Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Circe by Madeline Miller

161 reviews

haveyouseencass's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

fishoutofwater's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I loved the writing and the life that Madeline Miller brought to this story. She turned Circe into a woman learning who she is and growing into the person she always wanted to be.
I have always hated the book trope of the main female needing a male character to save and protect her and I am glad this book did not go that route.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Child abuse

jennaniho's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I knew I was going to like this book, but I didn’t know I was going to absolutely love it. Miller’s writing style and prose made it hard for me to put this book down, though I had to from time to time; some chapters were deeply emotional, triggering, and brutally honest. 

Being the eldest daughter, I felt an instant connection with Circe. Her unwavering resilience, the way she slowly embraced her inner fire and untamed spirit, her determination to persist in the face of adversity, her inevitable mistakes, her worries, her fears, and her love —all contribute to making Circe a heroine defined by herself. Also, anyone who is bold enough to stand up against the Olympian gods and the Titans on their own, will always have a special place in my heart. 

With Circe, Madeline Miller shows us that women have been their self-made heroes since the beginning of time, and it is our divine right and power to create our lives under our rules alone. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and War

nyquilla's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy

potterpav's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

i cannot believe we’ve got a 5 star book 7 weeks before the end of the year. what a save and OF COURSE it’s from madeline miller!!!!!! who else was gonna swoop in and save the day?? this book was genuinely incredible and it fell into my lap at the exact time i needed it, if i read it any other time it wouldn’t have had the same kick. an absolutely gorgeous telling of a character so misunderstood and brushed aside, demonised, if you will. circe i would die for you and i know you wouldn’t for me, but that’s okay. every element of this book worked perfectly and i have missed madeline miller’s one-liners and off hand and rare humour so badly that i didn’t even realise at all. odysseus you will always be an enemy of the state. penelope and circe, this one’s for you🙏🏼

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Child abuse and Child death

miilk's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

eelizard's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Grief, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

zam_ahaana's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

A great book for Greek myth fans, but really slow paced! It took me a while to get through this one, but a great read! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

paulawind's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Her final act, the act of “becoming herself” being becoming human and a mortal is so powerful. She never sat well with the other gods, her heart was too big for that. Drinking her potion was an act of defiance, taking her own destiny into her hands, I felt so happy for her when I read the last words. Perfect ending to a nearly perfect book

I am a Greek mythology hoe so of course I loved this book. Feminist story set in the canon which diminished women mostly to tools for heroes to chase their glory. Miller doesn’t strip away achievements of men but rather shines light on the women who were always in the background of these stories, giving them the centre of the stage. At last.
Circe is written with such an intense amount of compassion to women in general, not only the ones from myths. Circe starts off as an innocent soul, with heart of her sleeve - life is beating that out of her but never fully succeeds. She learns to guard her heart and those she loves, seizing power for herself and you can’t help but think “good for her”.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

gabriella_'s review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I read most of this book on a round trip train ride and someone’s front lawn. My god this book was gripping. I preferred The Song of Achilles for the romantic overtures but I think Madeline Miller really comes into her own as an author writing prose in this piece. The depth of the way she characterizes has compounded exponentially in this book. It’s such a refreshing spin on Greek mythos that I couldn’t put the book down.

This book made me laugh and cry within mere lines. I love the way Madeline Miller writes structures of misogyny without relegating women to damsels, and while writing all her characters as multidimensional with their own agendas. She captures the essence of Greek mythos without letting it choke out her own artistic vision.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, and Classism