Applemcg reviewed Circe: A Novel by Madeline Miller
Review of 'Circe' on 'LibraryThing'
4 stars
Somewhere on applemcg.github.io/reading
English language
Circe
4 stars
(283 reviews)
Circe is a 2018 novel by American writer Madeline Miller. Set during the Greek Heroic Age, it is an adaptation of various Greek myths, most notably the Odyssey, as told from the perspective of the witch Circe. The novel explores Circe's origin story and narrates Circe's encounters with mythological figures such as Hermes, the Minotaur, Jason, and Medea, and ultimately her romance with Odysseus and her son by him, Telegonus.
anka.trini reviewed Circe: A Novel by Madeline Miller
Review of 'Circe' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
3.5 stars
A bit disappointing considering the amount of hype the book has gotten.
SharonC reviewed Circe: A Novel by Madeline Miller
Review of 'Circe' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
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.
Marcus reviewed Circe: A Novel by Madeline Miller
Review of 'Circe' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
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.
Andy reviewed Circe: A Novel by Madeline Miller
Review of 'Circe' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Not my normal read, but a very well written and enjoyable story.
B. Zelkovich reviewed Circe: A Novel by Madeline Miller
Review of 'Circe' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
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.
georgewhatup reviewed Circe: A Novel by Madeline Miller
Review of 'Circe' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
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.
Sergeant Cat reviewed Circe: A Novel by Madeline Miller
Review of 'Circe' on 'GoodReads'
5 stars
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.
loppear reviewed Circe: A Novel by Madeline Miller
Review of 'Circe' on Goodreads
4 stars
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?
TimMason reviewed Circe: A Novel by Madeline Miller
Review of 'Circe' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I've been interested in witches for quite a long time. In the space between Norman Cohn (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe%27s_Inner_Demons) and Margaret Murray (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Murray), between Robert Muchembled (www.persee.fr/doc/assr_0335-5985_1994_num_86_1_1443_t1_0297_0000_3) and Carlo Ginzburg (www.persee.fr/doc/ahess_0395-2649_1995_num_50_1_279357_t1_0183_0000_000) there's room for the imaginary to weave a pretty rich tapestry. Madeline Miller's Circe is a weaver, playing her cloth upon a magical loom, a love-gift from Daedelus. Miller herself weaves deftly, slipping Circe's thread in and out of the tapestry of the Greek myths and legends. A minor goddess, Circe becomes the first and most powerful of witches.
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.
AJ Kerrigan reviewed Circe: A Novel by Madeline Miller
Review of 'Circe' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
This book is a beautifully written treasure.
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.
What a ride.
wdhertog reviewed Circe: A Novel by Madeline Miller
Review of 'Circe' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Wat een briljante hervertelling van alle mythen rond Circe. En je gaat er zo anders van naar de oude Griekse mythes kijken. Heel interessant.
Sharyl reviewed Circe: A Novel by Madeline Miller
Review of 'Circe' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
This was a constantly intriguing read, never a dull moment. The way Madeline Miller breathes life into this mythology, fleshing out Circe to be a character I came to understand and sympathize with, is impressive. Of course, Circe is not the only mythological character to be transformed from figment to reality in this creative, enjoyable read.
In school, I had a Latin teacher who regaled us with ancient myths, something we all enjoyed, and not just because it was time away from translating. This novel brought some of that pleasure back to me, plus more.
Bravo!
Maika reviewed Circe: A Novel by Madeline Miller
Review of 'Circe' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
This is rather reductionist of me, but also perhaps the most succinct way to describe this book: Remember how Wicked told the tale of The Wizard of Oz from the perspective of the Wicked Witch of the West? Circe tells story of The Odyssey from the perspective of Circe, one of classical mythology’s original witches. This was a ferociously readable and wonderfully vivid story. Like so many people, I’ve long found mythology and folklore to be fascinating subjects for myriad reasons. But I’ll freely confess that I sometimes find the classics on the dry side and certainly on the sexist/misogynistic side. Miller’s Circe is none of those things. It’s so satisfying to get to know powerful Circe herself – not as an enchantress featuring briefly in the life of Greek hero Odysseus, but as a fully-formed individual, who we first meet during her divine, but still no-less-awkward childhood and follow …
This is rather reductionist of me, but also perhaps the most succinct way to describe this book: Remember how Wicked told the tale of The Wizard of Oz from the perspective of the Wicked Witch of the West? Circe tells story of The Odyssey from the perspective of Circe, one of classical mythology’s original witches. This was a ferociously readable and wonderfully vivid story. Like so many people, I’ve long found mythology and folklore to be fascinating subjects for myriad reasons. But I’ll freely confess that I sometimes find the classics on the dry side and certainly on the sexist/misogynistic side. Miller’s Circe is none of those things. It’s so satisfying to get to know powerful Circe herself – not as an enchantress featuring briefly in the life of Greek hero Odysseus, but as a fully-formed individual, who we first meet during her divine, but still no-less-awkward childhood and follow as she grows to become perhaps the most powerful – and entirely self-taught – hedge witch of her time.
nicknicknicknick reviewed Circe: A Novel by Madeline Miller
Review of 'Circe' on Goodreads
5 stars
1) "My father's gaze was far away. As if he were looking through sea and earth, all the way to Colchis. It might have been some trick of the hearth-fire, but I thought the light of his face flickered.
