Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

354 reviews

frihedferrero's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• 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: Sexism, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Murder, Slavery, and War

Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual assault, and Medical content

Minor: Animal death

bookishmind_13's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Violence, Death, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Gore, Murder, and War

Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual violence, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Rape, Sexual assault, and Slavery

Minor: Pregnancy, Alcohol, Excrement, and Vomit

ellisy's review against another edition

adventurous emotional relaxing sad 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? Yes

4.75

The song of Achilles, that poetic and almost perfect modern retelling of the Illiad; one about war and tragedy, but also about love and its evolution, about legacy and ambition, and also about memory: "We cannot say who will survive the holocaust of memory. We are men only, a brief flare of the torch".

What this book does best is to get you closer to its characters, to make you really love them, and want them to be happy. Even the author seems like it when she talks about them, how she "wanted my Achilles to both find tremendous happiness but also have big regrets". You see this two boys grow up together, fall in love and then be faced with a terrible decision being really so young "This incredible tragedy of being so young, you know Achilles is really so young, when he is asked to make that choice, and he is so young when he goes to war, and just letting the pathos of someone who's asked to make a choice, an impossible choice, too young and then has to live with that choice". 

Achilles is not perfect, and lets this word of misogynistic heroes shape him into something that he is not, as Miller said, "I wanted it to feel like a poison that's seaping into his life". When faced between tranquility and fame, he chooses fame; and when faced between love and pride, he chooses pride. Patroclus can only see him destroy himself "I am no longer to guide the course, merely to be carried, into darkness and beyond, with only Achilles' hands at the helm".

Patroclus is the best person in the whole story, for Miller "It was always Patroclus right from the beginning", how they met and fell in love. This novel was written for us to fall in love with him, and to grieve with him once tragedy befalls. We see how unnecessary was to become cruel to be respected, how fame did not have to take a life (or two) to achieve. Through him we see "How ordinary people, even though they feel like they have no power in this larger grand world, they can still make really important choices to try and make the world a better place". He was not a fighter and love made him become one, love not only for Achilles but for his people, for the Greeks. There's controversy of wether Patroclus could or could not fight, but really, that's besides the point. The point relies in his kindness, that in being the most gentle, he was really the best of the Greeks. 

Miller worked from the question of how this relationship, so strong already in war, developed. In no moment it felt out of place, even the way its written feels like a poem, if not an epic one, one about people, and love. Miller took Homer's world as her world, and Achilles became the sun, "spring, golden and bright. Envious Death would drink his blood, and grow young again". The day he died, he'd find out why "it is the greater grief, after all, to be left on earth, when another one is gone", the sun would turn cold and so would he.

They were going to be the first, and were ruined. They'd get reunited, finally, but loose a whole life they could have shared. Taken from this world as the adults they did not quite feel. Forced to follow a pathos they were too young to understand. But "The thread will run smooth, wether you choose it or not" and so it did.

The song of Achilles reminds us of what is most precious in this life, and has left a legacy of broken-hearted people; one touched by the same old stories that touched generations and generations before them. It's the best way to get started in Greek mythology, one that will tell you about the best of Greeks, one that could have "recognize him by touch alone, by smell, I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Grief, Slavery, Violence, War, and Death

Moderate: Sexism

Minor: Rape

cecilie26's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

It was an interesting read. It didn’t quite have the “vibe” that I thought it would. It was not a bad thing, just thought it would be more- idk something more. I can’t quite find what’s missing for me, but none the less I did enjoy the story. Bit boring at times and was about to loose interest 60% in but it did have a good twist in the end that made it worth it. 
I think because I don’t like it that much is because I’m more to medium or fast paced books, so that might be it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Outing, Rape, Violence, War, Pandemic/Epidemic, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexism, Murder, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Slavery

savshanae's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I hate it. I’m also giving it a 5 ⭐️ review. 
Everyone was right, it will break you. But not even for the reasons I expected! I don’t want to spoil the whole thing, but I literally threw the book after reading the final paragraph. I hate it and it was also one of the best books I’ve ever read. Proceed with extreme caution.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death, Body horror, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, War, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Gore, Genocide, Murder, and Blood

Moderate: Pregnancy, Abandonment, Ableism, Religious bigotry, Racism, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Biphobia, Sexual harassment, and Sexual content

you expect Achilles to die, but Patroclus dies first because Achilles is a vain twat and then his effing son (who is a MONSTER) kills the only consistent positive female character in the whole story. Not to mention Achilles mother HATES Patroclus until the war is over and both boys are dead. We also never hear about the Trojan horse which is super disappointing.

sherilees's review against another edition

emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Pandemic/Epidemic, War, Violence, Medical trauma, Death, Rape, Body horror, Grief, Gore, Animal death, Slavery, and Blood

screechie's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful 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

Didn’t have to set this one to doubled listening speed! Enough exposition to satisfactorily build & engage you in the world of the tale but not so laborious that you disassociate & fall asleep. Worth a re-read. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, War, Homophobia, Child death, Violence, Death, Gore, Emotional abuse, and Blood

Minor: Outing, Sexual violence, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual content, Medical content, Murder, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Kidnapping

There is some mlm sexual content but it’s not done in a way that is overly graphic or titillating because neither is the point of the scenes it occurs in.

eliya's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

✅ sobbing 
✅ sobbing many times 
✅ yearning 
✅ i will be thinking about this book for a long time 
✅ i am a love and my love is my love we are two beams of light connected to eachother 
✅ love is beautiful 
❌ the war bit was hard for me to get through, felt really slow from that 50-70% mark but i’m so glad i persisted 

this book is so beautifully written 
i’ve discussed the similes and metaphors painted in this with friends, and we all craved figs after this 
i want to experience live with the same absolute mindfulness as patroclus does

i could re read the first 50% and the last 10% of this book over and over and over again


edit: this book = unreal unearth hozier album
specifically francesca 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, War, and Murder

Moderate: Homophobia, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Slavery, Misogyny, Classism, Grief, Pedophilia, Colonisation, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Blood

Minor: Suicide and Suicide attempt

happy_dayz's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, War, Murder, Sexual assault, and Gore

Moderate: Child death, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Body horror, Sexism, Slavery, Child abuse, and Sexual content

Minor: Body shaming, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, and Classism

flyingryndeer's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Blood, and Death

Moderate: Child death and Rape

Minor: Sexism