Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Circe by Madeline Miller

330 reviews

koiolee's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious reflective relaxing 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

4.75

I can't say why this isn't a 5 star read for me, but it just didn't feel like a 5 star read. Usually when I think that it's actually because theres no diversity or whatever, but this book is really only about Circe, so there's no point in diversity because only a few people come to her island in the first place.
ANYWAYS This book was fantastic. I love the way Miller writes and it's so captivating. I love the way Miller picks the characters that are mentioned but don't actually get the limelight in the classical tales. I've been told people either love or hate this book, and I'm on the love it side. Circe is painted as a docile goddess who gets taken advantage of and pushed too far too often. She learns to wear violence as a shield as shes seen and picked up from other gods and nymphs often. I liked the way this story ends where she finally accepts and becomes her truest self, not the goddess, but a mortal witch Circe. I love that for her.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

Moderate: Incest

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

saskiahill's review against another edition

medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

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

randirush's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

Moderate: Rape, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy

Minor: Grief

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

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

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

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: Confinement, Death, and Fire/Fire injury

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

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

Minor: Rape

moond4ncer's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional slow-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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Classism

el_wheel's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Rape and Abandonment