Circe is so beautifully written. I bought the hardback and then the audio and now the digital version, which will help when I touch an unfamiliar word. Miller's prose is beautiful and poignant -I found some sentences so mesmerizing and succinct, I (horrors) turned down a page or two! Her story of bravery found through years of subjugation is awe-inspiring and life-affirming. I immediately purchased Song of Achilles and am now reading (and loving) that one too. Recommending it to everyone.

Circe by Madeline Miller. (I wrote about this on my other blog in April. I'm just copying and pasting instead of writing another review)

It was wonderful! Beautiful prose and a fascinating look at myths and gods from the point of view of Circe, daughter of Helios, who drove his chariot of the sun across the sky each day. Circe (unloved child, nymph, sorceress, witch) exiled to her island tells her version of the gods and heroes and monsters she knew.

Circe has a depth that the other, more powerful gods lack. She has the ability of introspection; she makes mistakes and regrets them. She resents the power of both the Titans and the Olympians and stands against them as best she can.

Her first rebellion was a kindness to Prometheus when--as a timid child--she brought him nectar in secret. Prometheus, the god who aided mortals, is aided by the young Circe; a theme develops.

A few excerpts...

At one point, Circe speaks of her beautiful loom, a gift from Daedalus, innovator and craftsman:

"I have it still. It sits near my hearth and has even found its way into the songs. Perhaps that is no surprise, Poets like such symmetries: Witch Circe skilled at spinning spells and threads alike, at weaving charms and cloths. Who am I to spoil an easy hexameter?"

She recalls a song she has heard of her meeting with Odysseus: "I was not surprised by the portrait of myself: the proud witch undone before the hero's sword, kneeling and begging for mercy. Humbling women seems to be a chief pastime of poets. As if there can be no story unless we crawl and weep."

Later, in a conversation with Penelope, Penelope tells Circe: "I am from Sparta. We know about old soldiers there. The trembling hands, the startling from sleep. The man who spills his wine every time the trumpets blow." I like that passage because I never thought of the Greek warriors suffering from PTSD, but of course they did.
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Madeline Miller's Circe is one of my favorite retellings of ancient myths. I love the way different authors interpret the stories: telling the tales from one POV or another, adhering to the original or expanding and enhancing incidents, and sometimes, changing outcomes entirely.

There are also some other wonderful retellings available: The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood and Weight by Jeanette Winterson are also great examples of modern mythic retellings; these are much shorter, condensed, but powerful. Antigo Nick is a campy, amusing modern translation of Antigone by Anne Carson.

Read in April. Blog post scheduled for June 26.

NetGalley/Little, Brown

Historical Fiction/Myth. July 10, 2018. Print length: 400 pages.

4.5 stars. Madeline Miller has the most gorgeous way with words. From the moment I started reading, I was spellbound. This was definitely an odder book than The Song of Achilles because it dealt so directly with the gods and with their peculiarities- not aging and the passage of time amongst them. So that was a little hard to wrap my head around. But from the beginning I loved Circe herself. Such a dynamic, strong-willed character with hidden depths. I loved the mythological stories and persons woven throughout her tale. And I especially enjoyed the second half of the book once she was on her island- the daily life, the animals, the herbs. There were some surprises for me with the characters and I thought they were well done. She is such a master as drafting three dimensional people. And Ms. Miller somehow manages to write the perfect ending, again. It left me very satisfied and wanting to dive back into her words. I'm not sure if I loved it as much as TSOA but it stands very well on its own merits. I can't wait to see what she writes next, I'll read anything!

My favorite line (which I dogeared my book for, WORTH IT): "But in a solitary life, there are rare moments when another soul dips near yours, as stars once a year brush the earth. Such a constellation was he to me."

When I read The Song of Achilles, I remember being distinctly underwhelmed by it. Don’t get me wrong – I absolutely loved it and I rated it highly (four stars). But after all the hype surrounding it I had expected to have my mind absolutely blown and it just…wasn’t. This was pretty much my reaction to reading Circe. I loved what it did with Circe’s story, but I loved it a very normal amount.

Praise to Miller’s writing skill, first off. Like The Song of Achilles, Circe is very much a slow-moving, character driven novel (even more so than Achilles, actually, which was heavily focused on the war with Troy). There is not too much that happens here given that Circe is exiled to a remote island, and much of what does happen happens off-screen, with Circe being told of it by various other characters. Despite this, I wasn’t bothered by the pacing at all, and at no point did I find the book slow or boring. I spent a lot of time simply digesting and enjoying the writing, the various turns of phrases Miller uses that inspire admiration. She is such a skilled writer and I would honestly read pretty much anything she writes just to engage with how she weaves words together.

