Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Circe Excerpt: The First 3 Chapters by Madeline Miller

283 reviews

widowrites's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense 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

4.75

I couldn’t put this book down. I loved the mythological stories in a modern writing style. I barely remember Circe from when I read the odyssey in high school, many many years ago. Even so, I quickly grew attached to her story and her growth. The challenges and pains she endured. And the ending had me in tears! Absolutely amazing book.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Confinement, Animal death, Sexual assault, Body horror, Bullying, Grief, and Infidelity

Minor: Rape

moond4ncer's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional slow-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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Animal death, Classism, Grief, Pregnancy, Violence, War, Blood, Gaslighting, Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, and Forced institutionalization

el_wheel's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Violence, Body horror, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Alcohol, Blood, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gore, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Abandonment and Rape

spookyaz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, War, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Bullying, Gore, Blood, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Incest, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

eedle_cacleberry's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Rape, and Death

Moderate: Suicide, Alcohol, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture

Minor: Bullying, Self harm, Incest, and Injury/Injury detail

rjbedell's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

4.25

Beautifully written, equal parts brutal and empowering in its epic sweep of a life across a thousand years.  Occasionally bogged down in dark tensions, or whisked along by a revolving door of side characters that Miller usually succeeds in making relevant.  Ends on hopeful, inspiring notes as a testament to humanity, love, and mortality.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Infidelity, Self harm, Torture, Toxic relationship, Rape, Child abuse, Confinement, Violence, Blood, Pregnancy, Animal death, Body horror, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: War, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Physical abuse

Minor: Suicide, Incest, Death of parent, Terminal illness, and Child death

swanuponsleda's review against another edition

adventurous 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Violence, and Pregnancy

Moderate: War, Torture, Grief, Misogyny, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Death of parent and Animal death

coreym9's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Slavery, War, Torture, Confinement, Incest, Rape, Blood, Sexual violence, Violence, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Pregnancy

auntquinoa's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious 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

3.25

The pace is interesting but somewhat difficult to digest — pieces of stories threaded together over a long history, you do not feel the tension rising until the last 80 pages. I found myself wondering why I was reading the book, what story was it telling, what plot was it resolving. Everything is in those last 80 pages. An excellent finish for a thoughtful novel with elegant prose. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy

Moderate: Grief and Death of parent

picaresquedreamer's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Torture, Sexual assault, Death, Murder, Violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Animal death, Blood, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Child abuse, Bullying, Confinement, Pregnancy, and Torture

Minor: Domestic abuse