#2 in War fiction
In Memoriam
- 396
- Pages
- about 7 h
- Reading time
- Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize
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About the book
WINNER OF WATERSTONES NOVEL OF THE YEAR AWARD A TOP FIVE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS DEBUT OF THE YEAR 'One of the best books of the last decade' Caro Claire Burke, number one Sunday Times bestselling author of YESTERYEAR ‘If you haven’t read it, you’re missing out’ Bonnie Garmus, bestselling author of LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY 'One of the best debuts I've read in recent years . . . please rush out and buy it' ELIZABETH DAY ______________________ In 1914, war feels far away to Henry Gaunt and Sidney Ellwood. They're too young to enlist, and anyway, Gaunt is fighting his own private battle - an all-consuming infatuation with the dreamy, poetic Ellwood - not having a clue that his best friend is in love with him too. When Gaunt's mother asks him to enlist, he signs up immediately, relieved to escape his overwhelming feelings. But Ellwood and their classmates soon follow him to the front. Ellwood and Gaunt find love in the trenches – but just as war brought them together, it can tear them apart... An epic, unforgettable love story between two soldiers in the First World War, In Memoriam is a breath-taking debut. ______________________ 'A genuine page-turner' Sunday Times 'BIRDSONG for a new generation' JOANNA QUINN, author of THE WHALEBONE THEATRE 'I can't remember the last time I was this invested in a love story' Sunday Telegraph 'Assured, affecting and moving' MAGGIE O'FARRELL, author of HAMNET ‘Will smash your heart to smithereens' Daily Mail THE TOP FIVE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER, March 2023 Preorder Alice Winn's dazzling and inventive new novel WORSHIP now!
Where the score comes from
The sources average 9.0 across 179 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 49% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the War fiction average of 7.9. That is how 8.4 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 9.0 | 179 | 100% |
Reader voices
The most-liked reviews on Hardcover (credited to their authors).
“A love story set in British private schools and across the battlegrounds of WWI. Sidney Ellwood and Henry Gaunt, dashing dapper private school boys, constantly reciting poetry and reading Greek epics, are secretly in love. When one of them feels pressured to enlist for England before his time, the other follows shortly behind. What follows are many heartbreaks, of what war does to young bodies and minds. I feel like I read several books with different tonalities. First we're experiencing the angst of forbidden gay schoolboy crushes (honestly kind of shocked how accepted sexual abuse between …”
“Absolutely brutal. Tore my heart to shreds. It forces you to acknowledge the reality of the unspeakable horrors of war. I've never cried so frequently throughout an entire book. Henry and Sidney are precious to me, and will forever remain in my heart.”
Frequently asked
What is In Memoriam rated?
8.4 out of 10, from 179 reader ratings across 1 independent sources.
Is In Memoriam worth reading?
Readers give it 8.4/10 from 179 ratings in open sources.
How long does it take to read In Memoriam?
About 7 hours at an average reading pace — 396 pages.
Where does In Memoriam rank?
#2 in War fiction on the current snapshot.
How long is In Memoriam?
It has 396 pages — shorter than 55% of the ranked books in War fiction.
If you liked this
Same shelf — War fiction — with scores between 8.3 and 8.5, closest to this book.
