Reviews tagging 'Death'

Circe by Madeline Miller

489 reviews

lauramcc7'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Abandonment, Rape, Violence, Death, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Body horror, Animal death, and Infidelity

mmanuel's review

challenging emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Sexual violence, Murder, Infertility, Torture, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Infidelity, Rape, Death, Confinement, Child death, and Toxic relationship

rmdange's review

dark 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

4.5

A lyrical meditation on mortality through the eyes of an immortal, Circe reclaims the myth of the oft-maligned sorceress from The Odyssey through a wry, feminist lens. Madeline Miller’s prose is stunning, evoking the flow and emotional range of classical poetry with all the accessibility of modern English. Through Circe’s eyes, Miller narrates some thousand years of Greek mythology – precise to the letter – with unstinting honesty and keen insight. The gruesome realities of wartime choices, the vices and follies of revered mythical heroes, and the self-serving avarice of the gods are all laid bare in 385 pages. Despite the scope of the book’s content, most of it reads quickly and engagingly, though in some sections it slows to the point of near-tedium. Plumbing the boundless depths of Circe’s grief is not for the faint of heart, as I learned, a great deal of my own nature and loneliness having come to light in the process. I now consider Circe one of the crown jewels of my bookshelf. From its intricate, melancholic tale arises a beautiful reflection on the meaning of a fleeting mortal life that is timeless without being clichéd.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Sexual assault

lilareads5678's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense 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

4.5

really liked the book. it’s greek mythology so you have to pay attention and focus. so it’s not just like a YA romance where you can just read the words. madeleine miller has such great talent for creating modern retellings. also the quotes in this book were so GOOD. if you like greek mythology i highly recommend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Grief, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Torture, Pregnancy, War, Rape, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Violence

felofhe's review

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

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

lilithlake's review

emotional reflective 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

4.25

The language is beautiful, I love the protagonist Circe and all the characters were well written. 
I’m left with a lot of questions still though about the lore. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexism, Death, Animal death, Sexual assault, Misogyny, and Rape

Minor: Death, Torture, Sexism, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Misogyny, Blood, Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Incest, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Content warning: In chapter 14 there is a scene where Circe gets raped, and all the men around her watch it happening, it describes her being held against her will and chocked but doesn’t describe the act of rape in detail, mainly it focuses on the aftermath.

irinalast's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Body horror, Sexual assault, Death, and Toxic relationship