I relished that a woman was seen, not as a catalyst for some great journey by a man, as is so often the case in Greek literature (Medusa, Helen, etc.) but as her own catalyst, her own being, her own uniquely interesting character.

I love how Madeline was able to articulate Circe’s personal growth from a shy and naïve girl to a woman hardened by life’s experiences. This brilliantly spun retelling of Circe by Madeline Miller features Circe as the main character and gives a captivatingly honest perspective of her trial and tribulations growing up. How a morally grey side character got her own narrative. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.īut there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power – the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves. But Circe is a strange child – not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. I loved the lush writing of Miller whose words are like poetry and her quotes that deserve to be set in stone however Circe left much to be desired. Perhaps this is the curse all books that are extremely hyped or over marketed face- unrealistic expectations? This is not to say that Circe was bad, just that my standards were set so high I psyched myself up instead of letting the words speak for themselves.

I wish I did put it down and pace myself appropriately because every time I thought we were reaching some vertex or that the story would magically unfold I was left feeling unfulfilled. I must admit I binged through this well into the wee hours of the morning because my expectations were so high I did not want to put it down for fear of missing out. Perhaps one of her most famous (scandalous) mentions is “Turning Odysseus’s men into pigs on her islands.”

Hi everyone, today I am penning my thoughts on Circe which had me feeling meh! If you’re not familiar with Circe, she is referenced as a side character in quite a few Greek Mythologies.

Circe book genre