Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Circe by Madeline Miller

1137 reviews

deanamethyst's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious fast-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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Death, Murder, Violence, and Pregnancy

bg_oseman_fan's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective fast-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

5.0

I didn’t think Madeline Miller could match the heights of Achilles, but she did something even better. She told a story that at once built on the themes of the work but also did it’s entirely own thing. I was impressed by the detail she weaves into the titular character’s story. i really felt the weight of immortality and how that interplay changes interpersonal dynamics, morality, etc. i enjoyed knowing some of how the story would play out, but not all of it. and of course, the mark of a great story is even as you know what’s around the corner, you are still on the edge of your seat. this book shifts the focus on a familiar tale and expands the depth of myth and how these stories are as relevant now as they were then. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Violence and Death

Minor: Incest, Animal death, and War

tcitr's review against another edition

adventurous reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Sexual assault

bigg_kidd's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Warning: If you read this on your period you may cry. Beautifully written. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse

Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, and Sexual violence

anindistinctaccountant's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

Graphic: Confinement, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, and Misogyny

Moderate: Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Sexual assault, Grief, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Bullying, Death, and Incest

Minor: Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Sexual harassment, and Classism

majestictrilobite's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Infidelity, Slavery, Rape, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Bullying, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Violence, Sexual violence, and Body horror

mia_difelice's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Gore, and Rape

Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Violence

librarymouse's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny 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

4.5

Madeline Miller exceeded my expectations with this one. Circe as both character and story is lovingly rendered, and the culmination of her constant change and constant striving for more at the end of novel is more than I could have hoped for.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Gore, Misogyny, Sexual content, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Body horror, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Rape

Minor: Genocide, Slavery, and War

hammie_32's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

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

2.5

This was really disappointing. I had a lot of hopes for a dark, reflective retelling of a myth often starring a villainous evil bitch, easily defeated. And this gets 2.5 stars ONLY because for precisely the first 50% of the book, it was the dark, captivating, sorrowful tale I was promised.

And then it turned into a shitty "feminist" novel. And I know that makes me sound gross, but it's in quotes for a reason. Because why, why does every book featuring a powerful woman always have to end up about

motherhood

? I have nothing against it, and yes, sometimes that IS a powerful statement to be made. Not like this, and not this often. If someone somewhere needs permission, you have my allowance to write a feminist, feminine power, woman-dominated, whatever else story where your main female character DOESN'T

get pregnant

!! Doesn't "

find power in nurturing

." Doesn't

use a child to remedy their own traumas

!!! Successfully might I add! It's just never the feminist statement that these authors think it is, and I'm so sick of having to read it after hearing the same sentiment shouted from the rooftops for years by young women and femmes.

I wish I could have more love for this book. But I want 500 pages of an immortal's torment at the hands of humanity. I want a narrative of her suffering on finding a few kind souls, only to be torn apart by the next pack of dogs. I want a dark assemblage of our species' sins told via a recollection of an eternal life's worth of memories. I want her to be twisted and cold and cruel and I want it to be justified because that would be real. If someone wants something happy in there, throw a Sapphic romance in at the end that doesn't "fix" her. But I can't stand to read Circe talking about the cruelties of men, cruelties of gods and goddesses, cruelties of LIFE, just to turn around and

pop out a baby

because she wishes a reprieve of her solitude.

And then she

fucks her stepson

, and that just made me mad.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Sexism

Moderate: Sexual content, Death, Gore, Pedophilia, Blood, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence

Minor: Animal death, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, and War

hyjules's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault

Moderate: Emotional abuse