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.