So, ultimately, the biggest disappointment – or perhaps a better way to phrase this would be unmatched expectations – was the character of Circe herself. As it turns out not very much is known about Circe from existing literature; she mostly features as a background character in others’ stories. However, the Circe I had envisioned was a completely different woman than the Circe Miller created, who was tame, passive, lovelorn, rather pathetic at times, with little to none of the ruthlessness that I would imagine Circe might have developed. I’m conflicted about how I feel about this – I think that if I hadn’t had such specific expectations I would not have been disappointed with Circe’s character, which is ultimately a study in a kind person remaining kind despite eons of cruelty. I just found myself wanting more from Circe.

I will say that, outside of my own expectations, Circe’s character arc is excellent, truly one of the best character arcs I have ever read. Circe starts out as a young, naive, and insecure nymph who grows into a confident, surefooted, and intelligent woman. She never undergoes a complete personality shift, but she hardens more, recognizes what it is she wants and who exactly she is. It is by discovering herself and honing her abilities as a witch that Circe finds strength. She also struggles with the loneliness of her immortality, and I think Miller did a fantastic job portraying the ennui and despair that can accompany immortality. The conclusion to Circe’s arc is so fitting and so satisfying; it ties together her abilities as a witch, her newfound strength of self, and her dissatisfaction with her divinity so, so beautifully.

"When I was born, the name for what I was did not exist."

I feel like I'm alone in that I actually enjoyed The Song of Achilles more than Circe. Perhaps it's because of how unique of a story it was, and when done right, and in the correct context, I absolutely adore romances. Especially tragic ones.

Anyway, Circe is a bit different. This book is a lot of things. It’s the origin story of the witch Circe (you know her from the Odyssey, where she was casually turning men into pigs for disrespecting her), but it is also a story of growth, motherhood, betrayal, and redemption. While in the Odyssey she is essentially just a plot device, here, she is given an entire story. We follow Circe from her childhood as lesser nymph in Oceanus, longing for love and acceptance. We discover the events that led to her eventual exile on the isle of Aeaea, and how she came into her power as a witch. Circe’s story is woven together with other familiar tales, including the Minotaur, Madea, and Daedalus, and while Odysseus makes an appearance as well, this story is Circe’s, and hers alone.

Circe’s character is the force that drives this book, and it is certainly a force to be reckoned with. While Circe does become a powerful witch that does some terrible, awful things, Miller does an excellent job of humanizing her. She is a relatable, flawed, and complex character who shows us time and time again that even in the face of magic, fate, and crazy Greek gods, you are the only one who can decide who you are and what you can become.

If you enjoy reading about crazy Greek gods, complex heroines, witches, or magic, you won’t want to miss this book.

Gods and monsters, heroes and mortals. I've always loved the stories of the Greeks, from Homer to Edith Hamilton to Mary Renault. Madeline Miller joined the list several years ago with her novel The Song of Achilles, and now casts a spell with Circe (Little Brown, digital galley). You may remember Circe as the sorceress who seduced Odysseus and turned his sailors into pigs, but Miller gives us her own epic story so  she becomes a woman for the ages. The neglected daughter of the god of the sun, Helios, young Circe displays little aptitude at being a nymph among many. But when she turns her rival Scylla into a sea monster, Zeus banishes Circe to an island where she hones her skill as a witch, using herbs to heal and taming wild animals. Prometheus, Medea, Odysseus, and the Minotaur all play a part, but Circe is the glittering but sympathetic star. You go, girl!

Meditative and melodic, CIRCE is such a great exploration of character. If you've ever wondered what happened to Greek gods behind-the-scenes, their motivations and lives, this is the book for you.

I received an advanced copy of this title via NetGalley for an honest review.
I was spellbound. There was not a single moment where I was not intricately entwined in the tale. I’ve heard some of the names, even learned some of the old tales, but this surpassed my expectations. As in her first novel, Miller effortlessly entrances the reader with her ability to make an old tale new again. Circe is not as widely known as some of the others but she will be made even more so with this book.

Circe is a beautifully written book about the journey of a woman finding herself and her place in the middle of a cruel world.  Despite some lagging, I was captivated from the start to the finish. It was not an easy tale to read, despite having minimum bloodshed and war. It lives up to my expectations, even fulfilled more than what I hoped for. If you are looking for an action-packed tale or tale of wickedness, this book is not for you. But if you are looking for a book with amazing character development and reflection, about incredible woman finding her power and her fate, this book is for you.

