Reviews with content warning for Torture - Circe

(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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snips17's review

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dark emotional inspiring reflective 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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codapril's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

This book was amazing!! It was slow paced, yet so intriguing and the pace of the book made it easier to understand, since the book takes place over thousands of years and spans so many different events. I loved this take on Circe, a goddess I had never thought much about before this book. This author is also so talented, the way in which she writes is so captivating and she has a way with her words in which I've never seen before. This book is so adventurous and exposes you to so many Greek myth stories, if even briefly, and it's exciting to see how they all intersect and influence each other. There is tremendous character development, in my opinion, more for some characters and less for others. But I loved how the author shaped your perception of a character and then introduces new information that can change your opinion of that character, for worse or for better. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and hope this author has more coming!

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wogslandwriter's review against another edition

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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
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The epic and endless life of a goddess distilled into a beautiful story that makes sense to us mortals. Miller does an amazing job communicating complex emotions and complicated topics without preaching. The first person narration lends the story an intimate feel and Miller leans heavily on the idea that Circe, herself, is telling us the story of her past to excellent effect and emotional impact. The novel feels and reads like an intimate literary novel while still being solidly founded in the fantasy and mythology of the Circe mythos. Overall, it was an excellent read.

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moyuri's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective tense medium-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? N/A

4.5

I have less to say about what actually happened in the book than what I have to say about what it did to me. something shifted inside fr

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sandanina's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective tense 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

4.75

After not reading a single book for over 10 years, this was a delightful reintroduction to the literary world. Not too long and neither too short, it's a beautiful retelling of the life of the goddess Circe, one that adds much dimension to the old Greek tales and does not dull down the cruelty and complexity of the gods. At many points I was fully immersed, as the writing is so beautiful. Highly recommend!

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hello_lovely13's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.0

The writing was, of course, amazing and right up my hill. This book did an excellent job of purposefully making you angry on Circe's behalf, with everything lined with underlying sadness as she works to embodying her own power. I liked seeing her progression as she transformed from someone that believed themselves weak and powerless to someone that was defiant and accepts and embraces how powerful they are. The ending wasn't quite my favorite, but it does make sense for the desires of the character.

I did not like that she gave up her immortality, but liked that she retained her powers and kept working as a witch. Due to the emphasis on isolation and her despair over the idea of eternity (everything always moving on, memories fleeting), it makes sense for her to want and then actually take the steps to become mortal with a more normal life, but I would have preferred her to find a found family or remain solitary, but learn to bask in her own power (she does this, but loneliness is a big aspect to her character). I absolutely loved that Penelope became the new witch of Aiaia. A refuge island for women would have been a great ending as well. I did not expect that she would actually achieve an end to her exile.

A majority of the book lacked a spark of rage, which made the treatment of Circe all the more sad. Everyone around her was absolutely terrible to her, and she would just take it. Very rarely would there be moments of catharsis where she would speak out and prove them wrong, and it was so unfortunate for her because she was always looked down on and underestimated.

The moment she achieves acquiring Trygon's tail is a good moment, and I delighted that her brother tried and failed. She didn't get much recognition on this accomplishment, but she was never concerned with such things. I more wanted it for her.

The third quarter of the book lost my attention a bit, due to the subject it focused on (

I don't particularly care about reading about motherhood; I find it a bit boring. The part about her having to defend her son against Athena was interesting because it demanded her to use the defiant side to her that acknowledges her power and uses it. The fact that she succeeds for so long only to lose him to Athena once Telemachus turns her offer down is something sad that I resigned myself to.

It was written effectively, but the subject matter is one I'm not attached to.). It was interesting seeing Circe connected to so many well-known myths. Circe always moves forward, and that is something admirable about her. Overall, a beautiful story underlined with sadness (mostly due to the audacity of men), and you will definitely be rooting for Circe until the end (I support women's rights, and I also support women's wrongs. There is also good work done making each character multifaceted, so even as you hate or love them, you are able to understand (and sometimes sympathize with) them. A definite recommend if you like slow-paced character studies.

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Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Circe by Madeline Miller

ruby_mae_read's review

picaresquedreamer's review

lesemaus2303's review against another edition

iconicavocado's review against another edition

snips17's review

codapril's review

wogslandwriter's review against another edition

moyuri's review against another edition

sandanina's review against another edition

hello_lovely13's review against another edition