I want more books like this! A retelling of Greek mythology that humanizes the characters and makes the story fresh and new again.

I didn't know much about Circe. Just that she was a witch on an island who turned people into pigs and who Odysseus had to outsmart. Not that she was the daughter of a Titan, not anything about her family, not that her name meant "hawk".

I read and enjoyed "Song of Achilles" by this author (5 stars!) and this book does not disappoint. It's hard to follow up such a good first book, but Madeline Miller pulls it off with grace.

The first part of the book details Circe's supernatural origin story. It reveals how she ends up on her island. I don't know how much of this story was researched and how much of it was invented, because once you move beyond D'aulaires book of Greek Myths, you've pretty much exhausted my knowledge. At first, Circe does not feel very human. This makes sense, as she is surrounded by inhuman beings. After she spends some time on her island alone, she begins to discover who she really is and she became more human and accessible to me.

The great myths are tied in. The Minotaur's origin story,Scylla and Charybdis, Daedalus and Icarus,Jason and Medea, all make appearances here. Odysseus doesn't appear until about halfway through the book, and I didn't care because I had fallen into Circe's world.

Much of the book is a meditation on the role and use of women in ancient times and how power is wielded by both men and women. Holding onto power is a lonely thing in this book, something that keeps one from connecting and empathizing with other beings and reducing those other beings to tools. Circe is almost unique in the book because she has regrets about how she has used her power, a moral center that most other characters in the book lack. She is also willing to examine herself and her motives honestly, and this sort of introspection isn't seen as useful by most of the other people that she meets.

Because I didn't know the end of Circe's story ( just about her time with Odysseus) I didn't know if I was reading a tragedy or not until the very end. I won't spoil that here, in case anyone else is in the same boat, because it lent a poignancy to the story. I feared for Circe, because women don't generally fare well in a world that uses them as tools, and I was in suspense for the whole book. The work was very interior- Circe does a lot of introspection. The descriptions of nature were lyrical and made me wish for a trip to the Greek islands. Miller has the art of drawing the nature of a character in only a few lines, much like Homer did in his epic poetry. The supernatural beings in the book felt larger than life, frightening, and quite inhuman, as they should. I read this book as fast as I could and then wished for another from Madeline Miller, since I don't know of anyone else who can pull this off the way she can.

I absolutely loved this. If you enjoy Greek mythology, complex heroines, and a generous serving of adventure, bloodshed, betrayal, magic, and monsters - both literal and figurative - then hell, READ THIS BOOK.

To be honest, I wasn't a huge fan of Miller's The Song of Achilles when I read it a few years back. I'm not sure if that's because my tastes were different back then, or if it was just because the plot had more of a romantic focus than Circe. But, whatever the reason, I had no such problem with this book. I was absolutely captivated from start to finish.

Circe is part beautifully-written literary fantasy and part divine Greek soap opera. This strange combination makes for a book that is extremely quotable, rich in description and detail, and also a pageturner. It moves seamlessly between the broader scope of the world and its many gods and monsters, to the more narrow focus of the nymph-turned-witch, Circe, and her daily life before and after she is exiled to the island Aeaea.

Circe becomes a powerful witch, but the strength of her story is in all her relatable flaws and weaknesses. We follow her as a naive lesser nymph, longing to be accepted and loved. We stay with her as she believes the lies of others and, later, becomes hardened against such deceivers. Her compassion constantly battles with her rage. Understandably.

There is some grim satisfaction to be gained as this woman who has been bullied, belittled and trod on her entire life slowly claws out some vengeance for herself. The pain she endures along the way means that her successes are bittersweet. In the end, Circe might be full of fantasy, backstabbing and murder, but it is first and foremost the story of one woman's life - through pain, love, desire, heartache and motherhood.

Other Greek myths play out in the background - that of the Minotaur, and of Icarus, as well as many others - but it is Circe's personal tale that hits the hardest. I just hope we don't have to wait another seven years for Miller to write another novel like this.

