Reviews tagging 'Death'

Circe by Madeline Miller

486 reviews

felofhe's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment

Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Ableism, Incest, Bullying, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, War, Confinement, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Death, Mental illness, and Slavery

saskiahill's review against another edition

medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Death, Violence, Gore, Grief, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Infidelity, War, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Animal death, Blood, Toxic relationship, and Murder

crowcrow's review against another edition

challenging dark sad

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

4.0

As always Madeline Miller delivers. Her writing style is a delight, it's comforting and you can tell she puts a lot of work into it. I was absolutely captivated the moment I started reading, Circe was such a compelling character no matter where she was. I was rooting for her the entire time. The side characters were also compelling, I was particularly excited to see Odysseus, but I was surprised how interest she made the others too. I think the book's best quirk was the complexity between all of Circe's relationships, it was so fun to read.

I'd also like to give it props for how it portrayed SA. I was afraid that it would change Circe's completely, completely rewriting her to be weak and scared, but no! It was handled extremely well! I like that it shows that trauma doesn't need to tie you down. I appreciate it!

All that aside I was extremely disappointed in the ending.

I found it morbid that Circe hooked up with Telemachus. Y'know? Her past lover's son. Icks all over the floor and sky. Wtf? Why was that necessary. And the daydreams she had of them having kids? Yuck, no.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Rape

kds247's review against another edition

adventurous reflective relaxing slow-paced

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

4.25

This book doesn’t have much of a plot but the descriptiveness of it is just stunning. The writing feels like a warm blanket and even though some horrible things happen in this book, Circe’s inner monologue is gorgeous. Miller can really capture thoughts and emotions perfectly onto a page

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Child abuse, Death, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual assault, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Rape, and Sexism

Moderate: Bullying, Misogyny, Gore, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Murder, Physical abuse, Torture, War, and Sexual content

Minor: Torture and Injury/Injury detail

lilithlake's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

The language is beautiful, I love the protagonist Circe and all the characters were well written. 
I’m left with a lot of questions still though about the lore. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexism, Death, Animal death, Sexual assault, Misogyny, and Rape

Minor: Death, Torture, Sexism, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Misogyny, Blood, Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Incest, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Content warning: In chapter 14 there is a scene where Circe gets raped, and all the men around her watch it happening, it describes her being held against her will and chocked but doesn’t describe the act of rape in detail, mainly it focuses on the aftermath.

irinalast's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Body horror, Sexual assault, Death, and Toxic relationship

thursdd4y's review against another edition

adventurous informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

1.75

Ughhhhhhhhh - I really wanted to love this but I just couldn’t, the writing style totally disregarded the ‘show don’t tell’ mantra and the protagonist was unbearable. I don’t understand the hype. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Torture, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Death, Confinement, Sexual violence, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Violence, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Animal death, and Alcohol

Moderate: Sexism and Rape

starryeyedlover's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Rape

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Classism, and Cursing

Minor: Incest

loxeletters's review against another edition

adventurous emotional fast-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

4.0

This was a fun read! Definitely very enjoyable. I read the last half in two sittings over 12 hours lol.

I feel this is a superb kind of retelling: it really captures the feeling of reading the Odyssey and Iliad while conforming, at least in the later chapters, more to our modern taste in storytelling. The beginning certainly had strong narrative resemblance to the old classics.

My main gripe with this book is that, for being marketed as a feminist retelling, it really focuses so much on men and Circe's relationship with them. There's no female friendship or relationship in this book that is given as much space or development as her relationships to her lovers, her father, Telegonus, and her brother. 

That being said, I did really enjoy exploring her complex relationship with Telegonus, and even shed a few tears there. She went through so much and still would give everything for him. That really touched something in me.

Important ideas explored here are immortality and divinity, needless cruelty, motherhood, loneliness, and death. Regardless of my complaints, this was a lovely read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Confinement

Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual violence, War, Pregnancy, Grief, and Misogyny

mafelrs's review against another edition

adventurous reflective relaxing slow-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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Blood, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

Moderate: Body horror, Alcohol, Sexism, Child abuse, and Animal death

Minor: Pregnancy and Death