miromie's Reviews (148)

I so enjoyed Miller’s writing throughout this novel. It is lyrical, poetic, and reads like a true Greek myth. Every sentence holds some piece of description or beauty, while also being pertinent to the story progression itself. No sentence is useless, but each sentence is expressive. Along with progressing the story, every sentence adds something to the characters. 

I was pleasantly surprised at the novel’s conclusion. I was not expecting the deaths in the order that they occurred, though the novel set up that particular ending very well in a way that made sense, while still being surprising. Though the conclusion was surprising, it was also touching and very tender. I appreciated it. 

Sometimes, I felt the story dragged a bit, especially during the years of the Trojan War. The scenes could have been a bit faster-paced, though overall I felt they were purposeful and held meaning. Achilles’s character became a little dislikable during the years of the Trojan War as well, but I think Miller resolved his flaws and unlikability by the end of the story.

I liked Patricia’s character. She has wonderful growth throughout the novel, going from sad and lonely housewife to a strong-willed and smart woman who has gone through great trials and knows what she wants by the end of the story. I appreciated her strength of character all through the book, especially toward the end. 

Overall, the story was very enjoyable. It wasn’t extremely suspenseful or too difficult to guess what would happen, but it was a good thriller. It also had moments of gore that weren’t too disgusting, but just enough to count as gore, which I actually liked. 

The length of the novel was excessive to me, but I really didn’t end up minding how long it was. It could have been shorter, but the writing was so entertaining, I enjoyed it to the last page. 

I liked this one and thought it was thrilling, but I liked "Gone Girl" more, and it just didn't do the same thing for me, which I was disappointed by.

"Crush" is a lovely book of poetry that I really enjoyed and didn't feel intimidated by.

This book was interesting, but weird, and I didn't understand most of it, though I liked the atmosphere it created and its attempt to be different in more ways than one.

The atmosphere of this story is absolutely immaculate. Purcell creates the perfect dark, Victorian aesthetic that fits the plot itself wonderfully. Part of the reason this book genuinely spooked me was the overall ambience of it. The whole story was tinged with a filter of grey, grainy and dreadful. 

I liked the three storylines: Elsie’s time (1865-1866), Elsie’s time at St. John’s hospital, and the diary and time of Anne (1635), a previous resident of The Bridge. This created such an interesting, dynamic story that revealed a lot more about the characters and the plot itself than had it just been focused solely on Elsie’s time. Making multiple storylines work without utterly confusing readers is a difficult and daunting task, but Purcell does an incredible job with it. 

Though I like so many things about this book, I disliked the ending, which was a huge disappointment, considering how eager I was to see how Purcell would ultimately conclude the story. The ending made no sense; why would this particular character be seeking revenge on Elsie? I was left confused as I read the final paragraph. 

I absolutely adored Circe’s character. She is dynamic, deep, and multi-faceted, changing and shifting as the novel progresses. At times, she can be irritating, but that is what makes her so enjoyable--despite her god-like nature, she is entirely human! She is strong-willed but gentle, kind but stern, loyal but free. She is such a wonderful personality and Miller did a fantastic job crafting her to really come alive off the page. 

Like Circe, I enjoyed the character of Telemachus, Odysseus’s first son. I wished he had been introduced into the story earlier, I liked his character that much. He was the perfect pair to Circe, and I’m glad their story developed in the way that it did. Despite how one-dimensional his character may seem, I believe he was just as dynamic as Circe, which is why their pairing is so wonderful. 

There’s not much I disliked about this book. It was rather long and slow-paced, but I actually enjoyed that for the most part. Truly, this book is close to a masterpiece, better than “The Song of Achilles” in my opinion, though I think one should read “The Song of Achilles” before reading “Circe.” 

I didn't much like this one. I found it trite. 

I enjoyed this book and the more time I spent away from it, the more I kept thinking about it. It's interesting and explores facets of female relationships and girlhood. 

I really liked this book of poetry from Rankine. I thought it touched on a subject that is important and relevant.