CIRCE by Madeline Miller (Review)

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385 Pages

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child—not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. 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.

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.

But 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. 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.

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I have had a pretty strong interest in Greek Mythology since Sophomore year in high school when our entire first semester in Honors English was the study of Edith Hamilton’s Mythology.  Ever since this book came out, it has been on my radar. And, lo and behold as I search the “New Arrivals” stacks in my University library, did I find this.

I’m not going to lie. This book took me a long time to read. I could blame it all on school starting, but I believe it partially has to do with its content. While, of course, this is all fiction, it is still, in a sense, history. And, while in narration, it was still a predetermined story.

While I seemed to have only read this book in 10 minute intervals, with the occasional thirty-minute delve, I found it hard to really immerse myself, but more take in my surroundings of what was going on. I never really felt compelled to have to continue the story, because I knew it would still be there laced in history.

That being said, however, I feel I learned so, so much from this book. The craft and dedication it took to write this is mind blowing. But Circe’s story is something truly devastating (Telegonus), joyful (Telegonus), and frustrating at times (Telegonus), and I’m so happy what I came out of with this book.

If mythology isn’t your thing, then I probably wouldn’t recommend this book, for the style may be awkward for you. But, if you are interested and know just even a little about mythology, I would highly recommend it. The way Miller weaves Circe’s story is fantastic.

What I got out of this book wasn’t only a story carried through time, but knowledge that I want to try and hold with me for as long as I can.

Rating:

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Have you read Circe? What did you think about it? Do you like Greek Mythology? Talk to me in the comments!