by: Madeline Miller
Circe is a slow page turner that is impossible to put down. It follows Circe from her young life in her father’s halls, surrounded by her nymph and naiad relatives and the ancient Titans.
She feels like a real, honest, living, breathing person. Madeline Miller writes her in a way that allows you to slip seamlessly into her skin and you cannot escape until the last pages are read and the book is shut.
Many heroes from ancient Greek myth make appearances and they are just as fleshed out as she is.
Circe was born without the gifts of her siblings, even her voice is different from theirs. She has the voice of a mortal. She is exiled and lives alone on an island that,while it has all the amenities possible, still leaves her alone. She learns witchcraft and unfortunately that men are not always the company she would wish for.
There’s rage, heartbreak, love gained and lost. Circe is the story of a young woman growing into her own. Gaining her own powers and learning how to use them, the constant setbacks caused by humans and gods alike.
When I closed this book my chest was heavy. I’ve never had a book make me want to cry the way this one did. And it wasn’t sadness. Circe came full circle, she fulfilled herself and that is always a beautiful thing.
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