Reviews tagging 'Death'

Circe Excerpt: The First 3 Chapters by Madeline Miller

557 reviews

majestictrilobite's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment

kellyofcali's review against another edition

adventurous reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

A sort of slow read, though a nice one, that takes you through a number of stories of Greek Mythology from a different perspective. I've always loved the Greek gods, so I enjoyed this, though it didn't GRAB me the way some books do. Appreciate a strong female center.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Animal death, Sexual content, Blood, and War

librarymouse's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny 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

Madeline Miller exceeded my expectations with this one. Circe as both character and story is lovingly rendered, and the culmination of her constant change and constant striving for more at the end of novel is more than I could have hoped for.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Genocide, Slavery, and War

waitwhathelp's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Torture, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Child death, Torture, and Violence

hammie_32's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

This was really disappointing. I had a lot of hopes for a dark, reflective retelling of a myth often starring a villainous evil bitch, easily defeated. And this gets 2.5 stars ONLY because for precisely the first 50% of the book, it was the dark, captivating, sorrowful tale I was promised.

And then it turned into a shitty "feminist" novel. And I know that makes me sound gross, but it's in quotes for a reason. Because why, why does every book featuring a powerful woman always have to end up about

motherhood

? I have nothing against it, and yes, sometimes that IS a powerful statement to be made. Not like this, and not this often. If someone somewhere needs permission, you have my allowance to write a feminist, feminine power, woman-dominated, whatever else story where your main female character DOESN'T

get pregnant

!! Doesn't "

find power in nurturing

." Doesn't

use a child to remedy their own traumas

!!! Successfully might I add! It's just never the feminist statement that these authors think it is, and I'm so sick of having to read it after hearing the same sentiment shouted from the rooftops for years by young women and femmes.

I wish I could have more love for this book. But I want 500 pages of an immortal's torment at the hands of humanity. I want a narrative of her suffering on finding a few kind souls, only to be torn apart by the next pack of dogs. I want a dark assemblage of our species' sins told via a recollection of an eternal life's worth of memories. I want her to be twisted and cold and cruel and I want it to be justified because that would be real. If someone wants something happy in there, throw a Sapphic romance in at the end that doesn't "fix" her. But I can't stand to read Circe talking about the cruelties of men, cruelties of gods and goddesses, cruelties of LIFE, just to turn around and

pop out a baby

because she wishes a reprieve of her solitude.

And then she

fucks her stepson

, and that just made me mad.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Sexism

Moderate: Death, Gore, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, and Blood

Minor: Animal death, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, and War

janey_bones's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I loved this book so much 😭

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Blood, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Misogyny, Rape, Slavery, Murder, and Pregnancy

kaitie_reads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

"I was not surprised by the portrait of myself: the proud witch undone before the hero's sword, kneeling and begging for mercy. Humbling women seems to me a chief pastime of poets. As if there can be no story unless we crawl and weep." 

I really enjoyed the story of Circe in this Greek mythology retelling. I love this trend of taking age-old stories but spinning them to focus on the female heroines who have traditionally been the lesser-known and discussed side characters within the formidable male hero journey. 

We follow Circe as she grows from a curious and lonely child, who is basically cast out by her own family and ignored for being unique. She is not powerful, like her father or a beautiful temptress like her mother. The loneliness in this book hits hard. Circe has a very sad story, and once she is banished, I love her connection to the island Aiaia and her creatures, but her loneliness is still poignant throughout her story. Her desperation for connection or understanding comes through and is clear in each tragic interaction she has. 

Circe's story is told quickly as it spans throughout centuries, but due to the slow nature of life in banishment, it feels like a slow burn. As someone who isn't super familiar with Greek mythology I had a bit of a difficult time with all of the names and connections at first but I found as I read it became easier to make those connections. 

An excellent immersive read.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Rape

cavallonee's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Sexism, Sexual assault, Blood, Grief, and Pregnancy

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

mmanuel's review against another edition

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