Book Review: Circe by Madeline Miller

Title: Circe
Author: Madeline Miller
Pages: 393 pages
Published: April 10th 2018 by Little, Brown and Company
Source: Library

GoodReads Description: "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."

5 divine & epic stars!

The Greek gods are like... awful.  Aren't they?  Like what men thought that it would be encouraging to people to invent this awful set of gods who embody the worst of human qualities on an eternal scale?  Can you imagine if you actually believed in this?  More than enough to make me a little jaded.

Anyways...

Circe is the god (well, sort of) with heart.  She is a divinity that cares for people and does not simply endlessly seek power and pleasure (like her siblings and pretty much every other god/person in this story).  From the time of her birth, she has been shunned and disdained by all the gods.  She is not pretty enough, her voice sounds like a mortal, and she is just... strange.

Since she has never quite fit in among the divine, she seeks out mortals.  She cares for their troubles.  She cannot imagine what it would be like to face death.  She feels pity for them.  But when she actually befriends a mortal and helps him, she is betrayed.  And so her story truly begins.  She finds her identity as a pharmakis or witch and is exiled.

This book was one of those books that doesn't have a true climax and conclusion.  The story ebbs and flows, with several major events and several periods of calm... I think it is called an epic? Is that right?  Either way, it's style reminded me of East of Eden by John Steinbeck - though it's been a while since I've read that book.  But besides East of Eden and maybe one or two others, this style usually annoys me.  I want a dramatic climax, a twist or surprise or two and then a conclusion.  But in this book it worked.  I mean... she's eternal.  Of course her story would be long and have multiple highs and lows.  And the fact that it was beautifully written didn't hurt either.

To be honest, I also felt like I got an education in Greek Mythology.  This is not a subject I've studied with any kind of depth.  I mean... I like Hercules the Disney movie, LOL.

I've also read The Odyssey and that book was referred to in this one often and that was pretty cool - the way it was tied in.  I also loved that it blended history and legend, making me wonder which parts were factual.

All in all, it was a great and magical adventure.  Circe was completely relatable - which is crazy because as a witch and a daughter of a god, she really shouldn't be!  And I pitied her in the same way she pitied us and I was fascinated with her in the same way she was fascinated by us mortals.  She was a fascinating god/witch with her relation to nature and animals.  She was a strong woman, but she (mostly) didn't abuse her power.  I was cheering her on throughout and I was happy with how the story progressed and how it was all tied up in the end.  In fact, I loved how her story turned out.

Story: 5
Characters: 5
Overall: 5 stars

Many thanks to my local library!

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