Reviews tagging Toxic relationship

The Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller

42 reviews

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

4.75

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. 

---

Content Warnings

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

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

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

brookey8888's review

adventurous dark emotional 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

3.0

This was fine. I just felt like a lot of parts were slow. I honestly did not feel an attachment to these characters. I think it’s because we don’t really get to know them in my opinion. Also this didn’t  really make me sad because I knew it was going to happen, but Even still I didn’t find it that sad. I just felt detached from the Characters. I did start to enjoy it more towards the end. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Violence, Injury/injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Child death, Classism, Cursing, Gore, Homophobia, Transphobia, War, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Sexual harassment

kt2e56's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective sad fast-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

4.5

Beautifully written. There is no doubt about Madeline Miller’s skills as a writer. I actually think from a technical standpoint, she’s one of the most gifted writers we currently have. She has just such a way with words and even as someone fairly well-versed in Greek mythology who knows how this all ends, I was hooked as if this was a cast of characters I’d never heard of before.

I read Circe first and I found it to be much, much more relatable due to my own personal history and experiences but this book was just as spectacular. I love that this was all told from the point of view of Patroclus. He’s compelling and it’s lovely to see his own story fleshed out. His love for Achilles is touching but I think Achilles eventually becomes so unlikeable that it’s hard to see what Patroclus still sees in him and why he still so readily would give up everything for him.

And Achilles himself is seen as complex here! Which is fine! Complex is good and I’m glad that he wasn’t always the attentive, loving, nurturing boy that Patroclus fell for and believed in. I think the story of Achilles here (and eventually Pyrrhus although he’s a much more extreme example) is a fascinating look at masculinity. Achilles is beautiful and sensitive and kind. He loves music and pretty things and nature. We see this throughout. But it isn’t until he starts demanding the treatment he believes he deserves and stamping out all that’s beautiful and tender about him that he could be seen as great and powerful by the world around him. He believes he’s entitled to greatness and he reaches a point where he really buys into his own hype and doesn’t care who he’s harmed as long as he gets what he believes he deserves as this pinnacle of masculinity, the best of the best. He can only become a hero by embracing cruelty and he’d rather be a hero and be remembered by everyone than remembered only by his love, Patroclus: the only person who ever really knew him at all.

I’ll be thinking about this book for awhile. It’s hard not to. It’s so rich and textured. I’m giving this a 4.5 instead a 5, only because I started to grow a bit numb from reading cruelty after cruelty and atrocity after atrocity but I can absolutely recognize that that has nothing to do with Miller’s skill as a writer, and has everything to do with my own personal preferences. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Murder, Sexual assault, Death, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Misogyny, Injury/injury detail, War, Violence, Rape, Blood, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Self harm, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Outing, Animal death, Homophobia, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Trafficking

olia_k21's review

adventurous emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual content, and Grief

Moderate: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Homophobia and Rape

gay_agenda_lizard's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

It’s great and I cried but not as hard as I would have liked. It was lovely though and incredibly sad. The characters are very flawed yet still likeable which is a feat. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Grief, Kidnapping, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Slavery

jennalee_1234's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring sad 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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, War, Slavery, Homophobia, Gore, Animal cruelty, Blood, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Pregnancy, Murder, Kidnapping, and Injury/injury detail

jessthanthree's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad slow-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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexism, Murder, Grief, and Death

Moderate: Abandonment, Toxic relationship, and Rape

julia_rose's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

5.0

Gobsmacked. I haven’t read  a book like this in a long time, if ever. It manages to be so many things at once. Brutal and beautiful, sexy and gruesome, heartwarming and heartbreaking. The hype had me skeptical for the first few chapters but I quickly grew attached and can already tell these are characters that will live in me now long after reading. The plot was immaculate; executed to perfection with the reader’s  experience in mind at all times. It’s a work of genius, no exaggeration. And it is as sad as they say, but worth it.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Murder, Toxic relationship, Violence, War, Blood, Death, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Child death, Gore, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Rape, and Trafficking

Minor: Animal cruelty, Medical content, Outing, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, and Self harm

itszosia's review

adventurous emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Blood, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, War, Gore, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Violence

m_elisabeth's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective sad slow-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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War and Violence

Moderate: Toxic friendship and Toxic relationship