Loved this strong female voice. I'm not well versed in stories from Greek mythology, and Circe was a character unfamiliar to me, but this made me want to learn more about lesser know Greek deities like her.

I’m not sure that a novel or a writer as accomplished as this needs help from a lowly blogger to carve its niche into smart, popular fiction. Madeline Miller reimagines the story of Circe from her point-of-view and makes a fascinating adventure of it.

Most of us grow up with the abbreviated version of ancient myths. The stories of the gods and goddesses, and the mortals who crossed them, can often be distilled into a sentence or two. Prometheus stole fire from Mount Olympus and was punished for eternity. Icarus was too arrogant about his waxwings and it was his undoing. Some of us encountered longer tales of war and wisdom in epics like Iliad and Odyssey. Miller’s novel Circe is more like these epics in scope but is vastly different in its tone, and its narrator.

Circe is the daughter of Helios, the Titan god of the sun, and Perse, a nymph. In the Homeric stories, she is a witch, punished for her jealous behavior by being banished to a deserted island. In her years there, she used her wiles to coax big cats to be her pets. She grew useful, magical herbs, and she provided a haven for sailors, including Odysseus.


Circe Invidiosa, John William Waterhouse, 1892.
In this novel, Circe is a much deeper, and more complicated character. The reader meets her as a child and sees her grow up in the halls of Zeus. She nurses the wounds of Prometheus and watches the gods enjoy their nightly feasts. Not really belonging in either world, she contents herself by being a watchful shadow.

Far beyond his shoulder, my father’s chariot was slipping into the sea. In their dusty palace rooms, astronomers were even now tracking its sunset glory, hoping their calculations would hold. Their bony knees trembled, thinking of the headman’s axe. ~Pg. 1398

When Circe finally gains the attention of Glaucus, and fellow nymph Scylla steals him away, she retaliated by turning her into a six-headed monster doomed to attack wayward sailors. For this, Circe is exiled to the island of Aiaia. It is here that she truly comes into her own.

Readers that were scared off by the length or style of the ancient Greek texts should know this book is incredibly accessible. Told in Circe’s voice, the tone is straightforward, yet loses none of the mystical aspects of a mythological story. At the halfway point, her tone turns from youthful and joyful to dark and vengeful. I was at first thrown off-balance. I then realized Miller had done so deliberately because of a crucial turning in Circe’s story. Miller has written more than a novel; she has drawn a psychological sketch of a previously minor character in the mythological panoply.

Last year I read Madeline Miller's The Song of Achilles and loved it. So I was pretty sure going into this one that I was going to love it too. And you know what? Madeline Miller didn't let me down because this book was absolutely golden!

I've always love Greek mythology and any book that involves the Greek gods is sure to a favorite of mine. That said, few authors can do Greek mythology the way Miller does. Not only does she retell a story, but she builds it from the ground up before your eyes.

The world she weaves before us seems both old and new. It's an ancient background with characters that are millennia old, and it was so vivid and real and new and just plain good! Miller has a way of taking these larger than life characters that we've all grown up hearing about and somehow makes them human. It was what she did with Achilles in The Song of Achilles and it's what she does here again.

I've always have said that I prefer character-driven stories, and this is the epitome of that.

The character of Circe has always been an interesting one. Her story, her background, her motives for the things she does in The Odessey, everything. Here we get to have all of that explained in a way that is engaging and intriguing. Even though we all know the general parts of her story I was dying to find out more.

As a character in this novel, Circe is extremely complex and amazingly well developed. Same goes for all the other characters in the story. From the gods to the mortals, to all the other beings in between. The relationships here were also beautifully done. Not just the romantic ones, which were far less prominent here than in The Song of Achilles, but the family relationships as well.

Truly, everything was amazing. There is a simplicity to the way that Miller writes them that perfectly highlights the complexity of the individuals involved.

Overall, this was the book that I needed to break me out of this reading slump I was getting myself into. More so, it was the book the world needed in order to finally see this wonderful character and her journey from the eyes of a woman. All through history man has told Circe's story. She was the witch who turned men into pigs and was yet another obstacle in Odysseus' journey and nothing more. Finally, we get to see the woman behind the myth and all the things that had gotten her to that point.

I cannot wait to see what other characters of mythology Miller decides to focus on next. Hopefully, it doesn't take her seven years though!

