This book was requested for editorial background reading. A 5 star review was posted (and was sent to publicity at the time). See link.

If you've read Madeline Miller's Song of Achilles (and everyone should!) Then you must read Circe! This book is captivating from page one.

What an astonishing, gorgeous read. The language is so precise, so lush and the characters so fully realized and deeply felt that every page reminded me that this is a masterpiece.

I absolutely loved Miller's debut novel, The Song of Achilles, which is a retelling of Homer's Illiad. Miller had even a fresh voice and allowed me to change my perception of Achilles. Similarly in her next novel, Circe, she returns to Homer and takes a snippet of The Odyssey to give us an unique take on Circe, one of the famous witches in Greek Mythology.

Unlike Achilles, whose fighting skills and passions are renown, there is not much known about Circe except her lineage and her witchcraft which is mentioned briefly in The Odyssey. This gives Miller a lot to play around and lends the book to be more than a retelling but also a coming of age story about a complex female figure who has to fight to make her own place. Circe is the daughter of the sun god Helios and his wife Perse. Though she doesn't have characteristics or abilities of a goddess, Circe's compassion and soft heart often make her the outcast in her family. She stumbles upon her power as a sorceress by accident when she longs to make a mortal companion immortal, but it goes horribly wrong and she is banished to the island of Aeaea. Watching Circe evolve from a quivering nymph to a formidable figure is fascinating. Her isolation at Aeaea allows her to focus on herself and build her own skills in learning about herbs and potions while surrounding herself with lions and wolves as companions. Before reading Circe, I was under the impression that Circe used her witchcraft as an evil person, but this book presents her in a different light. For Circe, witchcraft is a means for survival both for physical protection (where kindness and hospitality to lost mortal men result in rape) and an identity. In fact, Circe is not deceived by Odysseus as we are told by Homer, but she is well aware of his cunning. Circe’s fascination with mortals becomes the book’s central theme. She is well aware of how men work. She makes Hermes and Odysseus her lovers, but not expecting a fairy tale romance. The birth of her son Telegonus from Odysseus and the surprised ending makes me wonder how The Odyssey would be told differently if Homer was a woman. There are different mythologies also told in the book from the creation of Scylla, Daedulus and his tragic son Icarus, the creation of the maze, and the birth of the Minotaur, but the focus and spell of Circe holds the readers attention. A definite read if you are interested in reading Greek Mythology with a feminist bent to the well told epic poems.

Man I wanted to love this book, because I absolutely loved The Song of Achilles. It just didn't interest me as much, and after about 50% it became real work to finish it. I did read it all the way through to see how it ended because I don't know Circe's story. That said, I'm already eagerly awaiting Miller's next book.

This arc was provided to me for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Solid 4.5 Stars

Madeline Miller weaved a beautiful mythology retelling of the beloved Circe. The story revolves around Circe, a nymph born of powerful parents thought to have no power of her own. That is until Circe gets older and discovers her hidden power, threatened Zeus has her banished to an island. It’s on this island that Circe meets mortals and gods alike. With an epic conclusion, it will leave you with wanting more.

There wasn’t anything about this that I did not enjoy. The characters, the plot, and some of the romance. Mythology is one genre I will eat up regardless of what you put in front of me. So if you are like me and you enjoy mythology, pick this up. It will not disappoint you!

I have seen many dislike the writing style, but I actually enjoyed it. It felt more authentic to Circe actually telling her life story. So I appreciated it.

This book was beautiful. I felt transported to Circe's world and didn't want it to end. The characters were well developed. I wish more books about antiquity were like this

This book was INCREDIBLE. Miller covers literally thousands of years in such a slim volume - they pass in a blink, giving the reader a goddess' sense of time. And Circe, she's so...relatable? She learns and grows, makes mistakes and tries to make amends, fights against fate and all the power of the gods, and it's so, so interesting to watch it all happen. Madeline Miller, please please please keep writing! :)

I absolutely love Greek Mythology, and after reading The Song of Achilles, I knew I had to pick this one up! It definitely did not disappoint! Madeline Miller definitely knows how to take the stories we all know and put her own fantastic twist on them!

'Circe' by Madeline Miller is about a character in Greek mythology who is a witch. If that sounds dull and familiar, I can tell you that this book changed my mind on those thoughts as well.

Circe is the daughter of Helios, god of the sun. She is not powerful, but she has a way with herbs and words. She uses these powers, perhaps foolishly, and ends up creating the monster Scylla. Because she is feared, she is banished by Zeus to a remote island. There she lives in solitude, tending her herbs, The various men who show up on her shore are turned in to pigs when they show their true nature at her table. One day a different man arrives. His name is Odysseus.

