. Just a random suggestion :)
Great, I hope you enjoy it. I wish I could film in front of my bookshelves more but the family who live in the apartment on the other side of my shelves have two small children who have frequent crying fits. You’d think the books would muffle the sound but you can still hear them very clearly.
This sounds like a really interesting book! The white feather thing was used in an episode of Downton Abbey, but I've never heard of it other than that.
Loved your review Eric! Was there a moment for you when you felt like it absolutely blew you away? There was for me - and I don't think it was a particularly obvious one. I reserved it from the library as I wasn't sure if it was for me and I had to read it when it arrived as there were other reserves on it. Now I think I am going to have to buy my own copy because I definitely need to read it again.
There was a scene in Downton Abbey with white feathers being given to a couple of the servants before the women doing it were thrown out. I haven't read this but it sounds incredible.
There is a movie called The Four Feathers which touches on the distribution of white feathers. Excellent movie-I did not realize that was an actual thing that happened.
Great review and definitely made me want to read it! If you're interested in Sassoon I would recommend the film Benediction if you haven't seen it, very good companion piece to this book by the sounds of it.
I'm SO happy a friend recommended this book. It is one of my top 2 reads so far this year! And thank you for your review -- yes, representation matters!
I am reading this book right now based on your recommendation. I am currently on page 65 and really love it. Does anyone else have trouble keeping all the characters straight? I keep having to backtrack to remember who the characters are.
If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend 'Juno Loves' Legs' - definitely my favorite book of the year, so far. I liked In Memoriam OK, but wasn't crazy about it, It will be interesting to see how it does with the Bookers, and other awards upcoming.
I loved this earnest review, and especially found it interesting what you said about Winn writing the gay love story between two men in a convincing way. After finishing the book, I briefly considered if a man would be able to write an believable wlw relationship in a similar vein, and I think it's possible, as authors like Winn capitalise on their understanding of how certain aspects of love and attraction unite us all. But regarding how she would know of the things specific to male-only relationships, I wonder if you have ever looked into the portrayals of homosexual relationships in art as seen through the female gaze? There's some interesting discourse on it in multiple forums. The writing of Andre Aciman is very popular with women of all ages, particularly Call Me By Your Name which blew up when the film was released five or so years ago. Lots of the sweeter gay stories, for example Heartstopper, are interacted with by young women as much as the boys who they're for and about. And, if not too much to comment on, I will say there is also a sizeable female interest in gay pornography, for a myriad of reasons, including the removal of a female body providing escapism from the self and no negative comparison/pressure to perform similarly in one's own life. In short, I think that many women are fascinated by men, and many are fascinated by gay men in particular, because despite what pop culture has sold us about the gay best friend or the camp queen stereotype, gay men remain mysterious and wonderfully 'other', and theirs is a world almost entirely cut off from women. But rather than harbour resentment towards this, as many straight men do towards lesbians ('I could turn you' etc), women find the tenderness shown between two men in love to be rare and beautiful. I think this is what the heart of Winn's novel celebrates. Large parts of it reminded me of two other gay stories with considerable female fanbases, one real and one fictional: Dustin Lance Black speaking about sexuality in his book Mama's Boy (a gay relationship having less exotic mystery due to being between two members of the same sex, and therefore needing other exciting aspects) and the performative heterosexuality and internalised homophobia of the characters of Mike Wheeler and Will Byers in the TV show Stranger Things (the as-yet-unresolved relationship between these two has a huge fanbase of all ages and genders, but female especially).
Just finished this one. Really good - thanks for your strong recommendation on this one. Really original concept, and beautifully written. It kind of reminded me a little of a couple of the books I read last year - The Colony by Audrey McGee, and Percival Everett's The Trees - a separate story, but woven into the text of all 3 is the chronicling of senseless deaths and killings. Why do we do this to each other as humans and why do we never learn, is the question being asked perhaps?
I haven’t read this yet but I did just finish Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson which is so wonderful and as close to a perfect book as I’ve read this year. Better than Open Water.
You should watch the film four Feathers as it is about white feathers but at time befoe this book it hasbeen made threw times over years john mills is in the one i remember
This book was vaguely on my radar but I wasn't sure because I'm not that keen on historical fiction and war narratives. I also prefer to go into a good book without knowing too much, so now I'm just going to take your heartfelt endorsement and add the book to my TBR without watching most of your video. Sorry and thank you. lol
I had completely planned to read New Life, this book and the other WWI eastern front gay soldiers book for June and I’ve not read any of them! I’m reading great things, just not what I had planned from early January on.
