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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.
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.
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
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 aboutmotherhood ? 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 andpop out a baby because she wishes a reprieve of her solitude.
And then shefucks her stepson , and that just made me mad.
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
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
And then she
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 ðŸ˜
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.
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.
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
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
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Grief, Murder, and Sexual harassment
rmdange's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, and Violence