**I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.**

In her follow-up to her 2011 novel The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller continues to play in the world of Greek mythology, this time with the goddess Circe, best known as the witch who turns men into pigs in Homer’s Odyssey. Circe, the daughter of Helios, a Titan, and a water nymph, never feels at home in her father’s halls. She is mocked for her strange voice and lack of beauty and power by her family, and finds herself drawn to mortals rather than engage with the vain and petty gods in her midst. Circe unlocks her true power when transforms the mortal boy she loves into a god. When her latent powers are made known, she is exiled to the island Aiaia. In her exile, she begins to practice pharmakeia, witchcraft using herbs and other elements to create powerful spells. As she masters her powers, she also begins to find strength in herself.

Circe briefly leaves Aiaia when she is summoned to Crete by her sister to aid in the birth of the monstrous Minotaur. While at Knossos, she meets her niece, Ariadne, and the inventor Daedalus. After returning to exile, Circe is more keenly aware of her loneliness and throws herself into working her magic. Circe does have the odd visitor. Her sometime lover Hermes comes to tell tales of the outside world, and Circe’s other niece, Medea, seeks her out after fleeing her kingdom with Jason. Ships of mortal men find their way to her island as well. A brutal betrayal causes an enraged Circe to transform her transgressors into pigs. Enter Odysseus and his crew. If you know your mythology, you already know how everything plays out. However, in Miller’s hands, the story feels fresh and remains utterly compelling.

Circe is a complex and sympathetic heroine. Her struggles to find her voice and wield her power are both ancient and completely of the moment. Circe may be about a goddess, but it has a lot to say about being a woman (and about men’s fear of women with power). Miller’s vivid, evocative writing brings the Greek gods and monsters to life in a unique and fantastic way. An epic read, indeed. Readers who enjoy stories about women’s lives, literary fiction, and fantasy fiction will all find something worthwhile here.

Oh, this was good. Circe is the perfect book to pick up if you want to get lost in Greek mythology, herblore, magic, monsters, and adventure. Miller's writing is a wonderful blend of style that echoes the likes of Juliet Marillier and Robin Hobb. It's a voice I've only dreamt of reading and it's as beautiful as I thought it would be.

I loved this book so much that Circe just became on of my all-time favourite characters. She is complex and very human, she is kind and fierce, and she is humble and strong. Circe is one of the best examples of the type of women we need to see more often in literature. She's neither a Mary Sue or an Anti-Sue and this depth in her character is what makes her endearing and relatable.

Miller explores multiple themes in the span of thousands of years in her storytelling with Circe. There are themes within themes and it's probably impossible to cover them all. Some readers may not like this, because there are many characters to keep up with and there's a slow quality to Miller's narrative. I personally enjoy slow, immersive books and Circe's world was so vividly written that I didn't want to leave it.

Another thing I loved about this book was that no matter how much time Miller spent on one arc or another, she got her point across in a way that is more show and tell, leaving a heartfelt mark on its reader.

Everything about this book is best experienced as you read it and I've purposely tried to be as vague as I could so you can just jump in and see where the book takes you.

I was so excited when I saw this book — I absolutely love Greek mythology, the Odyssey is one of my favourite books of all time, and I was fascinated to read about Circe, who has only been presented as a minor character in Greek myth.
And I wasn’t disappointed.
Miller did an amazing job of bringing this goddess to life, to telling her story in an empowering way, and even to staying true to the myths. I love taking a character from myth or history and presenting them with a backstory and motivations and seeing where that all leads.
The book has the richness and history of someone who understands Greek myth–the story is peppered with details that add to this authenticity and enhance its scope. There are some lovely descriptions and writing.
But, most of all, there is Circe, the witch from the Odyssey who turns men into swine. We get to understand how she got there, her childhood and history, her point of view of events. We get to see this amazing woman grow and become formidable, all entwined with Classical Greek themes of gods and mortals, fate and choices, and being a hero versus living a long, quiet life.
If you love Greek myth or strong heroines, I highly recommend this book.

No matter what else you might think about them no one knows how to do drama like the gods and goddesses of Greek mythology. And no one knows how to translate this drama for the modern mind like Madeline Miller. In her last novel, Song of Achilles, she gave the god famous as a warrior, a softer side. Now she is back with Circe, the story of the daughter of Helios (the sun god) and Perse, a water nymph whose father is Oceanos. She and her three siblings are the first, and only, of the gods who possess powers through the use of materials from the natural world-a gift called pharmaka, or, witchcraft. After Circe uses a potion against another nymph, she is banished from her father's kingdom. She spends her life alone on an island, expanding her powers until the time when a king from Ithaca lands on her shores. It's Odysseus, on his way home after fighting in Troy for ten years. What is supposed to be a brief stop to repair his ship turns into a year that, in the best Greek fashion impacts both the lives of gods and mortals for generations.


