Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

The Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller

118 reviews

andiehales's review against another edition

emotional sad tense 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? Yes

3.5

I think this story as a whole is a beautiful and crushing one and I understand why so many people love this book so intensely but I just didn’t love it the way I’ve seen others love it. A lot of the times, the way this book was written would throw me off, make me feel disconnected from the story and characters, and made it harder for me to enjoy. I pushed through because I wanted to know what all the hype (and tears) were for lol. 

This book definitely had me feeling sick with emotion at times, especially towards the ending, but the writing style unfortunately wasn’t for me. 

Spoiler

Also, I need to note how emotionally attached I became to Briseis. I love her like nobody else. She deserved so much better. Briseis I will avenge you.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Infidelity, Genocide, Murder, Violence, War, Injury/injury detail, Medical content, Grief, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Blood, Death, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, and Sexual content

Moderate: Homophobia

Minor: Abandonment and Cursing

stvalentine's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

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

4.5

i think that this book is often regarded as sad but i found the ending (the *actual* ending, the last page) to be incredibly relieving and hope-inspiring!! a beautiful book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Violence, War, Animal cruelty, Death, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Medical content, Gore, Murder, and Rape

lim's review against another edition

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? It's complicated

0.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, War, Sexual violence, Misogyny, and Sexual assault

literaryfae's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

I have read The Song of Achilles thrice now and I’m still amazed by how beautifully crafted the storyline is. While the basic blueprint for the story had been pre-plotted by The Illiad, The Song of Achilles manages to be a standout in its own right. 

Madeline Miller seems to really understand the art of writing. She manages to create a world in this novel where everything matters. Words and actions of the characters at the start of the book which may have seemed inconsequential are brought back later on and tied together perfectly. 

Miller is also a master at invoking emotion in the reader. I grew up obsessed with Greek Mythology and have therefore known the story of Achilles (and subsequently Patroclus) since a young age. Even on my first read, I opened this book knowing how it would end. Yet Miller’s words still manage to make me cry, even now on my third read. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: War, Rape, Child death, Grief, Death, Infidelity, and Blood

Minor: Cannibalism

leonormsousa's review against another edition

challenging emotional slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Homophobia, Injury/injury detail, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Gore, Misogyny, Murder, Body horror, Death, Sexual assault, Slavery, Medical content, and War

daringreader13's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Violence, Child death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Homophobia, Infidelity, Medical content, Classism, Death, Domestic abuse, Body horror, Child abuse, Gore, Genocide, Grief, Murder, Misogyny, Animal cruelty, Injury/injury detail, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, and War

Moderate: Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

eatmytoe404's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional sad 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

it was wonderful and i cant stop crying

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, Grief, and War

Moderate: Alcohol, Slavery, Sexism, Classism, Blood, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Rape, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Cursing, Child abuse, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, and Kidnapping

Minor: Animal death, Death of parent, Outing, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Gore, Child abuse, Medical content, Alcohol, and Suicidal thoughts

sumia's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Grief, and Death

Moderate: Slavery and Infidelity

Minor: Rape

tdap1899's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.5

While reading I felt like I was on a rollercoaster, there were very sweet and heart lifting moments but then there were very awful and heartbreaking moments since it is based on Greek mythos I had an idea of what was going to happen which led to me being very tense and stressed throughout the read.
Would I keep? Yes.
With some brief reflection, I did really enjoy the book and it is spectacularly written with strong characters and very hard hitting twists and turns. That being said I have a kind of love hate relationship with the book as the relationships depicted in it aren't the healthiest but I also think that's what adds to such strong characters and make you feel so invested into the story. It very unapologetically stuck closely to the general cadence and themes of Greek mythos and the time period it is set in which I respect even if it made me uncomfortable at times. I don't think that makes it any less of a good book, I just think it needs approached cautiously as it can be very emotionally taxing.
I would rec to someone who is first off in a good enough place mentally to take on the emotional endeavor this book is, know you're limits and know when to take a pause. Rec to people who like greek mythology and various retellings of it like lore olympus. A book I found myself thinking of a lot when it came to this book was Romeo and Juliet it reminded me a lot of it throughout the whole book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, War, Death, Emotional abuse, Blood, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, and Homophobia

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, Slavery, Grief, Toxic relationship, Injury/injury detail, and Kidnapping

Minor: Sexual content, Misogyny, Pregnancy, and Animal death

aliciamarvinetz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny lighthearted sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Misogyny, Murder, Abandonment, Blood, Death, Grief, Violence, and Sexism

Moderate: Blood, Child abuse, Confinement, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Medical content, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Slavery