I was somewhat familiar with this character, but the author has a way of breathing life into the old and known. When you can come to care about a character that you thought you knew, that is the mark of a truly gifted writer. Her prose is also extremely quotable. There are some truly lovely passages in this book, like the opening line: "When I was born, the name for what I was did not exist." This was a literary journey that I loved to have been on.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Little, Brown and Company, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so very much for allowing me to read this very fine ebook.

I had loved Song of Achilles, and eagerly awaited Circe. It was definitely worth the wait! It felt a lot like Song of Achilles, but differed in ways that made it even better. This isn't a retelling of the Odyssey, per se; it follows Circe starting with her childhood. It's not until about halfway in that we meet Odysseus, though you'll meet other familiar characters along the way. The themes of how mortals and immortals interact is really interesting to explore. I absolutely LOVE that it twists the typical story of a woman without agency, and allows her to reclaim it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for providing me with an ARC.

Practically perfect in every way. The narration was flawless. The characters stayed true to their original sources, but Madeline Miller does a phenomenal job of taking someone who is barely mentioned in The Odyssey, apart from her terrible deeds, and turns her into a full-fledged, complicated immortal. The struggle between Circe’s divinity and her fondness of humanity is subtle and overt at the same time.

A relatively minor character in Homer's The Odyssey, Circe comes into her own in this story that draws on both Homer's work and Greek mythology. Miller has everything you'd expect in a story about gods and witches - terrifying power, horrifying creatures, impressive magic, and even more impressive temper tantrums. In a book that spans hundreds of years, there's a lot of action, a lot of characters to track, and you'll definitely find yourself reacquainting yourself with Greek mythology. All of the is terrific but it's the more human aspects of the story that really make the book shine.

Circe grows up the unloved, black sheep of her family who is constantly told no husband will ever have her. When she falls in love for the first time, her heart is broken. Her revenge goes terribly awry leaving her with a guilt that will not end. Left on her own, Circe, learns to care for and protect herself and turns into a serious badass. Which is a good thing, because her family is not done making her life difficult, there will be more trouble with men, and she will have to go to the ends of the earth for her child. In the end, it's her humanity that is what is most appealing about her - the heartbreak she suffers, the desire to be someone other than who she is, her love for her son, her sorrow. I seriously loved this character.

Kudos for my daughter-in-law (after almost a year, it still seems strange to say that!) for bringing this one to my attention and to NPR for bringing it to her attention some months ago. This is definitely one of my favorite books of the year. And since I'm going to have to buy a copy to pass on to my daughter-in-law, I might just read it again.

Absolutely brilliant. I'll read anything Madeline Miller writes. Song of Achilles made me a fan, Circe made me a forever fan. For Greek mythology lovers, the cameos in Circe will be a great. For those new to Greek mythology, an education. Miller brought such life to Circe. Her writing is flawless, her storytelling engulfing. I cannot wait to see what she does next.

My words are not as good as the ones in this book. Circe is a book about... finding yourself. But god, it stands out so far from just that.

Okay, to get started, I’m just going to say it: Madeline Miller is one of the best writers of our time. She has such a way with words that it is absolutely impossible not to be engaged in her storytelling.

The thing that brings this whole novel together is Circe’s character. She is a woman who has done awful, evil things, and yet remains unfailingly human. She is lonely, and harsh, and hiding herself in sarcasm much of the time. And there is not a moment in this novel in which I didn’t adore her. Madeline Miller does such an amazing job developing this character, weaving her thoughts into the narrative without manipulating you into feeling a certain way, keeping the narrative wide yet keeping it focused around Circe. Throughout this novel I developed such a deep level of admiration for both this author and this character, this character I’m sure will stay with me forever.

This novel is so interesting because at its core, it is an exploration of the voice of women in Greek mythology. Circe is a character we see nothing of in the narrative of Greek mythology, a character with seemingly evil intentions and little motivation – and all this despite showing up in several different stories. There’s something supremely excellent about seeing a character like this who is essentially a plot device be given a story. I know I have a tendency to repeat the term “narrative agency” but it beats repeating— I absolutely love giving characters who have been given no agency the agency they deserve.

I mean, everything about this book was just brilliant. I loved the myth interpretation: Penelope and Odysseus are both written perfectly, and seeing Jason basically get called an asshole while Medea stood on being young and morally grey and in love was so fantastic. And the exploration of gods vs. mortals is just brilliant:
You cannot know how frightened gods are of pain. There is nothing more foreign to them, and so nothing they ache more deeply to see.

I loved the relationships — just as a special note, the relationship between Circe and Telegonus made me want to cry. I basically loved everything.

I mean, I think you guys have gotten pretty easily why I liked this so much — a morally-grey-character-driven retelling revolving around agency is basically my entire what-I-like bio. This did all the things I like and I want to reread it daily and hourly. I very well might.