Madeline Miller's Circe is a haunting study of a well-known, but little-explored, goddess. Neither pretty nor powerful, Circe's life is not easy in the realm of the cruel and selfish gods, but once she is forced from her father Helios' halls, she finds herself part of some of Greek mythology's most famous stories, meeting the Minotaur, Daedalus, and Odysseus. Miller's lyrical writing enhances an already magical setting, while her surprisingly relatable characterization of Circe helps to make the fantastical myths and the struggles of those entwined within them believable and urgent. Additionally, through Circe's story, Miller examines the negative effects of patriarchal society and the struggles women often face to gain and hold on to personal power and find their own path and place in the world in the face of oppression and violence. These themes naturally and subtly add additional layers to an already well-crafted and engaging story, leaving readers much to ponder and discuss. I absolutely loved this book, and I highly recommend it to fans of the classics and character-driven literary fiction.

Madeline Miller's new novel Circe was mesmerizing. I did not want to stop reading! It was unexpected, this absorption in a book about a Greek mythic figure.

I had read the Greek Myths (Robert Graves two volumes!) and Homer and Virgil--all the classics-- long ago in high school and college. I knew Circe from these tales.

But Miller's book is more than a retelling of the myths. Circe comes alive in these pages. And if, yes, the characters are Titans and Olympians and heroes, it took no trouble for my suspension of belief to accept them. Perhaps, due to the prevalence of magic and witches and superhuman power in literature and film today. But I credit Miller's amazing writing.

Circe's world holds to a tenuous peace between the powerful Titans and the upstart Olympians. These gods are vengeful and imperious, all-powerful and eternal. She is the daughter of Helios, a golden-eyed child overlooked and dismissed, her very voice offensive to the gods.

She has been fascinated by mortal humans ever since Prometheus gave them fire, earning the gods' punishment of eternal torment. Secretly, she brings the bound Prometheus a cup of nectar. Circe the dejected is also a girl of will and defiance.

She also makes many mistakes.

She discovers her gift for witchcraft, the use of herbs and will to cause transformation. She uses her power to transform the mortal man she loves. But he loves another and Circe transforms her rival into her true form--turning Scylla into a monster. The gods punish Circle by exiling her to a deserted island.

On her island, Circe spends centuries perfecting her craft with herbs, her friends the wild beasts and the occasional exiled nymph. She is visited by the gossiping Hermes who becomes her lover, and the inventive Daedelus who gifts her a magnificent loom. Later, Daedalus needs her to help him entrap her sister's monstrous child, the Minotaur.

Sailors sometimes land on her shore; she learned not to trust them and turns them into swine. Then arrives the weary Odysseus; his enemy Athena has beset his journey home from the Trojan War with cruel trials. He stays with Circe for a year, changing her life forever.

I want to read Miller's previous book The Song of Achilles! I already have it on my Kindle!

I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Even if you think you already know the story of Circe — the mighty goddess, nymph, and witch of Greek mythology — Madeline Miller’s retelling brings Circe to life in a way you haven’t experienced before.

Miller must possess some of Circe’s magic because the story of this immortal goddess who falls in love with humanity is expertly woven and reads as if it flowed effortlessly from Miller’s fingertips. Circe’s story is gripping, tragic, and an intricate portrayal of womanhood in all its glory and grace, delicacy and strength.

Circe lives alone, banished by her father Helios the sun god, on the deserted island of Aiaia. Though she grew up surrounded by thousands of gods, demi-gods, and nymphs in her father’s palace, her life has always been solitary. As a young nymph who seemingly possessed none of her father’s powers, nor her mother’s beauty, she experienced rejection and loneliness from a young age, which led her to a fascination with mortals who she more closely resembled.

But Circe is not powerless. She discovers she has a gift for the forbidden pharmakeia — the art of using herbs and flowers to craft spells. She is a witch — perhaps the most powerful to walk the earth, for she possesses the ability to turn mortals and immortals into their true selves, no matter how beautiful or monstrous that true self is. When the gods learn of her power, she is banished to Aiaia for her crimes, and it is here her life begins anew.

Away from the prying eyes of the gods, she is able to strengthen her witchcraft, call wolves and lions to her side, and help mortals in distress who land upon her shores. Through Circe’s eyes we meet some of the greats of Greek mythology: Athena, Odysseus, Daedalus, the Minotaur, and more.

In Miller’s expert hands, it is as if Circe herself invited the reader to Aiaia and offered you a seat at her hearth, with wine in your hand and a tame lion at your feet. Circe’s story unfolds with warmth, heart, and suspense. I couldn’t put it down and will be revisiting it again and again.

