“A bold and subversive retelling of the goddess’s story,” this #1 New York Times bestseller is “both epic and intimate in its scope, recasting the most infamous female figure from the Odyssey as a hero in her own right” (Alexandra Alter, The New York Times). 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 … 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.
With unforgettably vivid characters, mesmerizing language, and page-turning suspense, Circe is a triumph of storytelling, an intoxicating epic of family rivalry, palace intrigue, love and loss, as well as a celebration of indomitable female strength in a man’s world.
#1 New York Times Bestseller — named one of the Best Books of the Year by NPR, the Washington Post, People, Time, Amazon, Entertainment Weekly, Bustle, Newsweek, the A.V. Club, Christian Science Monitor, Refinery 29, Buzzfeed, Paste, Audible, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Thrillist, NYPL, Self, Real Simple, Goodreads, Boston Globe, Electric Literature, BookPage, the Guardian, Book Riot, Seattle Times, and Business Insider.
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Phenomenal storytelling!
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Perdita Weeks. A masterful performance.
It’s a beautifully written, epic story, written like a memoir of Circe, that spans centuries and takes place in the mythological world of ancient greek gods and heroes. Madeline Miller makes the adventures of the main character thrilling and emotional, both through excellent storytelling and better character building.
Yet my favorite aspect of this book was how relatable I found the main character. The emotions and desires of the god and witch Circe felt as relevant to me as those of 21st century characters. You don’t need to enjoy Greek mythology to like this.
This is the kind of book you can’t stop thinking about and want to read slowly, to dwell in, to pick up again and again to re-read sentences because they are so beautiful and so powerful. Add it to your to-read pile – it’s definitely my book of the year so far and it’s hard to imagine anything bettering it in the next couple of months.
This is one of those books I highly anticipated … and it blew all of my expectations out of the water! It’s captivating and ridiculously hard to put down. Definitely a great summer read for those hot, lazy days!
I love mythology and this new take on Circe and Odysseus is a must-read. It has magic, gods, epic Greek heroes and told with a feminist view.
“You do not know what I can do.”
Madeline Miller has again skillfully and gorgeously provided readers with a broadened perspective of a character from Homer’s works of Greek literature. This time, a minor side character: Circe, goddess of magic. Ms. Miller was a genius with imagining the relationships and chain of events that led to Circe’s infamous feast where she waved her wand and transformed her guests into pigs. In Ms. Miller’s perspective, Circe was not an unprovoked villain. She was a woman who had simply had enough. From childhood to adulthood, she was a female who was consistently underestimated. After a particular episode of abuse, she finally let her nonthreatening exterior work to her advantage and allowed her magic-filled rage to soar. It’s what every woman dreams of.
Circe shows its heroine grow from a passive child to a passionate and dangerous woman as all the best women are. Her character is developed to be strong, independent, hard-working, nurturing, and deeply protective. My favorite role she is given in this novel is that of motherhood.
“When he was a child I used to make lists of all the things I would do to keep him safe. It was not much of a game, because the answer was always the same. Anything.”
I absolutely loved this book and am in awe of Madeline Miller and her respectful talent. The writing is stunning, deeply palpable, and enables women everywhere to do whatever it takes. If you feel isolated, embrace your solitude and take that time to grow. If you feel invisible, strengthen your skills until your confidence makes you impossible to ignore. If you feel underestimated, shake the world and give them something to talk about. Read it!
Circe
A novel by Madeline Miller
Golden, immortal Circe, daughter of the Titan Helios and the Naiad Perse, was first of her kind and beloved of few. Born with the witching power, her song is one of sadness. Reviled by her mother, chastised by her father and rejected by her siblings because she is different, she chafes under their lash.
In striking back at an enemy, her power becomes known, and it strikes fear in the heart of mighty Zeus, King of the Gods. Her punishment comes swiftly; solitary exile to the island of Aiaiaia. Isolated from all that she has known, she will hone her craft and become the witch who can seduce Gods and men. Or turn them into pigs.
Homer would have loved this tale. It suits my tastes too. In my misspent youth, I devoured The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Aeniad and all the stories and lore of Greco-Roman Mythology. If you are of similar inclination “Circe” will sing to you. Highly recommended.
My thanks to Hachette Book Group and NetGalley who provided the ARC on which I have based this review.
Wondrous. The nymph/witch Circe is given a voice, and oh my goodness, what she has to say about the gods of Olympus!