I think a good director could turn this book into a beautiful and unforgettable movie in the future! I read Winn's book in italian and I found it enchanting and very well written! Thank you for your review
I would LOVE if it that happened!
when you said those first few sentences i was like ‘yeah that’s how in memoriam made me feel’ AND THEN IT’S LITERALLY ABOUT IN MEMORIAM!!!! YES!!!!
So glad we’re in sync! 💕
I Just that nowel!
I am happy you are bringing attention to this book. I hope next awards season we are seeing it on many short lists. It is definitely my favorite this year.
I have been surprised by the lack of recognition this book has gotten so far. Glad you are giving it the love it deserves.
I concur with everything you said. I assume this work is eligible for the Booker and, if so, it is already my choice to win.
Btw, I have my grandfather’s WWI military records. He enlisted in the Canadian army in 1914 at the age of 15. The recruiting officer only had to sign a statement that the recruit was “of apparent age.” It seems many countries were winking and smirking as they sent their children off to hell.
Absolutely adore the way you described this book. I was struggling to put into words the beauty of the story (achieved without sugar coating the realities of war) and the way it tugged at my heart, and hearing you talk about it made me really happy. Thank you for the video!
Thanks! So glad you felt the same way.
Thank you for bringing this novel to my attention! I’m currently halfway through and so far it’s quickly becoming one of my favourite reads of this year ❤
That’s great to hear! Glad you’re finding it so impactful.
37 seconds in and I was so happy you were talking about In Memoriam! It definitely made me feel like that! Ever since I read it I have been hoping some of my favourite booktubers would read it too! Would love to chat about it with someone who has read it! I have watched all the interviews with Alice Winn too and as a result, I read Giovanni's Room which was also amazing and also have The Runaways. Now I'll listen to the rest of the video to see what you have to say about it. Think it's definitely going to be my favourite book of the year!
Oddly, I ordered this book a few days ago and it is arriving today. It's a period I've never been drawn to so this is my first WW1 novel. What a fabulous review you've done and I feel circumstances have aligned to this book being my next read. I really enjoy your in-depth reviews and am excited to enter the lives of these two young men.
Great coincidence and I hope you enjoy it! And thank you so much.
I loved this too! I thought I was familiar with this era, but this was a side I hadn’t seen before. So multidimensional and well done, I’m glad you’re talking about it, Eric!
That’s great to hear! Yes, such a refreshing new take on the period.
Alexandar Hemon's book took my breath away so will definitely read In Memoriam. Thanks for pointing it out!
Thank you for this video, I am fascinated by this period so will definitely read this book. Aside from All Quiet on the Western Front and Testament of Youth which are brilliant books written at the time, I would definitely encourage you to read the poetry of the time. Par Barker’s Regeneration trilogy is wonderful.
Thank you! yes, I really enjoyed Pat Barker's books on that period as well. Need to get to the poetry.
So so glad you felt the same about this book. So far it is my most impactful read of the year.
Yes! 💕
Adding to my tbr immediately! Thank you! Was waiting for reviews to decide if I wanted to give it a go.
Great! Hope you find it as powerful a read as I did.
Eric, you are hurting my TBR! This sounds too good to pass up.
😅📚📚📚
I just purchased the audio book version. Thanks for the recommendation. As usual all your reviews are insightful, engaging and inspiring. 📚
I only just came across this book today and thought it sounded really good, even though I don't generally read books set in wartime (for various reasons). Your ringing endorsement, coming along mere hours later, can only be serendipity - you have sold me completely!
A note on the White Feather Brigade; though it was initiated in England by a man who was a big proponent of conscription (and instructed women to do the job, believing it would be more effective), it reached as far as over here in Australia. I remember hearing a story of a man who received several white feathers in his mail (the hypocrisy of such cowardice is unbelievable), and because he kept being rejected from the army for some physical impairment, and due to his own shame being compounded a hundred times over by these feathers, he ended up committing suicide.
