Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

La canzone di Achille by Madeline Miller

324 reviews

kshy's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

The beginning was so strong that I believe it left my expectations way too lifted to be able to find the second half of the book enjoyable. I feel that if the intention was to tell a story from Homer's works through the lens of romance, that romance that was established so strongly in the beginning should have been maintained throughout the entirety of the novel, rather than withering in the second half.

This made the deaths of Achilles and Patroclus feel so much more hollow and emotionless than they had the potential to be, because the romance and personalities that had previously been so vividly expressed through the writing had withered away long before.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

bluedilly's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• 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: Animal death, Child death, Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, Slavery, Vomit, Medical content, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Animal cruelty, Cursing, Homophobia, and Death of parent

vaguely_pink's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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? Yes

5.0

 It's always wyd and never "If I had words to speak such a thing, I would have. But there were none that seemed big enough for it, to hold that swelling truth." 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and War

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic

bramblebug's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring sad 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

5.0

This story is just so beautifully written and well-paced. Every story beat feels so intentional and eloquent. Deeply emotional and rooted in the perspective of a single character, it’s a rollercoaster of feelings and experiences—love, heartache, longing, joy, fear. I’ll always want to return to the atmosphere Miller creates and the tenderness and uncertainty that comes with adolescence and falling in love and facing impossible challenges set in motion by gods and men. 

Also, I have listened to the audiobook multiple times and it is possibly one of the best performances I’ve ever experienced. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Xenophobia, Blood, and War

Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Abandonment

Minor: Self harm and Medical content

The historical setting is honest and does not censor (nor really focus on) many of the atrocities committed in its time, especially when it comes to the treatment of women and disabled people.

lokioste's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

This is a slower burn with a rapid climax and finish. I think as a first book from Miller, it is solid.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

odette_tbdk's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative sad tense medium-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

4.25

Tengo sentimientos encontrados con este libro, por una parte me pareció muy emocional y profunda la relación que tenían Aquiles y Patroclo, pero el ritmo de la historia no me convenció del todo. Hacia el final del libro el ritmo fluyó muy bien, pero el principio es difícil de continuar, la vida de Patroclo de niño y en sí todo el proceso que les lleva a la guerra de Troya es bastante lento y tedioso. Pero aún así, me hizo sentir muchas cosas y también me enseñó de mitología (cabe aclarar que yo no sé nada de estos temas), así que sería injusto darle mala calificación por eso.

Me faltaron personajes femeninos que no giraran en torno a los protagonistas, pero eso ya no es culpa de la autora, simplemente no hay muchos porque así es la mitología. Cuando lea Circe tendré lo que me faltó aquí.

En general, un libro muy triste cargado de mitología y de referencias muy extensas a los ornamentos, política y costumbres de la época. Tedioso a ratos pero al final te deja con un buen sabor de boca (en parte). Buena lectura.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Colonisation, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Infidelity, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy

Minor: Animal death, Death of parent, and Alcohol

athenian_frog's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense slow-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

4.75

Am rereading after a while, using the audiobook. 

Some phrases are a little repeated (a lot of feet references LOL) but I found the romance overall to be very loving and emotionally satisfying. I found that part of what made Achilles beautiful to me was Patroclus’s perspective/attention to detail, and I think that’s lovely. As they grew close, I appreciated how Achilles always seemed to carve place for Patroclus at his side, and would make an effort to communicate honestly.

The latter half of the book involving the war is particularly strong. My favorite side characters were probably Briseis, Odysseus, and Thetis. I think the author did a good job of making them strong on their own! 

A few people found Patroclus to be a bit lacking/soft, but I think it was his gentleness that won me over. While he didn’t do much fighting until closer to  the end of the book,  he still did a significant amount of verbal maneuvering with the other characters to his or Achilles’s benefit. From his attempts to connect with Thetis to the exchanges with the members of the war camp, I enjoyed the way Patroclus interacted with the rest of the cast the most. 

All in all I enjoyed it a lot, probably one of the few Booktok/Booktube books I’ve read that has ever maintained it’s place so close to my heart. 

Please consider the content warnings below!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, and War

Moderate: Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, and Pregnancy

Minor: Transphobia

- Deaths, especially those in war, are described in a fair amount of detail -women are taken from raids to be enslaved to enemy soldiers -Vomit and illness, medical content especially visible when a plague rips through a war camp -there is one instance of rape that is vaguely described that a supporting character undergoes. -there are two instances of very dubious consent/sexual coercion that occur regarding the main leads, not with each other. -it is mentioned that men who dress as women are extremely looked down upon -sex is typically not very detailed, even between lead characters. Usually some allusions to what is going on but not much else.

cturn's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Infidelity, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, and War

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Medical content, and Pregnancy

mels_reading_log's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional fast-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

I don’t know why I haven’t read this book before now! It was so good! The thought of a book about the Trojan War having such a pure and genuine love story in it and it has nothing to do with Helen, makes me so happy. I just love this.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

torismazarine's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-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

Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Infidelity, Violence, Blood, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Slavery, Medical content, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Colonisation