'Shall I give you a demonstration?' My brother drew out from his robes a small pot with a wax seal. He broke the seal and touched his finger to the liquid inside. I smelled something sharp and green, with a brackish edge.
He pressed his thumb to my face and spoke a word, too low for me to hear. My skin began to itch, and then, like a taper snuffed out, the pain was gone. When I put my hand to my cheek I felt only smoothness, and a faint sheen as if from oil.
'A good trick, is it not?' Aeëtes said.
My father did not answer. He sat strangely …
1) "My father's gaze was far away. As if he were looking through sea and earth, all the way to Colchis. It might have been some trick of the hearth-fire, but I thought the light of his face flickered.
'Shall I give you a demonstration?' My brother drew out from his robes a small pot with a wax seal. He broke the seal and touched his finger to the liquid inside. I smelled something sharp and green, with a brackish edge.
He pressed his thumb to my face and spoke a word, too low for me to hear. My skin began to itch, and then, like a taper snuffed out, the pain was gone. When I put my hand to my cheek I felt only smoothness, and a faint sheen as if from oil.
'A good trick, is it not?' Aeëtes said.
My father did not answer. He sat strangely dumb. I felt struck dumb myself. The power of healing another's flesh belonged only to the greatest gods, not to such as us.
My brother smiled, as if he could hear my thoughts. 'And that is the least of my powers. They are drawn from the earth itself, and so are not bound by the normal laws of divinity.' He let the words hang a moment in the air. 'I understand of course that you can make no judgments now. You must take counsel. But you should know that I would be happy to give Zeus a more...impressive demonstration.'
A look flashed in his eyes, like teeth in a wolf's mouth.
My father's words came slowly. That same numbness still masked his face. I understood with an odd jold. He is afraid.
'I must take counsel, as you say. This is...new. Until it is decided, you will remain in these halls. Both of you.'
'I expected no less,' Aeëtes said. He inclined his head and turned to go. I followed, skin prickling with the rush of my thoughts, and a breathless, rearing hope. The myrrh-wood doors shut behind us, and we stood in the hall. Aeëtes' face was calm, as if he had not just performed a miracle and silenced our father. I had a thousand questions ready to tumble out, but he spoke first.
'What have you been doing all this while? You took forever. I was beginning to think you weren't a pharmakis after all.'
It was not a word I knew. It was not a word anyone knew, then.
'Pharmakis,' I said.
Witch."
2) "Let me say what sorcery is not: it is not divine power, which comes with a thought and a blink. It must be made and worked, planned and searched out, dug up, dried, chopped and ground, cooked, spoken over, and sung. Even after all that, it can fail, as gods do not. If my herbs are not fresh enough, if my attention falters, if my will is weak, the draughts go stale and rancid in my hands."
3) "Brides, nyphs were called, but that is not really how the world saw us. We were an endless feast laid out upon a table, beautiful and renewing. And so very bad at getting away.
The rails of my sty cracked with age and use. From time to time the wood buckled and a pig escaped. Most often, he would throw himself from the cliffs. The seabirds were grateful; they seemed to come from half the world away to feast on the plump bones. I would stand watching as they stripped the fat and sinew. The small pink scrap of tail-skin dangled from one of their beaks like a worm. If it were a man, I wondered if I would pity him. But it was not a man.
When I passed back by the pen, his friends would stare at me with pleading faces. They moaned and squealed, and pressed their snouts to the earth. We are sorry, we are sorry.
Sorry you were caught, I said. Sorry that you thought I was weak, but you were wrong.
On my bed, the lions rested their chins on my stomach. I pushed them off. I rose and walked again."
4) "I saved the cyclops for last, I cannot say why. Perhaps because I could remember Odysseus telling it so clearly.
[...]
When the creature fell at last into a stupor, he sharpened a great stake, heated it over the fire, and plunged it into his eye. The cyclops roared and thrashed but could not see to catch Odysseus and the rest of the crew. They were able to escape when he let his sheep out to graze, each man clinging to the underside of a wooly beast. The enraged monster called for help from his fellow one-eyes, but they did not come, for he cried, 'No one has blinded me! No one is escaping!' Odysseus and his crew reached the ships, and when they were safely distant, Odysseus turned back to shout across the waves, 'If you would know the man who tricked you, it is Odysseus, son of Laertes and prince of Ithaca!'
The words seemed to echo in the quiet air. Telemachus was silent, as if waiting for the sound to fade. At last he said, 'It was a bad life.'
'There are many who are unhappier.'
'No.' His vehemence startled me. 'I do not mean a bad life for him. I mean that he made life for others a misery. Why did his men go to that cave in the first place? Because he wanted more treasure. And poseidon's wrath that everyone pitied him for? He brought it on himself. Because he could not bear to leave the cyclops without taking credit for the trick.'
His words were running forward like an undammed flood.
'All those years of pain and wandering. Why? For a moment's pride. He would rather be cursed by the gods than be No one. If he had returned home after the war, the suitors would never have come. My mother's life would not have been blighted. My life. He talked so often of longing for us and home. But it was lies. When he was back on Ithaca he was never content, always looking to the horizon. Once we were his again, he wanted something else. What is that if not a bad life? Luring others to you, then turning from them?'"