To say that there are layers upon layers upon layers to Circe is an understatement. But what makes the novel so marvelous is that Miller is the perfect guide. You don't need a background in Greek mythology. You don't need to know who Athena, Hermes, Jason, Oceanos, and Aeëtes are because she shows you, with all the skill of a seasoned storyteller. She takes everything that makes Greek mythology so difficult to wade through-the labyrinthine tangle of familial relationships, the battle between Titans and Olympians (Titans are the new kids and Olympians are the old guard), the myriad of slights, snub, hurt feelings, and pranks that clutter every god's life, and makes it not only understandable, but riveting. These are gods, and as such they do whatever they want, whenever they want. Lesser gods and humans are pawns in their games. They are immortal and so

It is only Circe, alone on her island, who is interested in mortals, who cares about them. Maybe because from the time she was an infant her parents considered her to be only a small step up from a human. It is only when her power begins to manifest itself-through work on her part, unlike the gifts of the gods which require no effort-that she is recognized. But even then, it is as a dangerous creature who must be kept apart from the world of both mortals and immortals. The few encounters she has with each are unpleasant and force her to use her potions and spells to protect herself. When Odysseus shows up, she has gained wisdom and control of her actions, but she still falls prey to the oldest of emotions: love.

Despite a captivating cast of hundreds in Circe Miller keeps the spotlight firmly on Circe. Even with Odysseus, it is her story, her perceptions that matter. She may love, but she never loses herself to a man-mortal or god. Even when she is judged from birth as being inordinately ugly, scrawny, meek, and with an unpleasant voice, she acts when she needs to. It may be with the impulsive viciousness of a teenager-as when she turns the beautiful (but kind of slutty) Scylla from a rival into a hideous sea hag with six heads sprouting from her neck and twelve legs hanging from her belly-but hundreds of years later when she is more mature, she has grown into grace and compassion. She may have been banished to a remote island, but time and again, the world comes to her, forcing her to play a part in the lives of gods and men.

Miller is not restrained or struck down by the infinite complexities of Greek mythology. They may be immortal, capable of feats that form the very crux of existence on earth, from pulling the sun across the sky to creating the tides and setting the seasons, but Circe's pull is because of the humanity Miller infuses into the novel. Circe is only a minor deity, largely ignored by her own kind until she crosses them, but she breathes with the full spectrum of mortal emotions, making the novel brilliant reading. Miller is a literary witch and with the spell of Circe she binds readers to the page, unable to look away, transformed by the tale.

“All this while, I have been a weaver without wool, a ship without the sea. Yet now look where I sail.”



I was not expecting the intensity of enjoyment I would find in this title. Completely blown away.

This novel had one of those ‘mic drop’ endings that was so beautiful and powerful that I just sat for a moment, staring into nothingness--just in total awe of this author’s skill with storytelling. This will without-a-doubt be one of my favorite reads of 2018.

Circe centers around the tale of Circe, daughter of Helios and one of the first witches in historical story telling. After some brief family drama and an incident where Circe uses her powers to do evil and harm to another, Circe is exiled to a remote island to live out eternity in solitude. On this island she discovers more about her powers than she ever thought possible, while also discovering much about her own soul and desires.

But this story isn’t just about Circe. Miller weaves in the stories of other immortals and mortals alike, as they cross paths with Circe’s destiny. Since Circe is immortal, this novel spans a timeline of hundreds of years, creating a tale of epic proportions (while including characters along the way from other historically famous epics). Circe goes through a multitude of experiences on the pages of this novel. She experiences love, betrayal, heartbreak, and loss–all while being a cast-away on her exiled prison.

“I had no right to claim him, I knew it. But in a solitary life, there are rare moments when another soul dips near yours, as stars once a year brush the earth. Such a constellation was he to me.”

*Swoons*

Miller’s writing is lyrical and powerful, without being flowery and exhaustive. And she has provided an empathetic and soulful connection to these well-known stories in Greek mythology that I have never seen an author create before. I already knew the outcome for many of the characters in this story, but the originals were always told with such a matter-of-fact-ness and without any touches of emotion, that I have never truly felt a connection with any of the characters. But in Circe, I felt such intense emotions for several of the characters’ stories– feelings that I never knew for those characters before Miller’s writing. This novel is an ART. Plain and simple. Retellings are a hard thing to do, and even harder to do it right–with the historical respect for the originals, but with enough grace and talent to create something entirely unique in itself.

Madeline Miller is an artist.



“Only that: we are here. This is what it means to swim in the tide, to walk the earth and feel it touch your feet. This is what it means to be alive.”

