Circe

I remember absolutely loving Madeline Miller's previous mythological novel, The Song Of Achilles, when I read it way back in 2012, so I had high hopes for Circe - such high hopes that I decided to wait for some of the launch fanfare to fade so that I wouldn't be unfairly starting this novel with overly high expectations. Unfortunately, in setting it aside, I allowed my Circe ebook to vanish into the depths of my ereader so it's only now, some three years after buying it, that I've actually rediscovered and got around to reading the story. Oops!

I didn't find Circe captured my heart in the same way that The Song Of Achilles did and I don't know how much of that was down to the book itself and how much was my moods at the time of reading each of them. Circe is still a brilliantly told story though and I loved learning about this woman's whole life story. I had only glimpsed her before through reading The Odyssey by Homer and The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood. Indeed, I still remembered Circe and her island, Aiaia, dismissed as a whorehouse with Circe as the madam in The Penelopiad so to see how those women's stories linked in Miller's work was fascinating and it felt satisfyingly plausible.

I don't know my Greek mythology very well so I can't comment on how closely Miller's novel retells the original myth of Circe, but I enjoyed the depth of detail she is given in this account. We get a rounded out picture of Circe, the woman, and can understand how her bizarre childhood led to her adult indiosyncracies. I particularly appreciated how Miller kept aspects of ancient deities' lives that don't sit well with modern sensibilities, yet still managed to portray Circe as a woman who makes sense to present-day readers.

The first sixth is dreadful. Keep reading, give it a chance: it gets better. I promise.

I almost ditched it during that first part. It’s all about the gods, who are a tedious, shallow, capricious bunch of pricks without the slightest hint of self-awareness or intelligence. Republicans, basically. Circe, the narrator, is born of them and spends her youth in such an environment. Given the ratings of this book we have to trust that she becomes interesting, but the signs of that in this first part of the book are faint; the dullness of the deities so heavy that I was constantly tempted to just give up. Two friends convinced me to keep trying, and I’m thankful to them.

She (Circe) does become interesting. She grows; develops a moral sense; learns regret, honor, decency, humility. Eventually she associates with other insightful and worthwhile characters (not Odysseus) (that’s not a spoiler. Nobody who’s read the Odyssey could imagine Odysseus being worthwhile). How and who and why, I’ll leave for you to discover.

Three and a half stars, not a full four, because the first sixth is so annoying and because, really, gods and immortals just aren’t that engaging. I know it’s the material Miller had to work with, and yes she wove the best she could out of it, but still, it’s hard to make life out of caricatures.

If you love Greek mythology there's no way you'll be missing Madeline Miller's Circe, which tells the story of the witch from The Odyssey. You may know her best for turning men into pigs, but this wonderful novel is much more than that. It's her origin story and her side of events, which don't always tally up with what you might know.

Daughter of the sun god Helios and nymph Perses, young Circe shows compassion to Prometheus when he is punished, yet the competition for attention between her sisters leads her to jealousy. She learns how to use herbs to make potions, taking the forbidden flowers which bloom in the blood of the Titans, to transform people and things. She may be immortal but she still can have tantrums, and the combination of her temper and her abilities results in her being banished from her father's court.

I loved how many origin stories this combined, not just how Circe ended up on that island with the power of transfiguration but also how her extended family fit into myth. Scylla is a sea monster responsible for many a sailor's death but she was also once Circe's sister. Another sibling went on to marry King Minos and give birth to a beast, half man half bull. You know where that story is going... Actually Madeline writes many of the monsters with a sympathetic edge and the heroes in not such a shining light.

The lost poem Telegony is expanded upon, telling the tragic tale of Odysseus's two sons Telemachus and Telegonus. A prophecy foretells that Odysseus will be killed by his son and Athena gets involved, trying to kill Telegonus before he can do any harm. Circe tries to hide him from the goddess as best as he can but he wishes to leave and find his father.

I just adored this. Circe is lonely but strong and her story feels like it spans generations, whilst she remains the same. Ah, the curse of immortality! If you loved The Song of Achilles, I'm pretty sure this book is already on your radar, I'm just here to say yes, do buy it, you won't be disappointed.

Review copy provided by publisher.