I ADORED this book. Could not put it down and was entranced. The voice, the skill with language, and of course the mythology all had me at hello. I was engaged right until the end and fell in love with the character. I was a big fan of mythology and classics in school so it was really fun to re-visit this myth and have an entirely new experience reading Miller's version. I spoke with her on my podcast and had a fantastic time going more into her process. I recommend this book with the highest praise.

Would it be of any surprise to anyone that I enjoyed this book immensely? I’ve been the biggest advocate of Madeline Miller ever since I discovered The Song of Achilles, and my great regard for her has not diminished in the slightest: Circe is a goddess’ tale of timeless resilience, and I found it an incredibly impressive endeavor.

Because to start, Circe is an inherently feminist tale, and the author does a terrific job putting you into the shoes (ahem, sandals!) of a goddess. There are highly feminist notes tackled here such as motherhood, violence against women, and the means of a woman to survive in a man-dominated world, and it was most empowering to see how flawed yet complex the women of this narrative were, such as Circe, Penelope, and Pasiphae.

Furthermore, how does one bring a sense of time or humanity to a goddess’ life? The plight of Circe easily could’ve felt irrelevant to the reader as she is an immortal being impervious to mortal harms, yet the author imbues this character with many colors of human emotions that we can relate to such as fear, longing, and loneliness, and that truly absorbed me into Circe’s impasse of feeling cursed by her eternal life.

As for my favorite part of this book, it would be by far Circe’s visit to her sister’s kingdom. It is there that not only do we see a very moving exchange between Circe and her sister, but Circe meets a certain somebody who for the first time brings a sense of hope and love to this book; it was in such scenes that I felt such terrible joy and sadness that I was moved to tears, and even now it remains burned into my mind.

Bottom line, this book was profoundly effective at delivering a sense of isolation to its reader. Circe is thirsty for purpose and belonging in her life, and the author immerses you into her torturous life of stagnancy, which contributed to a slow, cerebral burn that paid off in one of the most uplifting finales I’ve read this year.

Would it be of any surprise to anyone that I enjoyed this book immensely? I’ve been the biggest advocate of Madeline Miller ever since I discovered The Song of Achilles, and my great regard for her has not diminished in the slightest: Circe is a goddess’ tale of timeless resilience, and I found it an incredibly impressive endeavor.

Because to start, Circe is an inherently feminist tale, and the author does a terrific job putting you into the shoes (ahem, sandals!) of a goddess. There are highly feminist notes tackled here such as motherhood, violence against women, and the means of a woman to survive in a man-dominated world, and it was most empowering to see how flawed yet complex the women of this narrative were, such as Circe, Penelope, and Pasiphae.

Furthermore, how does one bring a sense of time or humanity to a goddess’ life? The plight of Circe easily could’ve felt irrelevant to the reader as she is an immortal being impervious to mortal harms, yet the author imbues this character with many colors of human emotions that we can relate to such as fear, longing, and loneliness, and that truly absorbed me into Circe’s impasse of feeling cursed by her eternal life.

As for my favorite part of this book, it would be by far Circe’s visit to her sister’s kingdom. It is there that not only do we see a very moving exchange between Circe and her sister, but Circe meets a certain somebody who for the first time brings a sense of hope and love to this book; it was in such scenes that I felt such terrible joy and sadness that I was moved to tears, and even now it remains burned into my mind.

Bottom line, this book was profoundly effective at delivering a sense of isolation to its reader. Circe is thirsty for purpose and belonging in her life, and the author immerses you into her torturous life of stagnancy, which contributed to a slow, cerebral burn that paid off in one of the most uplifting finales I’ve read this year.

This was my most anticipated book of 2018. I *loved* Song of Achilles and have been hearing early buzz about this book over the last year. It did not disappoint. This story has the same beautiful retelling of mythology, but shifting the focus to the side character of Circe. I've been recommending to everyone I know.

Growing up, I devoured as many books of Greek mythology as I could find. My copy of D’Aulaires Book Of Greek Mythology is literally falling apart due to repeated readings. Because of that, reading Circe felt like coming home. However, Miller’s stunning prose and insightful characterization elevated the familiar to the extraordinary.

As with The Song of Achilles, Miller brings her characters to vibrant life. They are not perfect, but they are perfectly flawed. Circe was such a complex character. She was strong but humble, fierce yet impetuous, and determined but lost. She was relatable at an entirely different level than most literary protagonists. Although this story has monsters, heroes, and magic, it’s ultimately about figuring out who you want to be and creating a place for yourself in the world.

While some readers may not like the slower pace of the writing, I felt liked it allowed me to truly immerse myself in the world. Miller explores a wide variety of themes in the various myths she chose to incorporate. Although they seemed a tad disjointed at first, I absolutely loved how seamlessly everything came together at the end.

Circe is one of the most beautifully written books I’ve read. If you’re looking for excellent characters, an immersive world, and remarkable prose, definitely pick this one up.