Trade paperback, 416 pages
English language
Published April 14, 2020 by Back Bay Books.
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.
Great book. If you enjoy greek mythology then you will enjoy this re-telling of some of the Greeks literature and myths from the point of view of a lesser goddess.
The original Greek myths, as they're told, are heavily male-centric, and the women in them fit one of these broad categories: damsel in distress, supplicant that intercedes for the hero, wily temptress, or unreasonable/irrational immortal. This re-telling shuns all of that, and does a wonderful job at that. It casts light on a fringe but really fascinating character in Circe, highlighting several stories that aren't include in mainstream canon. And does a good job addressing questions of power, in more ways than one.
Apart from the layer of retelling, there isn't much in this book as a standalone. The prose is lovely though. Miller does a really good job depicting Circe's stream of consciousness.
I can't decide if I liked this book better than Song of Achilles, although I definitely liked it a lot - I read it in pretty much one sitting.
Circe was a better narrator than Patroclus, although the book as a whole felt more like a series of vignettes with Circe as the constant between them. Patroclus' story felt more self contained, as it really only stayed within that single myth. Despite the lesser narrative focus, I think this let Miller develop Circe more fully and satisfyingly than Patroclus.
4.5 stars