Circe is an epic fantasy that reads like a historical fiction novel, based on the Greek mythology of the witch of Aiaia, the daugher of a Titan- Circe.

I minored in the classics at university and one of my favorite classes was mythology. I love taking apart stories that mirror humanity's foibles and try to explain the origin of some of life's harder truths.

In the war between the Titans and the Olympians, a creation story that could be interpreted to mean the ascension of modern culture over more ancient superstitions, the Olympians triumph. But the Titans are not wiped off the face of the earth.

"Beneath the smooth, familiar face of things is another that waits to tear the world in two." loc 272, ebook.

Some of the Titans' powerful and mysterious children play central roles in the great mythological stories. Circe is one of those.

"They called me nymph, assuming I would be like my mother and aunts and cousins. Least of the lesser goddesses, our powers were so modest they could scarcely ensure our eternities. We spoke to fish and nurtured flowers, coaxed drops from the clouds or salt from the waves." loc 102, ebook.

She began her life in the halls of Helios, a Titanic deity who was a god of the sun, much like Apollo.

"At my father's feet, the whole world was made of gold. The light came from everywhere at once, his yellow skin, his lambent eyes, the bronze flashing of his hair. His flesh was as hot as a brazier, and I pressed as close as he would let me, like a lizard to noonday rocks." loc 158, ebook.

Compared to her great father and gorgeous, manipulative mother, Circe was nothing- one of the many faceless children of the greater gods, whose future was destined to be a wife and then mother to more godlings.

Circe's future is not as simple as all that.

She, and her brothers and sister, have a unique power that no other gods possess. They have the ability to harness the plants and power of the earth, to create potions and salves with miraculous effects. They call it: pharmakeia.

Modern readers can recognize the roots of the word "pharmacy" in the name.

"Pharmakeia, such arts are called, for they deal in pharmaka, those herbs with the power to work changes upon the world, both those sprung from the blood of gods, as well as those which grow common upon the earth." loc 909.

It is a power no one understands and, because of its mysteriousness, it makes even the gods afraid.

There is more to Circe's story than pharmakeia. She also interacts with Hermes, Daedalus and Odysseus. She creates a god and a monster. She shakes the foundation of the oceans.

Highly recommended for those who enjoy mythology or historical fiction. It will transport you to a world where gods and goddesses walk the earth and humanity can do nothing but tremble in their shadows.

Such a great book! You do not need to be a fan of mythology to read this book! Confession - I requested this book because I saw it on a list about "anticipated books of 2018” It did not disappoint. If anything this book dazzled!

Circe is the daughter of Helios, the god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans. Her mother, Perse, an Oceanid naiad is beautiful and captivating. Circe is born with a "strange" voice (she sounds like a mortal 0ohhhh the Horror!) and is often ridiculed by her younger siblings. Circe does not appear to have any powers but nevertheless, she is a God and lives in her father's home until she angers Zeus by transforming a nymph into a monster and a man into a creature. She is banished to live alone on an island. It is here, that she hones her true power - that of a witch! She has interactions with many characters, Hermes, the Minotaur (her sister's child), Athena, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, and Odysseus to name a few. She is caught between the world of the Gods and that of mankind.

On her island, she learns the land, befriends the animals and assists sailors - turning some into pigs if they cross her or attempt to harm her. Eventually she has a child and is willing to do anything to protect him from the world and those who would do him harm.

This book is beautifully written and very engaging. I found myself emerged in Crice's world and savored every page. Fiction and mythology blend beautifully to create a spellbinding book that does not disappoint. I'll admit, I'm not that familiar with mythology. I studied what was required in school and have a basic understanding of who is who but nothing in depth. One does not need to know much about mythology to appreciate and enjoy this book. The Author does a great job informing the reader who is who and what job they carry i.e. messenger of the gods, goddess of war, etc. Miller describes the Gods and characters brilliantly. I never felt like she was educating me on who was who. All the information flowed with the story.

