Circe by Madeline Miller

Narrated by Perdita Weeks

Synopsis (via Goodreads): In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child—not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power—the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.

“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.”

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product. 

Madeline Miller has surpassed my expectations, and they were pretty high after The Song of Achilles. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book, and jumped at the opportunity to read Circe. I've always loved stories about Greek mythology, so her books have been perfect for me!

I've heard about Circe, but I wasn't really familiar with her story. I think I would confuse her and Calypso, though now I can see there is no comparison. Circe wasn't like the other gods, or even the other members of her family. She was soft-spoken, didn't draw attention to herself, and was mostly left to her own devices. She wanted to find love and be loved, though her efforts tended to backfire or not work out.

I liked watching Circe grow throughout the book, even though it took her centuries to come to the same conclusions others only have a few decades to discover. She was oblivious to the outside world and how it worked, so her exile was an eye-opening experience. Most of her knowledge came from secondhand stories, and the majority of those were embellished or lies. She lived alone, which wasn't too terrible, but her first few interactions with humans taught her their behaviors the hard way. She had to learn how to defend herself, and all of her magical abilities were self-taught.

I wasn't a fan of Odysseus in The Song of Achilles, and he didn't do himself any favors in Circe. He was a very calculating man, and despite having a family at home waiting for him, he chose to seek more glory for himself. He cost men their lives, he was cruel and at times physically abusive, and dangerously smart. He was able to think of creative ways out of unfavorable circumstances, although it rarely kept everyone alive.

I've really enjoyed listening to the audio versions of Miller's books. Frazer Douglas and Perdita Weeks were brilliant and perfect! I could listen to them all day, which is what I did with Circe. It was the book I listened to while we were driving to the new house, and even the children enjoyed the story. I have no complaints about this book, and I'm looking forward to whatever Madeline Miller writes next!

“Humbling women seems to me a chief pastime of poets. As if there can be no story unless we crawl and weep.”