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 …
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.
With unforgettably vivid characters, mesmerizing language and page-turning suspense, Circe is a triumph of storytelling, an intoxicating epic of family rivalry, palace intrigue, love and loss, as well as a celebration of indomitable female strength in a man’s world.
Overrated but still worth reading. There is a lot about the mythic gods in this book where it helps if u know about these gods already. Lots of family incest and rape that is apparently normal and ok among these gods that u hear the main character talk about as if its nothing, and no love among them either. Overall I didnt like any of the characters and didnt feel like I got to know the main character either, and it lacks depth, but its still worth a read and is unique in this genre and story.
Beautifully written prose. I loved the retelling and I thought the angle was interesting. Can't say I generally gush over this sort of mythology but Miller kept me engaged throughout.
A beautiful adaptation of Greek Myths and Mythology from the perspective of Circe, witch and daughter of the Titan Helios. Banished to a remote island by Zeus after her witchcraft is revealed, she turns to passing mortals from Greek mythos over 100s of years for companionship.
A beautiful adaptation of Greek Myths and Mythology from the perspective of Circe, witch and daughter of the Titan Helios. Banished to a remote island by Zeus after her witchcraft is revealed, she turns to passing mortals from Greek mythos over 100s of years for companionship.
Circe retrace l’histoire de l’incomprise Circé, amante et antagoniste d’Ulysse. Les mythes grecs donnent toujours le beau rôle aux hommes et aux dieux, mais les femmes, les déesses et les entre-deux (demi-déesses, nymphes, etc…) ont dû attendre des millénaires pour que justice leur soit rendue dans les histoires à leur sujet.
I'm not much into Greek mythology I realised. If you are, this book is certainly recomendable. The way, Circe tells her story makes all the gods, titans and nymphs more tangible.
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.
Awesome concept of narrating the Greek myths from the POV of a woman (a witch!). Makes reading Greek mythology so much more enjoyable when it's not mysoginistic af!!! Same cool concept as "The Silence of the Girls" by Pat Barker but muuuch better executed (sorry for bashing Pat). It is beautifully written and gives depth and power to women that have been dismissed for over 2000 years. Also tbh a lovely way to read about Greek mythology and I'll probably never forget the myths that Circe is involved in.
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.