As I stated this book was very well written, the story-line is engaging, intelligent and sucked me in. This book is told through Circe's POV and we get an inside glimpse into her thoughts, feelings and emotions. Circe is a very likable character and over the course of time she becomes stronger, not only in her powers, but in herself. Her confidence grows, her judgement improves, she learns some hard lessons and grows as a person/God. She may have been considered a lesser goddess, but she was a strong female character who stood on her own two feet, stood up for herself and showed great bravery where others cowered. Circe is a God, but she is not heartless or cruel. She is strong and thoughtful and very much like a human. What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to be strong? To be brave? To be a woman living in a man’s world (she kicks butt at this by the way!)?

Absolutely enjoyable and entertaining! Highly recommend!

This is a very interesting book. I did not read Song of Achilles, and I am not that knowledgeable about mythology, but nevertheless I really enjoyed reading this book. Although I am sure people conversant in mythological gods will be thrilled by this book, so will people, like me, with little knowledge on the subject. To be honest, I am tired of reading overhyped, unoriginal, poorly written "it" books.

The book is well written and original. I loved the story Circe's path from a young nymph to a wise and powerful witch. It is enchanting. Even though this is a story of gods and mortals, the themes presented by Ms. Miller are timeless: finding oneself, the love of children, the excesses of the powerful, etc. Further, Ms. Miller does an excellent job of setting the scenes of the book, from her father's palace, to Circe's island for example, or her encounters with Scylla. I highly recommend this book. I received a ARC from Netgally in exchange for this honest review.

Before reading Circe, the extent of my knowledge on Greek Mythology mostly came from what I read in the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. Since then I’ve been a huge fan, mystified by all things gods, heroes, magic and monsters. Circe not only let me dive back into that glorious world, but also gave me a whole new perspective on it.

Circe herself is an interesting character to follow, because although she is a goddess, born of the Titan god of the sun, Helios, she does not follow the stereotype of an immortal. She is not perfect, her voice is not melodious, and she has interest in and empathy for mortals. Circe starts off as a weak character, shunned and desperate for affection. We watch her make mistakes and trust those who betray her. Over the course of the novel, though, she becomes strong and admirable, not just through a gained confidence in herself, but through completing hard work and taking many risks. I think this is important to see in a book, because in so many stories we see characters growing strong overnight, but Circe shows us that it not only takes hard work and dedication, but that it may take many failures before you can get something right.

I admired the way Miller paints the gods, because she doesn’t just show them as strong and powerful, but as cruel too. This really depicts the result of too much pride and narcissism. This is a refreshing viewpoint that seems a lot more realistic of gods who have been alive for centuries. I was also very interested to see the dynamic between the gods and the titans, which I hadn’t heard much of before.

On another note, Miller’s writing style is absolutely beautiful. I fell in love with the way she wove her sentences together and found myself highlighting so many things! I am now eager to read her previous novel, The Song of Achilles, for more of this lyrical writing and excelling storytelling.

Circe is no hero’s quest typical of Greek Mythology. It is a story of pain, raw emotions both good and bad, learning, revenge, growth, and ultimately, strength. The pace of the story is a bit slower at times than what might typically be expected of Greek Mythology, but the pace suited Circe’s story well and I enjoyed every minute of it!

Disclaimer: I really really love Greek mythology.

This book was amazing. I knew I had to read it as soon as I saw the cover. The story is about Circe; sorceress, daughter of Helios, and aunt to another famous witch, Medea. Most will likely know her from the Odyssey, when Odysseus lands on her island and must rescue his men from her curses. This book is told from Circe's perspective as she learns how to hone her witchcraft. Along the way, she encounters the legends of Greek mythology. Miller fleshes out the goddess that we are given so little information about. Circe's story is one of personal growth that many can relate to (minus the flesh-eating monsters). She is strong, independent, creative, and powerful, even if it takes her some time to realize it. Miller has great command over what she has written. Overall, a great story. Song of Achilles is definitely on my to-read list. Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC.

I loved reading this book. I had forgotten how well connected Circe was in the ancient Greek myths, and how she tied together so many famous and infamous legendary characters. I also had forgotten how totally crazy the old myths (Sure, her sister had to do it with a sacred bull, but how else are we going to get a Minotaur??) The style sucked me right in and the language is both lyrical but also accessible. The only time I was pulled out was when the author describes a character as being like a "lawyer", which I found rather anachronistic. Perhaps a philosopher or a senator, or an orator would have been a better descriptive word. I'll leave it to the experts to decide. I'll be purchasing several copies for our library collection none the less.

