Circe by Madeline Miller
Review of Circe by Madeline Miller
“They do not care if you are good. They barely care if you are wicked. The only thing that makes them listen is power.”
Circe by Madeline Miller (2018). Published by Little, Brown, and Company.
Everyone has been raving about this book for the longest time, and the time I knew when I needed to read it was when I saw my sister of all people with a copy of it. It was then I decided I needed to get my hands on a copy digitally, and so I downloaded it for twenty-one days via Libby. My library’s Libby system is awesome when you’re not looking for something that just came out. If it just came out then good luck, there’s probably going to be a hold list that lasts all the way until
Madeline Miller first came onto my radar with her novel The Song of Achilles, and once I saw that this novel got just as much attention, I knew to pay attention to her work more. And as a kid who grew up on Percy Jackson and reading all the Greek and Roman mythology I could get my hands on, these kinds of books are right up my alley.
With that being said, let’s dive into this review, shall we?
Book Blurb
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.
Content
I’m always envious of writers who work within the realm of already-established mythology. Why, you may ask? They’re already working with source material that has existed for thousands of years. They have the archetypes the character falls into, years of meticulous research to fall back upon when they need a certain tidbit. The hard part is presenting the myths in a way that is new, fun, and innovative for readers, but it’s a lot easier to work with something already existing and in the public consciousness.
And that’s what Madeline Miller has done with Circe. But instead of focus on the mainstream Olympians, she has chosen the sorceress Circe as her main character, the daughter of a nymph and Helios. In the Greek tradition, we mainly see Circe in The Odyssey. But in this novel, Miller reclaims the story of Circe and makes her into something worth remembering then just a random minor goddess. Circe goes on her own hero’s journey, one in which she discovers her true purpose and we see her love, loss, and path to reclaiming who she really is.
Miller has literally created a new tale of Circe. In the original myths, we can claim they’re slightly sexist, as Circe is depicted in a way that is either one way or the other for women. She unfortunately falls to the dark side, a witch who hinders our hero’s journey. But no longer is she merely a witch in this book. It’s a feminist tale at the end of the day and I absolutely love that about this book. Our Circe has done all of those things, but we see how she becomes this way and what led her here.
The writing in this novel is insanely good. The dialogue is sharp, the characterization of Circe and the people around her to be absolutely well-done. I couldn’t put this down and finished it pretty quickly because the pacing was solid and I didn’t find any sections where I lagged as a reader and found my focus to be slipping.
Overall Thoughts
Well done, Madeline Miller. I’ll definitely be picking up a copy of The Song of Achilles soon because I’m convinced of her talent. Women in mythology and history have always been my core focus as a wannabe historian, and I think the women in Greek mythology have not been done justice. Betrayal hardens many people’s hearts at the end of the day, and the Circe in the original myths is depicted as a lawless woman who has no bounds for her evil. And now, over a thousand years later, she has been given a story. Bravo!
