Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Circe by Madeline Miller

89 reviews

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 book

I 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”.

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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

pjdotcom's review

adventurous emotional inspiring slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Child death, Pregnancy, Body horror, Incest, Misogyny, Rape, Death of parent, Abandonment, Animal death, Grief, Sexual content, and War

jessiereads98's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective slow-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

4.0

Circe is truly an epic. I loved how Madeline Miller created an Odyssey-style story following a woman throughout major events in her life along with the mundane details of daily life at various points. Madeline Miller’s prose is so gorgeous that moments which would traditionally be considered dull feel more like a natural ebb in the story. Comparatively, the ending felt a bit abrupt. Things seemed to rush to a close, compared to the ebb and flow, and slowed pacing of the rest of the book. Overall, characterization is at times weak as the focus is more on overall themes and the more universal storytelling of Greek mythology. Circe is told through a highly introspective narrative. This, combined with the storytelling structure Miller employs, at times leads to side characters feeling flat.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy

Moderate: Violence, Sexual assault, Death, Sexual violence, Rape, and Sexism

Minor: Blood, Confinement, Animal death, Death of parent, Sexual content, Murder, Grief, and War

galexy_brain's review

adventurous dark hopeful reflective sad 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Classism, Confinement, Death, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Death of parent, Grief, Infidelity, Abandonment, War, Violence, and Pregnancy

Minor: Alcohol and Slavery

enimiestolovers_opal's review

emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Medical content, Pregnancy, Death, Gore, War, Blood, and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Sexual content

issyd23's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense 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

4.0

Welcome to Αἰαία, see the pigs transform from humans. Welcome to Αἰαία, hope you like Circe you ain’t leaving. Caroline Polachek would love it here 4🏝️

I love how intricate names in Greek mythology are: Helios, Pasiphaë, Minos, Aeëtes & then there’s literally Jason!💀

NB Fuck, marry, kill: Odysseus, Achilles, Paris (in that order) 🏛️

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Drug use, Medical content, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Violence, Gore, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Slavery, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexism, Torture, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical trauma, and War

mxpringle's review

adventurous challenging reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

The first 90% of the book? Amazing. Immaculately written and enthralling. The last 10% of the book? What in the

Spoiler

stepmother/stepchild relationship

was that... 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Incest, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pregnancy, and Torture

Moderate: Death, Blood, and Death of parent

lizziaha's review against another edition

relaxing

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.25

Madeline Miller’s writing is beautiful as ever, but I do think this book suffered in lacking major conflict. Without much conflict, there wasn’t much plot to be had. Of course, that is the nature of trying to capture immortality. I do think that the way Miller writes gods is distinct and right on the nose. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pregnancy, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Violence, Sexual violence, Rape, Medical content, Murder, Misogyny, Confinement, Death, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Death of parent, Animal death, Forced institutionalization, War, and Bullying

stvalentine's review

adventurous inspiring reflective 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? Yes

5.0

a total masterwork of introspection and the importance of balancing self-reliance and community!! follows ancient greece's favourite witch-goddess as she navigates godly narcissism, isolation, love, trauma, and motherhood armed with endless spells and crackling determination. a closer examination of one of the most mysterious and under-discussed figured in mythology. so good!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Animal death, Grief, Rape, Sexual assault, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Infidelity, Misogyny, and War

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Slavery, Gore, and Incest

renreads2much's review

adventurous challenging dark 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? No

4.75

(Read this for School)
Very poetic writing, its so descriptive and feels like water flowing over my brain. One thing is that it claims to be a feminist retelling, and although there are themes of feminism, I feel like it shows more of what its like to be a woman and is somewhat a cautionary tale. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Torture, Rape, Misogyny, Gore, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Death of parent, Abandonment, War, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, and Incest