vanyas's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Incest, Pregnancy, Violence, Rape, Abandonment, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Body shaming, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, and Animal death
carlycormier_'s review
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
When I purchased this book I was excited to read a “spinoff”/“retelling” of a classic piece of literature through a feminist lens. However, after reading it I don’t feel that it was everything I was lead to believe and was hoping it would be. As a college student studying classical/ancient history maybe this is my reasoning for not loving it(?) I had to take a long pause and put this book down because 1) it felt too much like more of the same in regard to my academic focus, 2) certain sections required me to muster up the desire to keep reading (pace, plot, etc).
Miller has a lot of potential which is what excites me the most after reading this. Her mastery and deep knowledge of classical history and mythology truly shines, but that’s also the downfall of Circe. This could have been a contemporary masterpiece, a new mythological epic in its own right, but it just sort of fell flat to this. Arguably, a lot of fat could have been trimmed off this book and it would have been more intriguing and enjoyable. I expected Circe to be this wild ride of a story, but in the end it was too much of a hyper-slow burn for me. I did , however, really enjoy how Circe is a complicated character. She is multi-faceted and flawed. This is the big success with this retelling.
Miller has a lot of potential which is what excites me the most after reading this. Her mastery and deep knowledge of classical history and mythology truly shines, but that’s also the downfall of Circe. This could have been a contemporary masterpiece, a new mythological epic in its own right, but it just sort of fell flat to this. Arguably, a lot of fat could have been trimmed off this book and it would have been more intriguing and enjoyable. I expected Circe to be this wild ride of a story, but in the end it was too much of a hyper-slow burn for me. I did , however, really enjoy how Circe is a complicated character. She is multi-faceted and flawed. This is the big success with this retelling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Gaslighting, Death, Emotional abuse, Rape, Pregnancy, and Sexual assault
eelizard's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Confinement, Death, and Abandonment
jhbandcats's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
5.0
A beautiful book about the need to be loved and the difference between loneliness and solitude, this story begins in Circe’s childhood and, as she’s immortal, ends after hundreds of generations. We follow her from the halls of the gods to the island home she shares with wild animals when she’s exiled after angering Zeus.
Circe makes a life for herself collecting herbs and plants for witchcraft and weaving on the unusual loom that was a gift from Daedalus. She has few encounters with humans and immortals, and her reputation as a fearsome witch grows. Any who challenge her spend the rest of their days in a sty looking at fellow pigs.
The author is able to craft an interesting character study where there’s little interaction with other people. I was initially put off by the almost juvenile storytelling till I realized that, as she’d just been born, Circe was indeed quite juvenile. As she matured, so did the writing style and so did my appreciation of the talented author. I hope she continues to rewrite Greek myths. She expands on stories I learned in my youth and I want more.
Circe makes a life for herself collecting herbs and plants for witchcraft and weaving on the unusual loom that was a gift from Daedalus. She has few encounters with humans and immortals, and her reputation as a fearsome witch grows. Any who challenge her spend the rest of their days in a sty looking at fellow pigs.
The author is able to craft an interesting character study where there’s little interaction with other people. I was initially put off by the almost juvenile storytelling till I realized that, as she’d just been born, Circe was indeed quite juvenile. As she matured, so did the writing style and so did my appreciation of the talented author. I hope she continues to rewrite Greek myths. She expands on stories I learned in my youth and I want more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Rape, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
zam_ahaana's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
3.5
A great book for Greek myth fans, but really slow paced! It took me a while to get through this one, but a great read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Blood, Rape, Torture, Sexual harassment, Gore, and Death
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
thepurplepixel's review
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Abandonment, Torture, Emotional abuse, Murder, Blood, Death, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse
erin2802's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
Beautiful! So moving and spellbinding. I love myths told from differ perspectives and the way Madeline Miller writes is so very enchanting. I love her! I’ve loved Circe as a figure in Greek Mythology just for her badassery in general and I now love her even more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Death, Pregnancy, and Grief
thaliareads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
4.0
While this was an incredibly interesting read, I didn't enjoy it as much as The Song of Achilles. I think the issue I had was that it was more winding. It wove a much deeper and more complex story spanning a much wider history. Despite the equally high stakes, due to Circe's immortality, it somehow felt less high stakes than the mortality Achilles was working with.
All that aside, especially for those who like Greek mythology, this was a really fun read and was a really interesting compilation of the life of and myths surrounding Circe.
All that aside, especially for those who like Greek mythology, this was a really fun read and was a really interesting compilation of the life of and myths surrounding Circe.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Bullying
This book was pretty dark, I'm a little behind on reviews, so it's very possible that I've missed some content warnings.paulawind's review against another edition
adventurous
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? It's complicated
5.0
Spoiler
Her final act, the act of “becoming herself” being becoming human and a mortal is so powerful. She never sat well with the other gods, her heart was too big for that. Drinking her potion was an act of defiance, taking her own destiny into her hands, I felt so happy for her when I read the last words. Perfect ending to a nearly perfect bookI am a Greek mythology hoe so of course I loved this book. Feminist story set in the canon which diminished women mostly to tools for heroes to chase their glory. Miller doesn’t strip away achievements of men but rather shines light on the women who were always in the background of these stories, giving them the centre of the stage. At last.
Circe is written with such an intense amount of compassion to women in general, not only the ones from myths. Circe starts off as an innocent soul, with heart of her sleeve - life is beating that out of her but never fully succeeds. She learns to guard her heart and those she loves, seizing power for herself and you can’t help but think “good for her”.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Animal death, Death of parent, Rape, Violence, Blood, Infidelity, Torture, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Abandonment, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Classism, and Misogyny
empiricalrisk's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
sad
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Pedophilia, and Death