CIRCE. UNA HEROÍNA. UNA HECHICERA. UNA MUJER QUE ENCUENTRA SU PODER.
CAERÁS BAJO SU HECHIZO.
En el palacio de Helios, dios del sol y el más poderoso de los titanes, nace una niña. Pero Circe es una niña rara: carece de los poderes de su padre y de la agresiva capacidad de seducción de su madre. Cuando acude al mundo de los mortales en busca de compañía, descubre que sí posee un poder, el poder de la brujería, con el que puede transformar a sus rivales en monstruos y amenazar a los mismísimos dioses.
Temeroso, Zeus la destierra a una isla desierta, donde Circe perfecciona sus oscuras artes, doma bestias salvajes y se va topando con numerosas figuras célebres de la mitología griega: desde el Minotauro a Dédalo y su desventurado hijo Ícaro, la asesina Medea y, por supuesto, el astuto Odiseo.
Pero también la acecha el peligro, y Circe …
CIRCE. UNA HEROÍNA. UNA HECHICERA. UNA MUJER QUE ENCUENTRA SU PODER.
CAERÁS BAJO SU HECHIZO.
En el palacio de Helios, dios del sol y el más poderoso de los titanes, nace una niña. Pero Circe es una niña rara: carece de los poderes de su padre y de la agresiva capacidad de seducción de su madre. Cuando acude al mundo de los mortales en busca de compañía, descubre que sí posee un poder, el poder de la brujería, con el que puede transformar a sus rivales en monstruos y amenazar a los mismísimos dioses.
Temeroso, Zeus la destierra a una isla desierta, donde Circe perfecciona sus oscuras artes, doma bestias salvajes y se va topando con numerosas figuras célebres de la mitología griega: desde el Minotauro a Dédalo y su desventurado hijo Ícaro, la asesina Medea y, por supuesto, el astuto Odiseo.
Pero también la acecha el peligro, y Circe concita, sin saberlo, la ira tanto de los humanos como de los dioses, por lo que acaba teniendo que enfrentarse con uno de los olímpicos más imponentes y vengativos. Para proteger aquello que ama, Circe deberá hacer acopio de todas sus fuerzas y decidir, de una vez por todas, si pertenece al mundo en el que ha nacido o al mundo mortal que ha llegado a amar.
Repleta de personajes de una intensidad inolvidable, con un estilo cautivador y un suspense apasionante, "Circe" es todo un logro narrativo, una embriagadora épica de las rivalidades familiares, las intrigas palaciegas, el amor y la pérdida, así como una celebración de una fuerza femenina indómita en un mundo de hombres.
The 2-star rating here doesn't mean this is a bad book by any means. All reviews are subjective, and this is just where I am on Circe right now. I think Circe breathes fresh life into the old epics. I'm interested in reading more of Miller's work in Greek mythology. But when I look back on this book, I can't bring myself to say I "liked" it. I am not intimately familiar with Greek epics, and I feel this book would be best appreciated by those who are.
Love the great classic stories of greek mythology and really loved this retelling of Circe from the Odyssey. A strong feminist retelling seems appropriate in the era of #metoo. Of note, her performing catharsis for Medea, midwifing the Minotaur, her relationship with Odysseus, and how she stands up to the likes of Helios, her father, and the goddess Athena. I was moved by the ending that made the case for transformation and humanity.
I bumped this book to the top of my to-read list after a videogames-fueled micro-obsession with Greek mythology (shoutouts to Hades by Supergiant Games) and I couldn't have possibly chosen a better book to sate my cravings for more modern takes on said epic stories. Circe is a beautifully written, briskly paced, smartly structured retelling of a story I didn't really have much previous knowledge of, but it feels both satisfyingly mythological and powerfully timely/modern. It's a book about healing, carving a destiny of your own (relatable, but particularly difficult for divine beings in this setting!), choosing your own family and most importantly, how hard all of those things are to get right. And, thankfully, it's powerfully optimistic too. I enormously enjoyed this, couldn't put it down and find it incredibly easy to recommend. What a good book.
Wonderful prose. Circe's struggles and relationships feel real and varied--she has depth and complexity. The process of her discoveries about herself are organic and so authentic to the character that Miller has imagined.
Telemachus was a far more interesting character than I thought he would be. Odysseus did not abandon him to go to war; the tragedy was that Odysseus could not be present when he returned from the war. Fascinating insight to the ancient story.
It was interesting to read this right after a novel by a much younger and less-accomplished writer to provide some contrast and highlight what Really Good Writing does that OK writing does not.
I'm honestly not sure what to say about this book. It's well written, no question there. I adore Miller's prose for how evocative they are. But if you're looking for a repeat of heartbreak that is The Song of Achilles, you'll be a little disappointed.
Most of the characters in the beginning are horrible people. None of them really redeem themselves either. But Circe is relate-able. Particularly her themes of abandonment and isolation.
It's particularly interesting how Miller can create this piece and make us feel the sense of isolation without it feeling too boring or depressing. Was I completely captivated the entire time? No. But was it ever a question that I wouldn't finish? No.
Seeing the prose of Circe mixed with the characters and emotionality of TSOA, I really hope that Miller moves beyond just Greek works and continues to write engaging tales. She's a talented writer, and …
I'm honestly not sure what to say about this book. It's well written, no question there. I adore Miller's prose for how evocative they are. But if you're looking for a repeat of heartbreak that is The Song of Achilles, you'll be a little disappointed.
Most of the characters in the beginning are horrible people. None of them really redeem themselves either. But Circe is relate-able. Particularly her themes of abandonment and isolation.
It's particularly interesting how Miller can create this piece and make us feel the sense of isolation without it feeling too boring or depressing. Was I completely captivated the entire time? No. But was it ever a question that I wouldn't finish? No.
Seeing the prose of Circe mixed with the characters and emotionality of TSOA, I really hope that Miller moves beyond just Greek works and continues to write engaging tales. She's a talented writer, and I am eager to see what she does next.
Well, everything from Odysseus on was great. It just took a long time to get there. The ending is... open, but I don't mind it. Telemachus was my favorite, and I'm happy that Circe really did come full circle in finding and knowing herself.
Absolutely brilliant, if you like mythology even a little you will love this book.
You can tell Miller knows her topic and knows how to reinterpret it. The perfect example of someone with broad and deep knowledge of a subject being able to deconstruct what it is and present an entirely new understanding.
You'll never look at Odysseus the same again...if you had looked at him before.
Update: Still just as good after the second reading!
Original: I really enjoyed this. I don't know much of anything about Circe in mythology so I don't know how true this is to the source material but it was very well written and very engaging. It makes me want to read more European mythology.
Fun serious narrative undoing of mythology's views of parenting, immortality, war and heroes. Picks up strong to the finish about the same time Odysseus arrives in the middle, as Circe begins to act - but is that a trait of the gods or of humanity?
At the heart of the book, as one might expect, is Circe's meeting with Ulysses. It is through this meeting that Circe comes to a deeper understanding of herself, of her powers, and good and evil.
I found myself pausing to savor the writing as much as the story and characters. This book triggered the same sense of wonder I remember feeling as a kid, discovering Greek mythology through movies like Clash of the Titans, Jason & the Argonauts and Hercules.
