Fruit des amours d’un dieu et d’une mortelle, Circé la nymphe grandit parmi les divinités de l’Olympe. Mais son caractère étonne. Détonne. On la dit sorcière, parce qu’elle aime changer les choses. Plus humaine que céleste, parce qu’elle est sensible. En l’exilant sur une île déserte, comme le fut jadis Prométhée pour avoir trop aimé les hommes, ses pairs ne lui ont-ils pas plutôt rendu service ? Là, l’immortelle peut choisir qui elle est. Demi-déesse, certes, mais femme avant tout. Puissante, libre, amoureuse…
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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 …
Fruit des amours d’un dieu et d’une mortelle, Circé la nymphe grandit parmi les divinités de l’Olympe. Mais son caractère étonne. Détonne. On la dit sorcière, parce qu’elle aime changer les choses. Plus humaine que céleste, parce qu’elle est sensible. En l’exilant sur une île déserte, comme le fut jadis Prométhée pour avoir trop aimé les hommes, ses pairs ne lui ont-ils pas plutôt rendu service ? Là, l’immortelle peut choisir qui elle est. Demi-déesse, certes, mais femme avant tout. Puissante, libre, amoureuse…
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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.
3,5 estrellas.
Si te gusta la mitología, encontrarás interesante está forma de volver a contar acontecimientos desde el punto de vista interno de Circe, un personaje femenino.
Engancha, sobre todo la primera parte, pero luego pierde fuerza y se vuelve un poco aburrido para acabar con un buen final.
PEEEERO: Ojo con las expectativas. No busques un replanteamiento feminista de los mitos griegos. Aunque probablemente sea la aproximación que más lo hace hasta la fecha, pero porque partimos de algo de una época con un sesgo completamente machista, y ya sólo que la prota sea una mujer cambia todo.
Pero de ahí a situarlo como revisión feminista (he visto que hay gente que lo trata así)... creo que el problema puede ser el verse atada a lo ya contado (aunque no tengo yo mucha idea mitológica), porque la verdad creo que podría haber sido mucho más valiente despegándose del canon.
What an amazing read filled with such beautiful prose. I loved every second of the book and the journey that Madeline was able to capture on page made for one of the best books I’ve read in a while.
Circe has made a lot of mistakes on her life but also a lot of good at the same time. She had always followed her own path regardless of who she was born to and who she was with. I loved to see all her successes and failures, her strengths and her faults. It felt very real despite being about a goddess with supernatural abilities. I really loved how she was captured and how the retelling of her story really made her seem so human.
This was a beautiful book and I am glad to have read it. Definitely one of my favorites!
A modo de memorias, una deidad menor del enorme panteón griego nos cuenta su vida y aventuras, conflictos con su padre, con los dioses poderosos de verdad, con los hombres; cómo llegó a ser una hechicera temible y de dónde le vino esa afición de convertir a los hombres en gochos. La idea de recorrer buena parte de los mitos y leyendas de la Grecia clásica dando voz a un personaje secundario me parece maravillosa; la ejecución está a la altura, siendo difícil soltar el libro una vez empezado. Hermes, Atenea, Odiseo, Prometeo, Dédalo… se convierten en personajes mucho más cercanos que las listas que tuvimos que estudiar en la escuela, demostrando una vez más que la buena ficción es la mejor forma de aprender.
... but it was still really good!
(obviously all ya standard trigger warnings for greek mythology that i probably should have considered before reading it but yk)
This book is SPECTACULAR - it's hard to put down. Mythology/Greek literature has always been a bit daunting to me, but Miller is able to create a readable epic. Greek lit tends to be so male-centric, so this narration is so novel and exciting. Super vivid imagery and powerful characterizations!
I forgot how much I love reading good fiction. Many other folks said the pacing was slow, and while I agree to some extent, I think Miller used the pacing to reflect on immortality and the true length of time for one who is immortal.
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.
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.
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.