Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

219 reviews

davbat's review

emotional tense 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

5.0

Extremely tragic, even more than you'd expect going into it with knowledge of the story. Time after time, Miller shows you what could have been if not for fate/pride/war. Extremely tragic doomed romance.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Murder, Child abuse, Child death, and Rape

Moderate: Homophobia, Grief, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Animal cruelty, Xenophobia, Self harm, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Slavery, Death, Animal death, and Outing

Minor: Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Abandonment, and Cannibalism

Rape and murder are just as common as in the original myth but without any of the euphemism

grace_cr1's review

adventurous emotional informative 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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Grief, Body horror, Rape, Self harm, Slavery, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, War, Animal death, and Sexual assault

grilledsneeze's review

adventurous sad tense slow-paced

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

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War and Violence

Moderate: Death, Self harm, and Gore

Minor: Slavery and Rape

majestictrilobite's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Homophobia, Medical content, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Child death, Bullying, Blood, Slavery, Death, Deportation, Animal cruelty, Gore, and Rape

keelymightread's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Death, and Abandonment

Moderate: Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Rape, Grief, and Violence

Minor: Self harm, Abandonment, and Suicidal thoughts

gin_and_panic's review

adventurous sad slow-paced

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

2.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Violence, and War

Moderate: Slavery, Sexual assault, Rape, Blood, and Gore

Minor: Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, and Self harm

jodean's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

I will remember Achilles and Patroclus and their love. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Self harm, Violence, Murder, War, Trafficking, Sexual content, Homophobia, Medical content, Kidnapping, Blood, Grief, Gore, and Alcohol

Moderate: Pregnancy, Medical trauma, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Transphobia, Slavery, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Animal death

meganm1587's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Death, Murder, Violence, Grief, Rape, Animal death, Gore, Blood, and Self harm

echolliot'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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual assault, Rape, War, Sexual violence, Grief, Blood, Sexual content, Homophobia, Death, and Slavery

Moderate: Murder, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Bullying, Child death, Trafficking, Gore, Infidelity, and Terminal illness

Minor: Self harm, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Vomit, Classism, and Pregnancy

chrisljm's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad medium-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

Yeah I cried. 

Madeline Miller is a beautiful writer and I did enjoy her retelling of this myth, but I didn't find it to be particularly remarkable. 

I think the thing I found most puzzling was Patroclus' inclination towards saving women from being war trophies when this was very much a sociopolitical norm during this period in time. Of course that's not to say I wanted to see more scenes of women being brutalized or that it's impossible for there to be any person during this period to disagree with such practices, but I think when making the decision to have that be one of the main characters in this myth for the purpose of having a more likable protagonist, it becomes a story that lacks the social and cultural context of the historical myths by changing certain themes to fit modern sensibilities. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Violence, Death, Gore, Rape, Sexism, Blood, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, War, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Misogyny, and Slavery

Moderate: Bullying, Sexual content, Abandonment, Colonisation, Infidelity, Self harm, Pregnancy, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Alcohol and Child abuse