Circe
Book: Circe
Author: Madeline Miller
Date Read: 05.01.19 - 09.01.19
Rating: 8/10
Recommended: Yes
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.
Initial Reaction (probably):
Sounds cool.
Factors that influenced my decision:
Before reading Circe I was already somewhat familiar with Greek mythology. Having read the plays some of the other characters showed up in was an interesting experience because you read it knowing where their stories were headed. What I remember realising what I knew about Circe after reading the book is thinking ‘oh!!! she’s the one on the island that turned men into pigs’. That's where my knowledge ended. Nothing about her background, barely even her name except feeling faintly as though I’ve heard it before. Diving into this book and having trouble putting it down I finished it fairly quickly.
The Circe that the author depicted is a very flawed character and I loved her because of it. She made some really ... bad? questionable? naive? decisions, so much so that I wanted to shake some sense into her, and sometimes I had to look away (before coming back) because I had trouble reading some of the parts. Considering the environment she grew up in, neglect at best - emotional (and physical) abuse at worst - this could have gone so many ways. The ancient Greek gods aren’t known for their mercy. I admired her growth as a character and her resilience.
I had trouble reading the interactions Circe had with the people/gods she came across sometimes. Namely the relationships Circe has with her family (all of them are horrible people), with the other gods (basically all of them are shit too - and also somehow related so back to the first part), even other mortals (like the toss of a coin either they’re decent enough - or really really shit). But I was there through it all, because I needed to know what would happen, where this was going to go, who would come up next, and how right she ends up being.
*description and cover photo from Goodreads
Author: Madeline MillerDate Read: 05.01.19 - 09.01.19
Rating: 8/10
Recommended: Yes
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.
Initial Reaction (probably):
Sounds cool.
Factors that influenced my decision:
- Sounds cool
- I want to learn more about Circe
- Recommended to me
Before reading Circe I was already somewhat familiar with Greek mythology. Having read the plays some of the other characters showed up in was an interesting experience because you read it knowing where their stories were headed. What I remember realising what I knew about Circe after reading the book is thinking ‘oh!!! she’s the one on the island that turned men into pigs’. That's where my knowledge ended. Nothing about her background, barely even her name except feeling faintly as though I’ve heard it before. Diving into this book and having trouble putting it down I finished it fairly quickly.
The Circe that the author depicted is a very flawed character and I loved her because of it. She made some really ... bad? questionable? naive? decisions, so much so that I wanted to shake some sense into her, and sometimes I had to look away (before coming back) because I had trouble reading some of the parts. Considering the environment she grew up in, neglect at best - emotional (and physical) abuse at worst - this could have gone so many ways. The ancient Greek gods aren’t known for their mercy. I admired her growth as a character and her resilience.
I had trouble reading the interactions Circe had with the people/gods she came across sometimes. Namely the relationships Circe has with her family (all of them are horrible people), with the other gods (basically all of them are shit too - and also somehow related so back to the first part), even other mortals (like the toss of a coin either they’re decent enough - or really really shit). But I was there through it all, because I needed to know what would happen, where this was going to go, who would come up next, and how right she ends up being.
*description and cover photo from Goodreads
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