Circe introduces us to an outcast besmirched and unwelcome in the opulent realm of the gods, disdained for her plainness and mocked for her lack of ability. She endures countless trials and tribulations but finds within herself the strength and vivacity to rise above her oppressors and would-be silencers. A beautifully rendered coming-of-age story with vivid detail, graceful prose, and a compelling and fully realized protagonist, Circe is sure to strike a chord with readers from all walks of life.

I'm definitely going to stock this at work and I plan on hand-selling it to my customers. So many of them love mythology and strong women -- especially those with strong voices -- and I can already tell this is going to be a hit.

Compelling, smart and endearing. Circe is all shades of grey and ultimately profondly human and the most badass woman in her own soft and intelligent way. I’m an Odysseus fan and Miller drew an slightly different one that worked. I enjoyed the twists and turns and the fresh eye on the myths and how Madeline Miller remixed the stories and wrote an epic to women maybe they be monsters, witches, queens or goddesses.

Another beautiful book from Madeline Miller. Her ability to give life and vitality to mythology is unparalleled.

How do I even begin to start describing how much I absolutely loved this book? I knew how popular Miller’s ‘Song of Achilles’ was, but for some reason I had never picked it up. After reading ‘Circe’, I’m definitely will have to add it to me list of things to read. Reading about the Greek myths always brings me back to my middle school days and how much I enjoyed learning their stories. When I saw that Circe herself would be using witchcraft, i knew I had to get my hands on this book immediately.

Her name is Circe, she’s the daughter of Helios, banned to an island because of what she has done. Her crime wasn’t the fact that she could cast witchcraft, or the fact that she made someone a monster and someone else immortal. Her crime was telling everyone what she did and making her father seem like a fool. As punishment, Zeus demanded she isolated to an island for all of eternity. However, just because she could never leave, didn’t mean others couldn’t come to her. So her thousand years of life are filled with wonder and stories of all who she had met and all she had cursed.

When I first started reading this book, I knew I was going to like it. The writing was beautiful and captured me from page one, and I liked Circe. I enjoyed watching her grow from the girl who wondered her fathers empty halls, looking to belong somewhere, and seeing her became this goddess who even Athena wouldn’t stand against. She had faced mortal men who thought to subdue her, gods and goddesses who thought to trick her, and finally her own divinity in the end. For some reason it wasn’t an ending I was expecting, though after I had read it, I should have known it was where her path might have lead, but I never suspected a thing.

I think that was the greatest thing about reading this book. Even though most of us know the stories about the Greek gods and while some of the stories in the book are familiar, everything felt fresh. It was purely Circe's’ story, yet it involved so many different characters and seeing them in a light that played well with the story. I can’t wait to see what Miller has up her sleeve for her next book, but I’ve become such a fan of her writing style that I honestly can’t wait.

I will read anything that Madeline Miller writes! She does not disappoint. This is a must read for fans of The Song of Achilles.

I spend so much of my time reading and zipping through books but it's truly rare when one manages to burrow under my skin the way this one did. Reading this was such a pleasure, I actually had to force myself to read in smaller bursts so I could savor it properly. I've done that maybe a handful of times ever.
This is a gorgeous book of monsters, heroes, and gods, but underneath it all, a moving bildungsroman and a master class of character study. Highly recommend for lovers of literary fiction, mythology, and upmarket fantasy.

I'm still struggling to believe this moment is actually here. It was almost exactly three years ago that I read and reviewed Madeline Miller's stunning The Song of Achilles and essentially dissolved into a puddle of shock and awe. It was difficult to summon the will to move on in the wake of such a book. The crafting of it felt almost too good for this world, as though it had been created slightly above mortal ground and continued to hover there, just above us, in its natural state. So when I got wind that Ms. Miller was working on a new novel—that not only was she shifting from The Iliad to The Odyssey, but that she was focusing the tale on Circe—it was difficult not to will Chronos to speed up time so that I could have that book in my hands. To say that it was one of—if not the—most anticipated novel of the year for me is not any kind of exaggeration.