**Also–While reading this novel, there were one or two quick mentions of Achilles and his lover, Patroclus. I knew that Miller also had a previously released novel titled The Song of Achilles, so I did a little quick digging to see the synopsis and reviews for that novel and– holy cow, guys– this author has won me over. That title takes the historically speculated and debated relationship of Achilles and Patroclus and repaints it into Miller’s rendition of Achilles’ story as a person and a gay man in love– making his character the priority instead of his battles and achievements– which I am SO thrilled to read! I will be pre-ordering a hardcopy of Circe, and also ordering The Song of Achilles, because I am just so in love with her writing.



Thank you to Madeline Miller and Little, Brown, & Co. for providing me with a DRC of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Circe by Madeline Miller is verdant reading. Feminist. Enrapturing. Captivating in its weaving. Anyone familiar with Greek Mythology would know her basic story. A badass witch who turned men into pigs. In Madeline Miller's chimerical retelling, readers old and new to the myths (i.e. Odyssey, Argonauts, Medea) will find themselves introduced to a much different facade of the Titan Helios' nymph daughter.

More humanistic in spirit than goddess, Circe is burdened with features and a beingness that falls short of the divinity surrounding her. Awkward, belittled, abused and eventually exiled, Miller's Circe manages a remarkable, powerful, dirt-under-your-fingernails, sweat it out kind of growing. One that has us rooting for this relatable woman to survive, succeed, be deeply cherished and truly loved before the pages run out.

Miller's rhythmic and beautifully told narrative is expansive and richly detailed as we follow Circe's experiences in a cadence of highs and lows. Some lows more vile and atrocious than others. Though her #MeToo moment gives us pause to consider what it takes to endure and recover from the things she has had to suffer through, when at times there seemed to be no end in sight.

Note to all the survivors out there: To the brave and awe-inspiring women and men moving through their experiences with strength and grace, Circe, the goddess-nymph-witch with eternal life, took millennia. We, in time stride, endeavor to heal, find peace and take our power back- stronger for having been through what we have been through- all in under a lifetime.

Humanity's resilience is one of the things that stupefy the gods. It's probably right up there with monogamous relationships and refusing the comes-with-strings gifts offered by some flashy Olympian god or goddess. Also incomprehensible to, more specifically, Circe's kin, is the idea of "To each his own." They're a bit of a judgemental, drama-dripping, catty lot.

Circe by Madeline Miller will be, without a doubt, one of the most beautifully crafted, rewarding and satisfying reads we can ask for this year. Maybe even in this one lifetime? With so many books TBR in order to add another gem to the list though, I can't help but be lured by the idea of an age or two extension if, say, a pretty docile Hyperion with flexible motives popped around?

Lots of food for thought with this one. Lots. It's not just a pretty face...with goddess strange eyes we'd rather not look straight at and a voice we'd rather not hear. It is Circe. And Madeline Miller has given her back to us, more relatable, more approachable, more Divine in it's anti-divinity, as Circe shows us what it takes to be better at being human.

Billions of ⭐ and one of my top reads of all time.

Thank you to Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

WHEN I WAS BORN, THE NAME FOR WHAT I WAS DID NOT EXIST.
Where do I even begin? This was one of the most amazing, beautiful, intricate, captivating books I have had the pleasure of reading in my entire life. I have been a bookworm since I was barely walking, and yet this book, this gorgeous retelling, has impacted me so profoundly that I genuinely do not know if I will ever be entirely the same.

circesm

IT IS A COMMON SAYING THAT WOMEN ARE DELICATE CREATURES—FLOWERS, EGGS, ANYTHING THAT MAY BE CRUSHED IN A MOMENT’S CARELESSNESS. IF I HAD EVER BELIEVED IT, I NO LONGER DID.
As a child, I loved Greek mythology, and though I lost some of that knowledge through recent years, when I heard that this story was releasing, I knew I just had to read it. I thought it was going to be the story from Circe’s point of view, but ultimately, I expected it to revolve around Odysseus; I had no idea that I was in for such a treat, though, as he is only a small portion of the immortal Circe’s life. This isn’t a retelling, it’s an origin story, a history, a tale of centuries’ worth of loves and losses, griefs and triumphs.

THE THOUGHT WAS THIS: THAT ALL MY LIFE HAD BEEN MURK AND DEPTHS, BUT I WAS NOT A PART OF THAT DARK WATER. I WAS A CREATURE WITHIN IT.
From the very start, we see that Circe is so vastly set apart from her fellow gods and goddesses; as a nymph with the reedy voice of a mortal, she is told she is wholly useless, but it’s evident from the beginning that she is this brilliant, clever, strong woman: a force to be reckoned with in every way. I knew I would love her, but I couldn’t have predicted how fast or hard I would find myself rooting for her to succeed.