Of course, the sheer scale of the tragedy in war is unfathomable, and is no small part of why I don't often read books set in those periods - but it seems I'm making an exception for this one! Thanks for the recommendation, I hope I get as much out of it as you have😊
When that sort of thing happens I think it really is fate telling you to read it. 😜📚 I hope you find it as powerful as I did.
And that's so interesting! Incredible the guilt which was laid on people who really shouldn't have been fighting but made to feel they were letting their country and neighbours down. Thank you for telling me that story.
a great review for an amazing book ❤! i was shocked to see that it's a debut, it's so well written!!
Will be calling my favorite indie bookstore tomorrow & placing an order for this!
Fantastic! 👍📚 Hope you enjoy it
I've seen In Memoriam a couple of times in recent booktuber videos but this is the first detailed review I hear, the books sounds so interesting and heartbreaking, it's definitely in my TBR now! Off topic, but when I watch your videos I sometimes wish you filmed in front of your bookshelves - when watching booktuber videos I always love seeing what books are in the background, it makes for a very aesthetically pleasing and interesting added bonus. Just a random suggestion :)
Great, I hope you enjoy it. I wish I could film in front of my bookshelves more but the family who live in the apartment on the other side of my shelves have two small children who have frequent crying fits. You’d think the books would muffle the sound but you can still hear them very clearly.
@@EricKarlAnderson aaah that's so annoying! Well I hope those kids calm down with age ahah
Yeah for In Memoriam 🥰 Just adored it too!! Great review as always xx
thank you! I hope it gets some book prize attention. I think it was eligible for this year's Women's Prize, wasn't it? Crazy that it wasn't listed.
Glad I watched this. As a WWI buff I already had In Memoriam on my radar, but I'd forgotten about the Hemon book.
They have very different takes but both fascinating.
Another great review, Eric. I'm really intrigued to read this novel now.
Thanks! 😊
Absolutely loved this book, too! As always, your posts are a JOY!
I’m so glad you agree. And thank you!
I bought it on Audible after seeing another review which praised it highly. Now, having listened to you, I know I was right to buy it 😊❤
Great, it’s so good and I hope you find it as powerful as I did
This sounds like a really interesting book! The white feather thing was used in an episode of Downton Abbey, but I've never heard of it other than that.
This book has just been translated in Thai. Thanks for the review
Loved your review Eric! Was there a moment for you when you felt like it absolutely blew you away? There was for me - and I don't think it was a particularly obvious one. I reserved it from the library as I wasn't sure if it was for me and I had to read it when it arrived as there were other reserves on it. Now I think I am going to have to buy my own copy because I definitely need to read it again.
There was a scene in Downton Abbey with white feathers being given to a couple of the servants before the women doing it were thrown out. I haven't read this but it sounds incredible.
Oh interesting!
There is a movie called The Four Feathers which touches on the distribution of white feathers. Excellent movie-I did not realize that was an actual thing that happened.
I loved this book! I think it’s my favourite of the year! ❤
Such a beautiful story! Glad you love it too. 😊
Great review and definitely made me want to read it! If you're interested in Sassoon I would recommend the film Benediction if you haven't seen it, very good companion piece to this book by the sounds of it.
Wow. I had never heard of this book but now I must read it!
Hope you enjoy it!
I'm SO happy a friend recommended this book. It is one of my top 2 reads so far this year! And thank you for your review -- yes, representation matters!
I’m so glad you found it as powerful as I did - what’s your other top read of the year?
@@EricKarlAnderson Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton. A thrill.
Great review! On my TBR list now.😉
Thank you! Hope you get to it at some point.
I absolutely loved this book! My favourite of the year so far I think
😊📚
I am reading this book right now based on your recommendation. I am currently on page 65 and really love it.
Does anyone else have trouble keeping all the characters straight? I keep having to backtrack to remember who the characters are.
That’s great to hear. And after a while the main characters become clear I think.
I received it today. Can’t wait to start.
Great! Hope you find it as powerful a read as I did.
@@EricKarlAndersonThe British dust cover is so much nicer the the US cover.
I read it two weeks ago and I loved it.
🥰📚
If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend 'Juno Loves' Legs' - definitely my favorite book of the year, so far. I liked In Memoriam OK, but wasn't crazy about it, It will be interesting to see how it does with the Bookers, and other awards upcoming.
