Thursday, January 3, 2019

Circe by Madeline Miller

Narrated by Perdita Weeks
Synopsis (via Goodreads): 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.
“But in a solitary life, there are rare moments when another soul dips near yours, as stars once a year brush the earth. Such a constellation was he to me.”
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product. 

Madeline Miller has surpassed my expectations, and they were pretty high after The Song of Achilles. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book, and jumped at the opportunity to read Circe. I've always loved stories about Greek mythology, so her books have been perfect for me!

I've heard about Circe, but I wasn't really familiar with her story. I think I would confuse her and Calypso, though now I can see there is no comparison. Circe wasn't like the other gods, or even the other members of her family. She was soft-spoken, didn't draw attention to herself, and was mostly left to her own devices. She wanted to find love and be loved, though her efforts tended to backfire or not work out.

I liked watching Circe grow throughout the book, even though it took her centuries to come to the same conclusions others only have a few decades to discover. She was oblivious to the outside world and how it worked, so her exile was an eye-opening experience. Most of her knowledge came from secondhand stories, and the majority of those were embellished or lies. She lived alone, which wasn't too terrible, but her first few interactions with humans taught her their behaviors the hard way. She had to learn how to defend herself, and all of her magical abilities were self-taught.

I wasn't a fan of Odysseus in The Song of Achilles, and he didn't do himself any favors in Circe. He was a very calculating man, and despite having a family at home waiting for him, he chose to seek more glory for himself. He cost men their lives, he was cruel and at times physically abusive, and dangerously smart. He was able to think of creative ways out of unfavorable circumstances, although it rarely kept everyone alive.

I've really enjoyed listening to the audio versions of Miller's books. Frazer Douglas and Perdita Weeks were brilliant and perfect! I could listen to them all day, which is what I did with Circe. It was the book I listened to while we were driving to the new house, and even the children enjoyed the story. I have no complaints about this book, and I'm looking forward to whatever Madeline Miller writes next!

“Humbling women seems to me a chief pastime of poets. As if there can be no story unless we crawl and weep.” 


18 comments:

  1. I haven't read this one yet, but The Song of Achilles is on my TBR for this year, and if I enjoy that, I'll probably read this one as well!

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    1. Even if you don't enjoy The Song of Achilles, I would recommend reading Circe! They were completely different, though both were told beautifully. I hope you end up loving them! <3

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  2. I like Greek mythology at times and this sounds like a story I might enjoy.

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    1. You should try Circe and The Song of Achilles! I also love all of the Percy Jackson books, and I've been reading those to my son. :)

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  3. Oh yay! I am on hold for the audio of this so happy to see you liked it and the audio.

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    1. I had to wait forever for the audio from my library! I was approved for this book on NetGalley, but decided to wait for the audiobook. They chose an amazing narrator for The Song of Achilles, and I hoped Circe's narrator would be awesome -- she was! I hope you love this as much as I did. <3

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  4. I keep hearing such fantastic things about this book! I still haven't picked up anything be Madeline Miller, although I probably (definitely) should! I'm assuming that I don't need to have super detailed knowledge of the Odyssey going in? (I remember the essentials of the story but not all of the really specific details...)

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    1. Definitely! ;) I barely remember anything from The Odyssey, and it was never an issue. Madeline Miller weaves her stories in a way that's informative but also interesting. I'm positive I've learned more from her books than I did in school -- haha! They're amazing books! I hope you're able to read them soon. <3

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  5. I really need to read this at some point.

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    1. Yes! Yes! Yes! Haha -- I love her books. Circe is my favorite of the two, and you don't need to read one before the other, so I might suggest starting with it. :)

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  6. I love your little icons at the end of the review btw! :) <3

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    1. Thank you! There's a tab at the top if you want to use them! :)

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    2. I think they work better for you than for me! (I would waste way too much time choosing which ones to use!) That's so nice of you to have them available for other people though! :) <3

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    3. Of course! I'm happy to share! They'll be there if you change your mind. <3

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  7. I'm glad to hear how much you enjoyed this one. I have both Circe and The Song of Achilles on my reading list for this year and am hoping I'll love them too.

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    1. I really want you love them! <3 I liked Circe more than The Song of Achilles, but they were both wonderful. The audiobooks for both were perfect.!

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  8. I cannot wait to check this one out! Great review!!

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    1. Have you read The Song of Achilles? You don’t need to read them in order, but I was curious. :)

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― Marissa Meyer, Heartless