BUT OF COURSE I COULD NOT DIE. I WOULD LIVE ON, THROUGH EACH SCALDING MOMENT TO THE NEXT. THIS IS THE GRIEF THAT MAKES OUR KIND CHOOSE TO BE STONES AND TREES RATHER THAN FLESH.
Of course, Circe’s exile on the isle of Aiaia is bound to be an unhappy story, and that’s a common thread throughout Circe: you always know something miserable or painful is on its way, but the moments in between those travesties, and the ways Circe handles the hand of cards life has dealt her, makes it so incredibly worth the ache. Perhaps the greatest thing about watching her struggle is how much relatability it lends to her character; despite being a goddess, an immortal, and a witch, Circe at her core is a spurned woman who has lived too long under the heels of spiteful, power-hungry men, and a wicked society that values beauty over strength.

BUT IN A SOLITARY LIFE, THERE ARE RARE MOMENTS WHEN ANOTHER SOUL DIPS NEAR YOURS, AS STARS ONCE A YEAR BRUSH THE EARTH. SUCH A CONSTELLATION WAS HE TO ME.
Of course, Circe’s tale is not entirely a desolate one, but her joys are often her curses, as she loves mortals and sees in them the same potential that cursed Prometheus to his rock. Throughout her life, we get to see relationships come and go, and I was enthralled by how incredibly sex-positive and sure of herself she remains. Rather than selling herself away to the highest bidder, Circe’s primary focus is to never let her pursuit of pleasures and companionship win out over her need to be her own person.

“IT IS NOT FAIR,” I SAID. “I CANNOT BEAR IT.”
“THOSE ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS,” MY GRANDMOTHER SAID.
It was so enjoyable to watch the different characters cycle in and out of her memories, whether it was Daedalus and his loom, or Hermes and his messages and antics, or—of course—Odysseus, who we saw in a much more realistic light, as Circe portrayed an image of him that was far less heroic or noble than many of the legends would have one believe. There are even mentions of Patroclus and Achilles, and what became of them, though I was pleased to find that prior knowledge of The Song of Achilles was not at all necessary to fully enjoy this book.

I WOULD LOOK AT HIM AND FEEL A LOVE SO SHARP IT SEEMED MY FLESH LAY OPEN. I MADE A LIST OF ALL THE THINGS I WOULD DO FOR HIM. SCALD OFF MY SKIN. TEAR OUT MY EYES. WALK MY FEET TO BONES, IF ONLY HE WOULD BE HAPPY AND WELL.
Of all the things Madeline’s writing had to offer me, though, the one that meant the most to me was wholly unexpected: the perfect, beautiful depiction of motherhood through Circe’s relationship with her son. As a mother to a wild little boy of my own, I related to so many of her thoughts and fears, but most of all, to the utter authenticity of the love she describes for him. It consumes her entirely—for better or for worse—and her need to protect him holds such ferocity that she worries it will destroy her at times. Many of the thoughts she held for him gave me chills or brought tears to my eye, and throughout it all, I just kept thinking that I had never felt like motherhood had been so perfectly described as it is in this book.

YOU THREW ME TO THE CROWS, BUT IT TURNS OUT I PREFER THEM TO YOU.
Truly, I could gush for days, but I’m going to cut myself off here and just ask you to please, please pick up a copy of this beautiful book. I sound like a broken record, but it meant so much to me, and has earned such a warm place in my heart that I know I will reread it over and over in the coming years. Whether you are a mother, or a lover of Greek mythology, or just a bookworm looking for a story that will capture you so wholly, you’ll never want to leave its embrace—this book is flawless, utter perfection, and I cannot possibly recommend it highly enough.

All quotes come from an unfinished ARC and may not match the finished release. Thank you to Little, Brown and Company for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

“When I was born, the name for what I was did not exist.”

This is the pièce de résistance I’ve been searching for my entire life. Not only did I fall in love with this story, I predict that this will be the best book I’ll read all year. This book is about healing and doing what it takes to come into your own. This book is about love; the love between lovers, the love of a mother, and the love you must find in yourself. This book proves why family of choice will always be greater than family of origin. This book is about magic, and how we can find it in ourselves if we look hard enough. This is a book about becoming the witch you’ve always buried deep inside you.

“They do not care if you are good. They barely care if you are wicked. The only thing that makes them listen is power.”

