Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Circe by Madeline Miller

250 reviews

iconicavocado's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

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

5.0

(Read via book & audiobook)

Book 📖: 5/5 stars
Audiobook 🎙️: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This may be one of the most beautifully written books I've ever read. Stunning prose and delicate description of a Greek retelling. I love how Madeline kept the fickleness and absurdity that is the gods temperament but brought such humanity to Circe, with her plights and injustice. But I most of all loved Circe, a side characters to mythology brought to life in a full length novel. I adore the ending. Just chef's kiss to a incredible character. The audiobook is stunning! Highly recommend listening to it. I cannot wait to read more of Madeline Miller's other works in the near future. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment

Moderate: Torture, War, and Pregnancy

Minor: Rape and Animal death

tadiwa_e's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

Madeline Miller's "Circe" skill-fully weaves subtle hints of feminism into the narrative, empowering the character of Circe. Her ability to find beauty in the brutal reality of human existence adds a poignant layer to the story. 

Circe's journey to discover and appreciate the hidden beauty within herself resonates as a powerful exploration of self-discovery. Miller's nuanced approach to these themes adds depth and complexity to the novel, making it a compelling read for those who appreciate a thought-provoking blend of mythology and introspection.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexism, Sexual violence, Rape, and Sexual content

Moderate: Sexism, Abandonment, and Infidelity

abdog360's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional fast-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

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Content Warnings

Minor: Animal death, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Murder, Death of parent, and Sexism

zauet's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Violence, Abandonment, Blood, Confinement, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Grief, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Self harm, Toxic relationship, and War

Moderate: Toxic relationship

a_libra_library's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Grief, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts

alina_mansur's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Abandonment, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse

eliya's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

4.5

Loved this book. This one felt similar to Matrix by Lauren Goff just the way it followed a woman through her life, I loved that. I wasn’t expecting the book to keep growing, but it did. The last chapter was delicious and

made me hope to live again. I have been feeling idk less than thrilled to be alive, but I will swim in the words she wrote so beautifully about savoring growing old. I can’t wait to grow old with my beautiful love.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment

Moderate: War, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Murder, Pregnancy, Blood, and Sexism

Minor: Bullying, Infidelity, and Death of parent

abicaro17's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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

4.25

I really enjoyed this book! I think getting to know Circe more intimately and engaging in her story as one piece instead of the fragments created an engaging and creative 400 pages. Circe is both likable and unlikable, blunt and evasive, rude and considerate, caring and unfeeling, and selfish and selfless. She evolves from a naive doormat into a strong and wise witch. I wish I could give this 5 stars but it falls flat for me. I didn't need a battle or a death but I feel like the disconnect from other characters and how flat everyone else seemed made it hard to care about the ending. I dislike comparing books (especially when they aren't actually connected) but, after reading Millers other greek retelling, this feels like an emotional let down. Not sure if my expectations were too high or if this just didn't deliver. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Violence, Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Grief, War, Medical content, Murder, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Classism, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexism, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Gore, and Toxic relationship

vvabecca's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, War, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Animal death, Body shaming, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Bullying, Incest, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, and Torture

peachani's review

challenging dark sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Body horror, Grief, Confinement, and Bullying

Moderate: Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gore, Torture, Mental illness, Rape, Death, Emotional abuse, and Animal cruelty

Minor: Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Incest, Sexual content, Body shaming, Alcoholism, Toxic friendship, Misogyny, Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Infidelity, Xenophobia, Slavery, and War