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New York Times Bestseller

by Madeline Miller ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 10, 2018

Miller makes Homer pertinent to women facing 21st-century monsters.

A retelling of ancient Greek lore gives exhilarating voice to a witch.

“Monsters are a boon for gods. Imagine all the prayers.” So says Circe, a sly, petulant, and finally commanding voice that narrates the entirety of Miller’s dazzling second novel. The writer returns to Homer, the wellspring that led her to an Orange Prize for The Song of Achilles (2012). This time, she dips into The Odyssey for the legend of Circe, a nymph who turns Odysseus’ crew of men into pigs. The novel, with its distinctive feminist tang, starts with the sentence: “When I was born, the name for what I was did not exist.” Readers will relish following the puzzle of this unpromising daughter of the sun god Helios and his wife, Perse, who had negligible use for their child. It takes banishment to the island Aeaea for Circe to sense her calling as a sorceress: “I will not be like a bird bred in a cage, I thought, too dull to fly even when the door stands open. I stepped into those woods and my life began.” This lonely, scorned figure learns herbs and potions, surrounds herself with lions, and, in a heart-stopping chapter, outwits the monster Scylla to propel Daedalus and his boat to safety. She makes lovers of Hermes and then two mortal men. She midwifes the birth of the Minotaur on Crete and performs her own C-section. And as she grows in power, she muses that “not even Odysseus could talk his way past [her] witchcraft. He had talked his way past the witch instead.” Circe’s fascination with mortals becomes the book’s marrow and delivers its thrilling ending. All the while, the supernatural sits intriguingly alongside “the tonic of ordinary things.” A few passages coil toward melodrama, and one inelegant line after a rape seems jarringly modern, but the spell holds fast. Expect Miller’s readership to mushroom like one of Circe’s spells.

Pub Date: April 10, 2018

ISBN: 978-0-316-55634-7

Page Count: 400

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018

LITERARY FICTION | HISTORICAL FICTION

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THE NIGHTINGALE

by Kristin Hannah ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 3, 2015

Still, a respectful and absorbing page-turner.

Hannah’s new novel is an homage to the extraordinary courage and endurance of Frenchwomen during World War II.

In 1995, an elderly unnamed widow is moving into an Oregon nursing home on the urging of her controlling son, Julien, a surgeon. This trajectory is interrupted when she receives an invitation to return to France to attend a ceremony honoring  passeurs : people who aided the escape of others during the war. Cut to spring, 1940: Viann has said goodbye to husband Antoine, who's off to hold the Maginot line against invading Germans. She returns to tending her small farm, Le Jardin, in the Loire Valley, teaching at the local school and coping with daughter Sophie’s adolescent rebellion. Soon, that world is upended: The Germans march into Paris and refugees flee south, overrunning Viann’s land. Her long-estranged younger sister, Isabelle, who has been kicked out of multiple convent schools, is sent to Le Jardin by Julien, their father in Paris, a drunken, decidedly unpaternal Great War veteran. As the depredations increase in the occupied zone—food rationing, systematic looting, and the billeting of a German officer, Capt. Beck, at Le Jardin—Isabelle’s outspokenness is a liability. She joins the Resistance, volunteering for dangerous duty: shepherding downed Allied airmen across the  Pyrenees to Spain. Code-named the Nightingale, Isabelle will rescue many before she's captured. Meanwhile, Viann’s journey from passive to active resistance is less dramatic but no less wrenching. Hannah vividly demonstrates how the Nazis, through starvation, intimidation and barbarity both casual and calculated, demoralized the French, engineering a community collapse that enabled the deportations and deaths of more than 70,000 Jews. Hannah’s proven storytelling skills are ideally suited to depicting such cataclysmic events, but her tendency to sentimentalize undermines the gravitas of this tale.

Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-312-57722-3

Page Count: 448

Publisher: St. Martin's

Review Posted Online: Nov. 19, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2014

HISTORICAL FICTION | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP

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by Kristin Hannah

BOOK TO SCREEN

THINGS FALL APART

by Chinua Achebe ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 23, 1958

This book sings with the terrible silence of dead civilizations in which once there was valor.

Written with quiet dignity that builds to a climax of tragic force, this book about the dissolution of an African tribe, its traditions, and values, represents a welcome departure from the familiar "Me, white brother" genre.

Written by a Nigerian African trained in missionary schools, this novel tells quietly the story of a brave man, Okonkwo, whose life has absolute validity in terms of his culture, and who exercises his prerogative as a warrior, father, and husband with unflinching single mindedness. But into the complex Nigerian village filters the teachings of strangers, teachings so alien to the tribe, that resistance is impossible. One must distinguish a force to be able to oppose it, and to most, the talk of Christian salvation is no more than the babbling of incoherent children. Still, with his guns and persistence, the white man, amoeba-like, gradually absorbs the native culture and in despair, Okonkwo, unable to withstand the corrosion of what he, alone, understands to be the life force of his people, hangs himself. In the formlessness of the dying culture, it is the missionary who takes note of the event, reminding himself to give Okonkwo's gesture a line or two in his work, The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger .

Pub Date: Jan. 23, 1958

ISBN: 0385474547

Page Count: 207

Publisher: McDowell, Obolensky

Review Posted Online: April 23, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1958

LITERARY FICTION

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by Chinua Achebe

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Book Reviews

'circe' gives the witch of the odyssey a new life.

Annalisa Quinn

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"Later, years later, I would hear a song made of our meeting," says the hero of Madeleine Miller's Circe , of her romance with the mortal Odysseus. Circe is referring to Homer's version of the story, in which Odysseus arrives on her island sea-battered and mourning for his men killed by the cruel Laestrygonians. Circe entraps his remaining men and turns them into pigs. But Odysseus, with the help of the god Hermes, tricks Circe and makes her beg for mercy before becoming her lover.

"I was not surprised by the portrait of myself," Circe says, "the proud witch undone before the hero's sword, kneeling and begging for mercy. Humbling women seems to me a chief pastime for poets. As if there can be no story unless we crawl and weep."

Miller's lush, gold-lit novel — told from the perspective of the witch whose name in Greek has echoes of a hawk and a weaver's shuttle -- paints another picture: of a fierce goddess who, yes, turns men into pigs, but only because they deserve it.

Though most of Circe's fame derives from her short encounter with Odysseus in Book 10 of the Odyssey, Miller's novel covers a longer and more complex life: her lonely childhood among the gods, her first encounter with mortals, who "looked weak as mushroom gills" next to the "vivid and glowing" divinities, the awakening of her powers, and finally, the men who wash up on her shores, souring her trust with their cruelty.

'Women & Power' Links Today's Trolls With Ancient Ancestors

In 'ODY-C,' A Greek Hero Worthy Of Women

Circe is a nymph, daughter of the sun god Helios, banished to the island of Aiaia for using magic to turn a romantic rival into the monster Scylla. Alone, she begins to hone her craft. "For a hundred generations, I have walked the world, drowsy and dull, idle and at my ease," she thinks. "Then I learned I could bend the world to my will, as a bow is bent for an arrow. I would have done that toil a thousand times to keep such power in my hands. I thought: this is how Zeus felt when he first lifted the thunderbolt."

A classics teacher, Miller is clearly on intimate terms with the Greek poem. The character of Circe only occupies a few dozen lines of it, but Miller extracts worlds of meaning from Homer's short phrases. For instance, Homer cryptically describes Circe as having a "human voice," leading centuries of readers to wonder: What is a divine voice? Do the gods have a language? Miller makes Circe's human voice the beginning of a (fraught, because inherently temporary) kinship with mortals that is one of the novel's loveliest strains.

But my favorite of Miller's small recalibrations is less lofty: It has to do with Circe's hairdo. In Homer, Circe is identified with her "lovely braids." The usual scholarly gloss on this is that the braids signal not only beauty, but also exoticism, because Eastern goddesses wore their hair in braids. But in Circe , the braids come about in the first moments of the goddess's magical awakening, when she begins roaming the island to find ingredients for her spells: "I learned to braid my hair back, so it would not catch on every twig, and how to tie my skirts at the knee to keep the burrs off." It's a small detail, but it's the difference between a person of independence and skill, and some male dream of danger, foreignness, and sex, lounging with parted lips while she watches the horizon for ships.

"We are not afraid of telling over and over again how a man comes to fall in love with a woman and be wedded to her, or else be fatally parted from her," wrote George Eliot in Middlemarch . Why, she asks, do we never hear of another kind of love, which also "must be wooed with industrious thought and patient renunciation of small desires" — a vocation? Circe insists that labor, as much as love, makes a life: "No wonder I have been so slow," she thinks when she discovers magic. "All this while, I have been a weaver without wool, a ship without the sea." This Circe braids her hair because she has work to do.

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By Madeline Miller

Book review, full book summary and synopsis for Circe by Madeline Miller, an elegant and delightful retelling of Greek mythological tales.

Circe is the daughter of Helios, God of the Sun, and Perse, an Oceanid nymph. Despite her divinity, she is less beautiful and lacks the skills of her siblings, so she is largely shunned and ridiculed among the godly.

When she falls in love with a mortal who, of course, is fated to age and die, she is desperate enough to experiment with a different and illicit type of power -- potions and witchcraft, and with it she discovers her own ability to bend the world to her will.

(The Full Plot Summary is also available, below)

Full Plot Summary

Circe is born a God, the daughter of a Titan and a water nymph. However, she lacks the powers of her siblings and is less beautiful. They treat her unkindly, except for Aeëtes , but he is granted a kingdom and leaves.

