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A review by ditten
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I am young, I am twenty years of age; but I know nothing of life except despair, death, fear, and the combination of completely mindless superficiality with an abyss of suffering. I see people being driven against one another, and silently, uncomprehendingly, foolishly, obediently and innocently killing one another. [... ] For years our occupation has been killing– that was the first experience we had. Our knowledge of life is limited to death. What will happen afterwards? And what can possibly become of us?

Powerful novel that follows a German soldier's life in the trenches at WWI. 

So many lives lost for seemingly no purpose. Like the dedication says, it's about a generation destroyed by the war, not just those who died but those who survived as well.