I’ve not heard of that. I’ll look it up - thanks
I loved this earnest review, and especially found it interesting what you said about Winn writing the gay love story between two men in a convincing way. After finishing the book, I briefly considered if a man would be able to write an believable wlw relationship in a similar vein, and I think it's possible, as authors like Winn capitalise on their understanding of how certain aspects of love and attraction unite us all. But regarding how she would know of the things specific to male-only relationships, I wonder if you have ever looked into the portrayals of homosexual relationships in art as seen through the female gaze? There's some interesting discourse on it in multiple forums. The writing of Andre Aciman is very popular with women of all ages, particularly Call Me By Your Name which blew up when the film was released five or so years ago. Lots of the sweeter gay stories, for example Heartstopper, are interacted with by young women as much as the boys who they're for and about. And, if not too much to comment on, I will say there is also a sizeable female interest in gay pornography, for a myriad of reasons, including the removal of a female body providing escapism from the self and no negative comparison/pressure to perform similarly in one's own life.
In short, I think that many women are fascinated by men, and many are fascinated by gay men in particular, because despite what pop culture has sold us about the gay best friend or the camp queen stereotype, gay men remain mysterious and wonderfully 'other', and theirs is a world almost entirely cut off from women. But rather than harbour resentment towards this, as many straight men do towards lesbians ('I could turn you' etc), women find the tenderness shown between two men in love to be rare and beautiful. I think this is what the heart of Winn's novel celebrates. Large parts of it reminded me of two other gay stories with considerable female fanbases, one real and one fictional: Dustin Lance Black speaking about sexuality in his book Mama's Boy (a gay relationship having less exotic mystery due to being between two members of the same sex, and therefore needing other exciting aspects) and the performative heterosexuality and internalised homophobia of the characters of Mike Wheeler and Will Byers in the TV show Stranger Things (the as-yet-unresolved relationship between these two has a huge fanbase of all ages and genders, but female especially).
Thank you. I agree with all you say.
Immediately on my tbr
✨
Just finished this one. Really good - thanks for your strong recommendation on this one. Really original concept, and beautifully written. It kind of reminded me a little of a couple of the books I read last year - The Colony by Audrey McGee, and Percival Everett's The Trees - a separate story, but woven into the text of all 3 is the chronicling of senseless deaths and killings. Why do we do this to each other as humans and why do we never learn, is the question being asked perhaps?
I’m so glad you connected with the novel and it made such an impact. I hadn’t thought to compare it to those two novels but that’s really interesting.
Hola, tengo una pregunta, ellos terminaron siendo felices? No entiendo, o fue una despedida a su amor
There’s a film called The White Feather… that covers that subject. It’s a very old film.
Ah okay, I’ll look it up. Thanks
i have to try to gt my hands on that book!
👍📚
I knew you’d love it!
🥰
A bit off topic but have you ever read The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa?
I haven't but I bought a copy before I took a trip to Portugal and I (shamefully) never got around to reading it.
@@EricKarlAnderson That’s okay though. It’s not the easiest book to get through. You need to be in the mood for those existentialism themes.
I haven’t read this yet but I did just finish Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson which is so wonderful and as close to a perfect book as I’ve read this year. Better than Open Water.
Yes, I love the beautiful sensitivity of Nelson’s writing!
You should watch the film four Feathers as it is about white feathers but at time befoe this book it hasbeen made threw times over years john mills is in the one i remember
This book was vaguely on my radar but I wasn't sure because I'm not that keen on historical fiction and war narratives. I also prefer to go into a good book without knowing too much, so now I'm just going to take your heartfelt endorsement and add the book to my TBR without watching most of your video. Sorry and thank you. lol
That’s totally fine. I hope you find it as powerful as I did!
I had completely planned to read New Life, this book and the other WWI eastern front gay soldiers book for June and I’ve not read any of them! I’m reading great things, just not what I had planned from early January on.
Don't stress; that's often how it goes with TBR lists. The books will be there waiting for you. 📚
Have you read The Covenant of Water yet?
Not yet
I decided to make a special "recommended by Eric Anderson list on Gooodreads.
I’m honoured! 😊📚
A Little Life. I miss Jude and Willem.
Yep! 💔
Por favor, si puedes contestar mi mensaje sería agradable.
As a gay kid who went to boarding school (early 00s) there were parts of this that were highly traumatic haha