Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Circe by Madeline Miller

217 reviews

bee_ayy's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.0

Pros of this book: it is beautifully written. Madeline Miller's style of writing is eloquent and rich with detail and for the first fifty percent of this book I thought it was going to be a five star read.

Which just makes it all the more disappointing that halfway through this book seems to switch tack. As soon as Oddyseus shows up I started having problems with this book. Circe no longer felt like the main character anymore. The focus shifted to Oddyseus and the war and recounting all his heroic adventures and I could not have cared less about that.

It also annoyed me that for what is clearly meant to be feminist literature Circe has virtually zero meaningful relationships with any other women, only men.

You are better off to stop reading this book after she turns the men into pigs, every thing after that is disappointing and uninteresting.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity, Pregnancy, Rape, and Sexual assault

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

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

widowrites's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful 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

4.75

I couldn’t put this book down. I loved the mythological stories in a modern writing style. I barely remember Circe from when I read the odyssey in high school, many many years ago. Even so, I quickly grew attached to her story and her growth. The challenges and pains she endured. And the ending had me in tears! Absolutely amazing book.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Confinement, Animal death, Sexual assault, Body horror, Bullying, Grief, and Infidelity

Minor: Rape

marinajonesreads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative reflective sad fast-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

3.75

This was a decent book! My initial rating was 3.5 but then after discussing with my book club, I gave it a 3.75. I liked that there was more of a peeling back than I initially thought. I enjoyed the characters and the behind the scenes of some of my favorite stories, even if I wanted more of it. Solid book, would absolutely recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Misogyny, and Confinement

Moderate: Violence, Blood, Rape, War, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Death, Death of parent, Bullying, Abandonment, and Animal death