Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

Das Lied des Achill by Madeline Miller

35 reviews

bramblebug's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring sad medium-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? Yes

5.0

This story is just so beautifully written and well-paced. Every story beat feels so intentional and eloquent. Deeply emotional and rooted in the perspective of a single character, it’s a rollercoaster of feelings and experiences—love, heartache, longing, joy, fear. I’ll always want to return to the atmosphere Miller creates and the tenderness and uncertainty that comes with adolescence and falling in love and facing impossible challenges set in motion by gods and men. 

Also, I have listened to the audiobook multiple times and it is possibly one of the best performances I’ve ever experienced. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Xenophobia, Blood, and War

Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Abandonment

Minor: Self harm and Medical content

The historical setting is honest and does not censor (nor really focus on) many of the atrocities committed in its time, especially when it comes to the treatment of women and disabled people.

odette_tbdk's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative 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? Yes

4.25

Tengo sentimientos encontrados con este libro, por una parte me pareció muy emocional y profunda la relación que tenían Aquiles y Patroclo, pero el ritmo de la historia no me convenció del todo. Hacia el final del libro el ritmo fluyó muy bien, pero el principio es difícil de continuar, la vida de Patroclo de niño y en sí todo el proceso que les lleva a la guerra de Troya es bastante lento y tedioso. Pero aún así, me hizo sentir muchas cosas y también me enseñó de mitología (cabe aclarar que yo no sé nada de estos temas), así que sería injusto darle mala calificación por eso.

Me faltaron personajes femeninos que no giraran en torno a los protagonistas, pero eso ya no es culpa de la autora, simplemente no hay muchos porque así es la mitología. Cuando lea Circe tendré lo que me faltó aquí.

En general, un libro muy triste cargado de mitología y de referencias muy extensas a los ornamentos, política y costumbres de la época. Tedioso a ratos pero al final te deja con un buen sabor de boca (en parte). Buena lectura.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Colonisation, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Infidelity, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy

Minor: Animal death, Death of parent, and Alcohol

yarisbooksandbevs's review against another edition

emotional inspiring sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

This book was so heartbreakingly beautiful. The story was so precious and I loved Achilles and Patroclus.

I liked that this story was accurate to the myths while adding this spin of romance. Achilles was so easy to love and although they had their faults, the characters were so loveable. I found myself crying, laughing, and smiling.

There’s not much to say other than this is a beautiful book with a beautiful story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Grief, and War

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual content, and Murder

Minor: Animal death, Sexism, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, and Pregnancy

bookishperseus's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation

rowdymeowdy's review against another edition

adventurous emotional slow-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? Yes

3.75

This book at first was a little tough for me to get through. It felt a little flat for a while and took me a beat to get into a reading rhythm but I still think this is a pretty story. I liked the ending, and how it was written. I did tear up there. I did get pretty ticked off at some of the main character flaws but I think that’s the point of stories like these. I enjoyed this read and would recommend if you want a slower, stable read (not too much of an emotional rollercoaster imo)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Sexual content, Violence, and War

Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, and War

lizdon's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, and War

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Blood, Kidnapping, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Biphobia, Child abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Rape, Transphobia, Medical trauma, and Deportation

Once they reach war, there are mentions of how they treat female slaves that are stolen during raids, which is accurate to the time but can be hard to read. Not detailed, mostly just commented at.

rllbth's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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? N/A

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Genocide, Homophobia, Torture, Violence, Blood, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Slavery, and Xenophobia

Minor: Classism

rionstorm's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.75

Really loved this! Love a tragic romance, and thought the ending was satisfying if (obviously) sad.

The character development was really well done, felt gradual and natural.

It felt balanced how Patroclus almost rose to meet Achilles in his own way, becoming known for his talents and abilities, and Achilles at the end was almost knocked back a bit to meet Patroclus in his more substantial mortality. I particularly liked the line towards the end, after having Achilles portrayed as invulnerable and unbeatable for so long, when Paris begins to mention the myth of Achilles' heel and invincibility, and is cut off by Apollo reminding him that he is mortal and can be killed. Really grounds Achilles' character all of a sudden.

 

I read it after Circe, and I found the difference in how certain things (especially stuff relating to women, marriage, and assault) are talked about really interesting. This one was definitely a bit more difficult to read in that sense, as sexual assault in particular is talked about relatively flippantly.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Homophobia, Self harm, Xenophobia, and Outing

uranaishi's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Medical content, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Outing, and Classism

Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

harrimyers's review against another edition

adventurous 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

second time reading. started at 4:30, just finished at 11pm. knackered but damn. it’s a beautiful book if i just. ignore the original source material. some great, Great lines tho and it’s a book that was very necessary to be written even if me and how some of the women’s plot lines in this don’t get on

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Colonisation