#7 in Historical fiction
In Memoriam
- 396
- Pages
- about 7 h
- Reading time
- Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize
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Our view
“In Memoriam” is a love story between two schoolboys, Gaunt and Ellwood, followed from the classroom to the front in the First World War. Winn is unsparing about the damage the fighting does to boys who went to it almost straight from school, and some readers describe a book that broke their hearts. It is harrowing as well as tender, and its register shifts from school days full of poetry to horror.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
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.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 9.0 across 179 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 55% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Historical fiction average of 8.0. That is how 8.5 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 9.0 | 179 | 100% |
Frequently asked
How long is In Memoriam?
It has 396 pages — shorter than 58% of the ranked books in Historical fiction.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
The same shelf — Historical fiction — and a score of 8.5, the closest to this book.