I love Greek myths, and one of my favorites is the journey of Odysseus. Circe was always an intriguing figure in that tale, and this book wonderfully brings her to life. She’s a nymph, and her mother doesn’t deem her attractive enough so scorns her, and her father, the sun god Helios–a Titan–tolerates her, but that’s all. Circe knows she’s not like the other gods. She cares about mortals, and they don’t. They even send them hardships, knowing then frail humans will increase their prayers and offerings hoping to please or appease them. Circe doesn’t find her strengths until she’s banned to a small island after angering her father and Zeus. I enjoyed watching her learn and perfect her witch skills there and become more independent, more sure of herself, until even the gods feared her. This book shows a smart woman grow into herself and learn to cope with whatever is thrown at her. I’m so glad my daughter recommended it to me. It’s a book I won’t forget.
To read a book by an author who is as one with her subject matter as is Madeline Miller can be wondrous in itself. I was at times almost overcome with admiration for the keen drawing of characters and biting dialogue. I did falter in the second half of the book due to the relentless casual savagery, but it’s necessary to the authentic telling of mythology, and this book is very, very authentic. The overall question of whether immortality is truly living builds at a pace that is both satisfying and unsettling. The shaping of Circe’s character, from her earliest childhood of emotional abuse by both parents and siblings, is a message eerily unchanged for our times. That determination to find one’s strengths among the scars, to make peace with those scars, to make peace with the fact that we can’t always rise above them–a rocky journey to which so many will relate.
I absolutely loved this original, beautifully written novel. Unique, fabulous point of view, searing and lovely language. I highly recommend.
Although her Titan father, Sea Nymph mother, and gifted siblings misuse and treat Circe poorly, she possesses something they undervalue and never understand. In truth, hers is something one doesn’t often see in the ancient Greek patheos – Circe has empathy.
Madeline Miller tells the story of (and pre- and post-dating) Homer’s historic Iliad and Odyssey through the tight lense of Circe’s experiences. She was a rejected child, longing for acceptance. A spurned lover and creator of a monster. An example and sacrifice to appease a god’s wrath. A would-be jailer and avenger of wrongs. A tamer of wild beasts. A protective mother. A healer. A witch.
None undervalued her worth more than Circe herself, but she grew into an understanding of her own nature which eluded others from Mt. Olympus. With such poetic lines as “Those who fight against prophecy only draw it closer…” the story spans lifetimes of mortality and the unchangeability of immortality. Many of the discrepancies between Circe’s first person account of her existence and those told by contemporary bards are explained thus: Men must be made more heroic in their retellings, and the best way to do so is to show their prowess at cowing and conquering women. But Circe’s a woman with a mind and body of her own, and magic to back up her wishes. In all, Miller’s adaptation of this Greek myth brings a warmth to the otherwise chiseled-from-marble image of antiquity.
Expertly crafted. Riveting from start to finish.
I liken this to Percy Jackson for adult women in this character-driven mythical story that explores the journey of independence, loneliness, love, and finding meaning in life. It’s an easy read with a strong female POV. Four solid stars!
Madeline Miller brings an immortal mythological character to life, makes her more human than humans, shows us her compassion, inner conflicts and personal growth. You can’t help falling a little bit in love with Circe. Beautiful book.
Before I read Circe, I knew very little about her from Greek mythology. I knew the Game of Thrones character based on her and assumed that Circe the goddess was a hardened femme fatale with supernatural gifts.
But I like to think that between the lines of any mythology written by men was hidden the exact story told to us in Circe. I think I’ll now be imagining the goddess as nuanced as she is within these pages and not the two-dimensional villain she might be on her Wikipedia page.
There isn’t a word in this book that is out of place or unnecessary. It’s a beautiful piece of literature from beginning to end. I think everyone should read this book, and I dare them not to be entranced by both the story and the sentences.
I find myself thinking of this book still weeks after I finished it.
If you like Mythology then this is the book for you! It’s all there, many vengeful, cruel, adulteress Gods and one good one amongst them. Circe’s tale is worth knowing.
This is the best re-interpretation of Homer I’ve ever read or experienced, including my beloved “Brother Where Art Thou.” Circe is so real, so flawed and so admirable. The monsters (especially Scylla) were terrifying, as were the gods – Athena makes your blood run cold. I re-read the end twice, in tears, because it was that perfect. Madeline Miller is a wonder and a miracle – I will read every book she ever writes!
For fans of Greek myth, this is a wonderful journey. Look at the world of the gods and heroes through the eyes of a unique woman. Circe is immortal and divine but not very powerful or confident — and something of an outcast among her own kind: the titans, nymphs, and gods of Olympus. That puts her in a unique position and makes for a compelling tale.