Okay, maybe I should start this review off with a somewhat personal story. I was very privileged to go a very good high school where I was able to study The Iliad and The Odyssey for a class my freshman year. And fourteen-year-old Melanie fell in love. To say I was obsessed was an understatement, and more and more my heart was filled with love for Odysseus, Athena, and a certain love affair with the witch-goddess Circe.

Even upon finishing that class, I still couldn’t get enough of Homer’s words. And to this day, The Iliad and The Odyssey are the only books that I collect many editions of. All my loved ones and family correlate these epic poems with me, and always bring me new editions from their travels, and give me gifts for special events and holidays the same way they do with Harry Potter. One of the most prized possession I own is an edition of The Odyssey that was given to me by someone who meant a lot to me, at a very important time in my life. And these two tomes will always be a big part of my identity, and I will always recognize that they not only shaped me as a reader, but they shaped me as a human being, too.

So, when I found out that that Greek mythology retelling queen, Madeline Miller, was writing a book centered around Circe, I knew it was going to end up being one of my favorite books of all time. And it ended up being everything I wanted and more. I hate to throw around the word masterpiece, but if I had to pick a book to give that title to, I’d pick Circe.

“Odysseus, son of Laertes, the great traveler, prince of wiles and tricks and a thousand ways. He showed me his scars, and in return he let me pretend that I had none.”

And even though Odysseus plays a huge role in this story, this book is Circe’s and Circe’s alone. We get to see her growing up in Oceanus, with her Titan sun god father Helios, and loveless nymph mother Perse, and her three more ambitious siblings, Aeëtes, Pasiphaë, and Perses. We get to see her living her life of solitude, exiled on the island of Aiaia. We also get to see her make a few very important trips, that are very monumental in Greek mythos. But we get to see all of Circe, the broken parts, the healing parts, and the complete parts. We get to see her love, her loss, her discovery, her resolve, and her determination. We get to see her question what it means to be immortal, what it means to be a nymph in a world ruled by gods, and what it means to just live. Her journey is unlike anything I’ve ever read before, and probably unlike anything I will ever read again. I have no combination of words to express how much her life and her story means to me. But I promise, I’m not the same person I was before reading this book.

“…All my life had been murk and depths, but I was not a part of that dark water. I was a creature within it.”

This is ultimately a story about how different the tales will always be told for a man. And how the ballads will always be sung for heroes, not heroines, even if a woman was truly behind all the success the man greedily reaped. How the light will always fall to vilify the woman and showcase her as a witch that needs to be tamed, a sorceress that needs to be subdued, or an enchantress that needs to be defeated. Women, no matter how much agency they carve out in any male dominated world, will always be a means to an end to further the achievements of man. Always. And Circe displays that at the forefront of this story.

Circe is most well known for turning Odysseus’s men into pigs when they come to her island in The Odyssey, but Madeline Miller does such a wonderful job weaving all this Greek mythology into a fully fleshed out, brand-new tale. She has created something so unique, yet so breathtakingly good, I think so many readers will find it impossible to put this new-spin of a story down. I was completely captivated and enthralled from the very first line to the very last line. This book just feels so authentic, I felt like I was in the ocean, on the island, and traveling right beside Circe throughout. And I never wanted to leave her side.

“It was their favorite bitter joke: those who fight against prophecy only draw it more tightly around their throats.”

Overall, I understand that this is a book that is very targeted to me and my likes. Not only is this a character driven story, with a main protagonist being a character I’ve been in love with for over a decade, but the writing was lyrical perfection. I’m such a quote reader, and I swear I would have highlighted this entire book. This book is also so beautifully feminist that it makes me weep just thinking about the things Circe had to endure. And it showcases the unconditional love of found families, yet also between a mother and her child, while simultaneously abolishing the notion that blood is worth more than anything else in any world. This book heavily emphasizes that you will never be the mistakes that your parents have committed. The entire story is a love letter to love itself and reveals all the things we are willing to do in the name of it. And most importantly, this is a book about how we are truly only ever in charge of our own stories, even though our actions may change the fate for others around us. Please, pick this masterpiece up, and I hope it changes your life, too.

Thank you, Madeline Miller, I will carry your Circe in my heart for the rest of my life.

“That is one thing gods and mortals share: when we are young, we think ourselves the first to have each feeling in the world.”

Trigger/Content Warnings: Violence, gore, murder, torture, physical abuse, child abuse, thoughts of suicide, brief scene with cutting, graphic childbirth scenes, mention of bestiality, mention of incest, animal sacrifice, death of a sibling, death of a child, death of a loved one, death of an animal, rape, adultery, and war themes.