"When I was born, the name for what I was did not exist. They called me nymph, assuming I would be like my mother and aunts and cousins. Least of the lesser goddesses, our powers were so modest they could scarcely ensure our eternities. We spoke to fish and nurtured flowers, coaxed drops from the clouds or salt from the waves. That word, nymph, paced out the length and breadth of our futures. In our language, it means not just goddess, but bride."

Circe has always been uneasy about names. The name by which the gods call her. The names by which they call themselves. Titan. Olympian. Daughter of the Sun. Nymph. Witch. The words that are permitted and those that are not. The children who are welcome at her father Helios' feet and those who are not. For much of her early life, Circe coasts under the ever-raging storm of her mother's petty schemes and her siblings' wars for dominance. Born first, but deemed least of her father's children, Circe is the butt of every joke. Pitied for her weak and scratching voice, her uncouth eyes, and her relative limpness in every way that matters to feckless deities. And yet, she never stops trying to find love and meaning and peace where there is none. Even her beloved little brother Aeëtes leaves her without a second thought when he is offered a kingdom of his own. Until one night, a turning point. Prometheus, a god himself, sentenced to be punished for his merciful gift to mortals, is hauled within their halls and whipped as a form of entertainment before he is to be chained to the rock for his crimes. Circe alone offers him drink, and their brief exchange hails the entrance of mortals into Circe's life. One act of mercy begetting many more—a long chain of actions and reactions, spooling out over the centuries and serving to outline the shape of one lone goddess' existence.

"The anger stood out plain and clean on his face. There was a sort of innocence to him, I thought. I do not mean this as the poets mean it: a virtue to be broken by the story's end, or else upheld at greatest cost. Nor do I mean that he was foolish or guileless. I mean that he was made only of himself, without the dregs that clog the rest of us. He thought and felt and acted, and all these things made a straight line. No wonder his father had been so baffled by him. He would have been always looking for the hidden meaning, the knife in the dark. But Telemachus carried his blade in the open."

Madeline Miller deals in exiles. In the paths of individuals who are sent away, forced to flee—to other realms, to underground labyrinths, to lonely isles for the rest of their days. It is a long tale Circe has to share, and one that is difficult even for her to tease out how it may have begun and how it will likely never end. In fact, so much of the tale is threaded through with the search for a reason, if any, for her existence, for a purpose that will fit the shape of her hand and feel comfortable in her grasp for as long as she cares to hold it. From the opening lines, I was lost in Circe's story. Like her, I became enamored of each fragile mortal that crossed her path. Of Glaucos as he once was, of Daedalus with his marvelous hands and his quiet presence, of Odysseus and all his clever guises. And like her, I grew more and more uncertain—at times, fearful—of how the game would play out, of whether or not she would ever find the peace, the shelter, the companionship for which she longed. Of where and when mortality and immortality may meet and whether it is possible for anything to survive. It was a long journey, filled with pain and grief and merciless beings bent on their own course and leaving swaths of lives crushed in their wake. It was also unquestionably beautiful and sensitive in its rendering. Circe is another side of the same coin that is flipped in The Song of Achilles and that we watched tumble end over end to the earth. Different, yes, and cunning in its shiftiness. But also shining and true in the same sympathetic light. I closed the book feeling a deep certainty that Madeline Miller is of the same ilk at Circe, as Penelope, as those ancient weavers of cloth, of light, of both words and worlds. And looking around me, after having walked a time in the company of these women, the fabric of this world, too, seems to hold the imprint of their sure and steady hands.

It might feel like a stretch to call this a coming of age novel, but that’s what it is. Circe is the daughter of the sun and a nymph and therefore an immortal, but she is disdained by the other immortals. Eventually her witchcraft gets her exiled to the island of Aiaia. She is involved in several prominent stories in mythology, including with Jason and Medea, the Minotaur, and most famously Odysseus. Still, this Circe is uncomfortable in her skin and largely unhappy with her lot and this is a story of figuring out one’s skills and purpose. It’s also lyrical and compelling and a fitting follow up to Miller’s first novel, The Song of Achilles. I loved it.

I lost sleep reading this book, and in my dreams I heard Circe narrating my thoughts.

Miller weaves a gorgeous tale. Forget what you think you know about Circe. She is so much more. Dense, and light. Beautifully written. I finished reading, and immediately pre-ordered a physically copy from my local bookstore just so I could revel in this world one more time. Brava!