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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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Infidelity, Rape, Self harm, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and War
Minor: Child death, Incest, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
seanml's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
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
4.0
Madeline Miller evolves her craft with Circe in a way that is both a spiritual continuation of the Song of Achilles, while also being a completely independent narrative on its own. The pantheon and characters of Greek legend are all written very well, beginning as their one-note idealized selves, and turning into multi-faceted characters by the novel's end. A pleasure as always. 8/10.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Terminal illness, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Death, Infidelity, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and War
Minor: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail