Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - Circe Excerpt: The First 3 Chapters

I couldn’t put this one down. Looking back on it, it felt like a whirlwind. Over a thousand years’ worth of Circe’s life in a few hundred pages. I did not find it too rushed. I loved Circe’s growth and eventual closure. I would read it again.

Content Warnings

crisi_books's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

4.0

4/5 ⭐️

At first, I was leaning towards rating this 3-3.5 stars, but the latter half of this book made me bump it up to 4.

The prose is beautiful and poetic, and extremely efficient in detailing events that happen over thousands of years. It reads like a cautionary tale told by the fireplace, sardonic and reflective, which is highly accurate for the vibes of this book and the stuff that happens in it. As someone who liked to call themselves a Greek myth nerd, I also thought all the cameos were exciting and the portrayal of their characters intriguing.

The reason I originally wanted to rate this 3 stars has a lot to do with Circe’s character. I don’t hate her necessarily, but the fact that she wailed about her misfortune for so long (the whole first half of the book) but still groveled at the feet of those around her was…unappealing, personally. I almost DNF’d it because I can’t stand mc’s who grovel and are docile and too easily swayed. I understand that it is a part of her growth, and that growth indeed paid off. By the end, I found her character to be a lot more endearing and sympathetic. It was the kind of character development that makes all the sighs of frustration and facepalms worth it.

That being said, I did overall enjoy Circe’s character more than I disliked it. Her capacity for mercy, sympathy, and understanding sets her apart from the mercilessness of everyone around her, and her need for independence but cluelessness in obtaining it is frustrating yet endearing. Her defiance against the gods is hard earned, and that makes this book all the more enjoyable.

Content Warnings

lyndis8377's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional informative tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

sajjaadsahodeea's review against another edition

Go to review page

informative reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

Content Warnings

louisa_pennyfeather2021's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging 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

5.0

I'm honestly at a loss for words. I have so many nixed feelings about the ending. It took me a while to finish the book. The writing is so easy to visualize. I'd give anything to see this turned into a movie. Amazing work, truly a wonder.

Content Warnings

forgottengoddess's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional reflective 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? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

drjoeby's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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

4.25

Dealing very personally at the moment with, like, a weird fear of death for the first time (don’t people usually do that as teenagers?) and anyway the way that this book talks about mortality and impermanence is so…romantic. Like it makes me feel better about one day being dead, you know? There’s this bit in there, and I don’t have the exact quote but it’s

Circe talking about immortality and lamenting that the hills and beaches mortals never see change she has to watch move, that she can live so quietly in peoples’ memories but live forever, and being human is the opposite of that, we can outlive our mountains in name but not once in our lifetimes see them change, and that stable world around me is a source of comfort.

Reading the last few pages of this book is such a strong blow, reading “Pulse by pulse, his life passed under my fingers” and “He does not mean that it does not hurt. He does not mean that we are not frightened. Only that: we are here”. For a book about myth and immortality and characters that, through centuries of parody, have become like paper, there is so much depth in the way these themes and people are held, so much texture and reality to it all that it feels more like a book on being human, on coping, on living that I really needed right now.

Content Warnings

allygator's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional inspiring reflective slow-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

5.0

This novel is exceptional. It is a masterclass in creating a beautifully atmospheric read without detracting from the plot or character development. Madeline Miller constantly blows me away with how much care and detail she puts into every character and scene. It reads like myth, which it is. But that myth, that scale? Never detracts from everything else a book should have. The timeline of Circe's story is massive. This book spans centuries. Yet somehow it never felt like it was dragging on or going too slow. It's slow-paced, yes. But never boring. Honestly, I could have read 300 more pages of this and still not have tired of it.
Is this better than Song of Achilles? I don't know. I don't think I could ever possibly compare them. They're two incredibly different books. I saw someone describe the difference between them like this: The Song of Achilles is about the worst pain ever imaginable, pain that happens once in a lifetime; Circe is about the little pains you endure throughout your whole life, and how they build up in a person. It's perfect, and I couldn't say it any better if I tried.
I won't stand up here and say that if you love Song of Achilles you'll love Circe (even though I absolutely adore both). I will stand up here and say, though, that if you aren't giving Circe a chance, you're missing out on a story like no other.

Content Warnings

More...