Circe

{My Thoughts}What Worked For MeA Classic Tale Reimagined – Taking a classic story and reinventing it with a modern twist is nothing new. We see it time after time, but the usual reimagining places the characters and plot in a contemporary setting as the story plays out. With Circe, Madeline Miller kept the characters and the setting, and instead shifted the focus, placing it solely on Circe. Those of you with a background in mythology will see many, many elements from classic Greek mythology (especially The Odyssey) popping up in this book. However, if you’ve lived under a rock and never even knew there was such a thing as mythology it won’t matter. Miller gives you everything you need to know and she does it seamlessly.A Woman with Attitude – If you’re anything like me, you will come to adore Circe, the book and the woman. Born into one of the two most powerful families of gods, Circe adored her father, Helios, but never quite measured up. Where her siblings were gorgeous and powerful from an early age, Circe was plain and seemingly powerless. Tormented by her own family, Circe grew more and more fascinated with mortals. Falling in love with one, brought out her previously unknown powers of witchcraft.“I was too wild to feel shame. It was true. I would not just uproot the world, but tear it, burn it, do any evil I could to keep Glaucos by my side. But what stayed most in my mind was the look on my grandmother’s face when I’d said that word, pharmaka. It was not a look I know well among the gods.”This girl had gumption and she used her new power to punish her rival, creating a monster all came to feared. But, she paid a price for going too far. Circe was banished to the small island of Aiaia for eternity. This is where the book Circe really took off for me. On the island, I found it impossible not to admire and root for this woman who year after year, century after century, faced her fears, honed her powers, and learned to stand up for herself.“She was gone. But I said it anyway, to that great empty room and my son’s dreaming ears: “You do not know what I can do.”Soap Opera of the Gods – You might think a story of a woman alone on an island could get dull, but you would be wrong. Circe lived a lonely life, but was not without the occasional visitor, many bringing adventure and challenges to her life. Hermes flitted in and out with news and gossip from the worlds of gods and mortals. Her sister, Pasiphae, granted Circe temporary exile to help deal with her little Minotaur problem. Shipwrecked sailors soon discovered the wrath of Circe. And then came Odysseus, perhaps her most well known visitor, bringing to Circe a lasting love she was willing to die for. The level of drama never failed!That House – I really can’t say any more, but for those who have read Circe: I want that house!What Didn’tAbsolutely EVERYTHING worked for me in Circe!{The Final Assessment}Madeline Miller is definitely a writer to admire. Reinventing the life of a minor goddess into a remarkable woman while remaining faithful to the original mythology can be no small feat. Miller did it in the best way possible, by knowing her star character and sticking to her story. From start to finish Circe was all about Circe, no long tangents, no veering off into some other god’s story. Just Circe: her life, her feelings, her mistakes, her heart, her choices. I haven’t yet read Millers’s debut, Song of Achilles, but I will. I’m already looking forward to that next trip to ancient Greece. If it’s anything like Circe, I’m sure to find the journey immersive, entertaining, exciting, everything! Just incase I haven’t been clear, I loved Circe. She will be one of my top ten books this year. Grade: A

I cannot recommend this book more to anyone who's somewhat enjoyed any Greek mythology, particularly the work of Homer. The tale spans thousands of years, from Circe's birth to a certain number of years after Odysseus' visit to her island (the specifics of it are spoiler-y), but the story still moves at a satisfying pace, and I definitely did the "ok ok just one more chapter/just one more section break" thing while reading. By far the most satisfying aspect of the story, besides the tour of major Greek myths that we get, is the evolution of Circe herself. Miller very much humanizes Circe (pun intended), giving her dynamic relationships with gods and mortals, a passion for cultivating her gifts, and a satisfying and organic character arc. Other character she meets--Daedalus, Odysseus, and her own divine siblings--are also well-realized, well-written, and given depth and humanity they weren't afforded in the myths.I've heard this book described as a "feminist retelling," but I feel like that sells Miller's work short. Referring to a story about a woman as "feminist" risks pigeonholing it into being an SJW diatribe. Yes it technically is feminist because it's about Circe and gives her agency, but that's only because her story to us before this book was just "daughter of Helios who turned some dudebros into pigs one time." Saying that Circe (the book, not the goddess) is feminist implies that the story is one big annoying message, which couldn't be further from the truth. Circe is a fully developed character, and the only agenda the book has is to realize her as such. [note: there is a scene of sexual assault. It's unmistakable that that's what's happening, but it's not graphic.]I only have 2 complaints about this book, which is why I've given it 4 stars and not 5. There are times when the writing (descriptions of places, Circe's observations, etc) gets to be a bit pretentious; however, I suppose that's mostly excusable because the story is set in an ancient, classical era, and plus it makes the story quotable. My second complaint is that [SORT OF A SPOILER SO STOP HERE IF YOU WANT TO GO INTO THE BOOK TOTALLY BLIND] the gods that Circe personally interacts with, (Helios, Perse, Aeetes, Pasiphae, Hermes, Athena), are total jerks to the point of being unsympathetic in contrast to Circe herself. Their behavior is dissected by her throughout the book and therefore made a bit believable, but it still made Circe's differing nature seem unlikely--why are no other gods lonely, or having a hard time fitting in? Do no other gods genuinely like mortals? I understand that gods are jerks in the myths--that's practically the whole point of them--but still, it's hard to believe that no other god got along better with Circe.Basically, please read this book. It's a well-told, well-researched, and well-written story.