Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

494 reviews

art3m1sxx's review against another edition

dark informative sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Gore, Rape, Slavery, Violence, and War

thaliareads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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? Yes

5.0

As a Percy Jackson kid, I had a feeling I would really enjoy this book and I was correct. It was an interesting retelling of Achilles life as experienced by Patroclus. It was a brilliant reimagining of the Iliad and had my attention throughout the entirety of the novel. It was heart wrenching and heart breaking but ultimately worth every ounce of pain.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Death, Violence, and War

Moderate: Sexual violence and Slavery

I'm behind on reviews and it's been a few weeks since I read the book so I likely missed a couple of content warnings.

pigeongreen's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

This is a beautiful story that expounds on the classic Greek mythology that most of us are somewhat familiar with. We experience the depth of joy, grief, loss, and anger with the characters, and fall in love with the lovers. Dialogue is purposefully sparse and formal, supporting the rich character development via the narrator, Patroclus. We see through his eyes and hear his thoughts and feelings, relating to other characters through him. A must read. Tragic and gorgeous. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Gore, Grief, Animal death, and Child death

Moderate: Homophobia

Minor: Sexual harassment, Kidnapping, Violence, Sexual violence, and Sexual content

_sfaye_'s review against another edition

adventurous emotional fast-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

im crying !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Sexual violence

ahakuutti's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

1.5

Rant incoming because there's really no other words to describe what a let down this book was and how overhyped it is. For a retelling this hyped and applauded I expected more nuance and depth than a self-indulgent and sad gay boy slash fanfic I ended up reading.  

This book gave me nostalgia for old BL/mlm tropes where the main character has no personality so the female readers can self insert themselves to him more easily and the main love interest is still somehow really interested in the main character even though he has the personality of a dry rag and is overall really passive. I start to have problems with this set-up only when the writer also adds their internalized misogyny by making all the female characters obstacles and those who bring conflict against the main gay couple. This is what this book is. 

I never understood what Patroclus saw in Achilles except blind adoration and what Achilles saw in Patroclus making their relationship seem extremely vapid and surface level. They're both flat cardboards who suddendly gain a personality when the original myths demand it to make the events happen and all the more nuanced and  complicated characters are either women who get pushed to the sidelines, killed or made antagonistic or the other guys in the army against Troy who're also often untrustworthy or kill and rape (which our gay boys don't do because they're perfect gay boys). 

I'm usually fine if retellings change some things but there has to be a certain purpose behind it; if the author decides to take out all the rape, grey morality and violence the main character's originally had but instead makes them perfect feminist gay boys and treats the few female characters like this I do think that theres some validity to criticize that. 

The writing has some nice passages from time time and it's easily readable but overall I coasted through this book like in a haze and it got me out of reading slump so there's something good. My favorite moment was in the end

Spoiler

where Thetis reminisced on her life and her desire for revenge against the man who had raped her, but still ending up to care for the boy which she birthed. It managed to summ up her feelings so succintly but beautifully and I immediately felt for her. The only time I cried during this book was for the injustice she had experienced but also the motherly love she still managed to feel for Achilles.

Spoiler

Last point and this might be more of a nitpick but I also found it weird that after the main characters grow up to be adults there's no more sex scenes between them whereas when they were teenagers the author before descriped them in quite explicit detail. Amongst all the bloodshed of the war them being intimate now as adults would have underlined more on their pure love compared to the rape and pillaging happening all around them. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore and Violence

Minor: Rape and Sexual violence

booksemmahasread's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual content, Slavery, War, Violence, Death of parent, Blood, Death, Classism, and Grief

Moderate: Animal death

Minor: Child death, Abandonment, and Pregnancy

friendly_neighborhood_grandma's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Slavery, Sexual violence, Self harm, Murder, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Death, Body horror, Blood, Medical trauma, Child death, Sexual content, Medical content, Physical abuse, Grief, and War

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Rape, Fire/Fire injury, and Death of parent

matildaesandell's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.25

This book broke my heart and put it back together. Such a strong second half, I think I read the last 40% in one day, but I found a lot of the first half really dragged on. I can see how parts of it were necessary but it could definitely have been cut back a bit. The writing is beautiful, I highlighted so many quotes that I want to remember forever ❤️ also makes me want to read up a lot more on Greek Mythology 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, and Sexual violence

heatherrwoodd's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Blood, Animal cruelty, Sexual content, Sexual violence, War, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Murder

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