Circe falls in love with Glaucos , a mortal fisherman. In hopes of making Glaucos immortal, Circe learns about illicit Pharmaka , herbs endowed with power that only grow where Gods have fallen. She transforms Glaucos into a Sea-God, but he soon becomes enamored with the beautiful but malicious Scylla . Circe turns Scylla into a sea monster.

Circe is exiled to the empty island of Aiaia for her use of witchcraft, and there she hones her knowledge of herbs and magic. One day, Daedalus , a famed mortal craftsman, arrives at Aiaia, requesting help for Pasiphaë , Circe's sister. In Knossos, Pasiphaë gives birth to a Minotaur. Circe uses magic to manage its hunger, and Daedalus builds it a labyrinthine cage. Daedalus is forced to help because they have his son, Icarus. Daedalus later tries to build wings to help his son escape Knossos, but Icarus flies too close to the sun and dies. Daedalus later dies from old age.

Next, Medea (Aeëtes's daughter) and Jason , arrive at Aiaia, asking to be cleansed. Medea has murdered her own brother and used magic to help Jason acquire a golden fleece. Circe warns Medea that Jason's feeling for Medea will wane now that she is no longer useful to him, and Medea angrily departs.

Later, Alke , the daughter of a lesser river lord, is sent to serve Circe, now known as the Witch of Aiaia, as a punishment. Soon, others adopt the idea and send their troublesome daughters there, too. One day, sailors show up. Circe offers them food, but the captain attacks her so turns them into pigs. Other sailors go to Aiaia when they hear of the island of Nymphs. At first Circe attempts to suss out if they are honest men, but Circe eventually assumes they are all dishonest and turns them all into pigs.

One day, Odysseus and his men arrive. He has an herb that prevents Circe from harming him. She finds him charming, sleeps with him and promises not to harm him. For a year, he stays as he mends his ship. Circe knows he is married, but she yearns for him to stay. Before he leaves, Circe sends him to a prophet and warns about the obstacles in his trip home (Scylla, etc.).

But Circe is pregnant and her mortal son, Telegonus , is soon born. Athena wants the child dead and offers her eternal blessings in exchange, but Circe refuses. Instead, Circe uses powerful magic to protect the island. Telegonus grows up, but longs to visit his father. Circe finally relents and helps him gather protections for the journey. She agrees to suffer eternal pain to acquire a deadly weapon, the tail of Trygon , a sea god. But Trygon ultimately doesn't extract the price and simply tells her to return it when she's done.

Telegonus leaves for Ithaca, but returns quickly because Odysseus is dead. Odysseus misunderstood his intentions and fought him instead, scratching himself on the Trygon's tail. Circe realizes that Athena wanted Telegonus dead to prevent this. Telegonus has also brought Telemachus (Odysseus’s other son) and Penelope (Odysseus’s wife) to the island. Penelope is worried Athena will claim Telemachus in Odysseus's absence and hopes for Circe's protection. Circe uses her magic to protect them, but Athena makes her demands. She wants Telemachus to leave and start an empire, but he has no desire for glory and power. However, Telegonus longs for adventure, and he accepts instead.

With Telegonus gone, Circe calls for her father, demanding that he talk to Zeus and release her from exile. She threatens to tell Zeus the Titans' secrets and start a war. Free to leave, Circe and Telemachus go to turn Scylla into stone, and Circe confides in Telemachus all her secrets. (Telemachus fills her in on what ended up happening with Medea — Jason married another. Medea kills the new wife and murders her children. A golden chariot whisks her home.) Penelope becomes an expert on herbs and becomes the Witch of Aiaia instead.

The book ends with Circe making a potion to bring forth her true self. She then has a vision of herself as a mortal, growing old with Telemachus. She drinks the potion.

For more detail, see the full Section-by-Section Summary .

If this summary was useful to you, please consider supporting this site by leaving a tip ( $2 , $3 , or $5 ) or joining the Patreon !

Book Review

Circe , by Madeline Miller, came out early last year, and I’ve been keen to find time for it, so it seemed like a good book to kick off the spring season.

It’s a re-telling the story of Circe, a character originated circa 8th century B.C. by Homer. In Homer’s in The Odyssey , Odysseus encounters her on the island of Aeaea where she is villainously doling out dangerous potions and turning men into pigs.

While in her original incarnation she’s mostly an obstacle to be overcome, in Miller’s reinvented tale, she’s given a new life, as well as a meaningful and imaginative story deeply rooted in a myriad of mythological tales.

The Palace at Knossos in Crete

A while back, I took a trip to Greece and visited one of the locations that appears briefly in the book, the remains of Minos’s Palace at Knossos in Crete. It was about a hour out from where we were staying, so we had to rent a car, and it was a whole mess, but I desperately wanted to see it.

I’ve come across other references to this site then, but Circe was the first book that ever made me reminisce about it. Reading Circe, I could imagine that crumbling Minoan archaeological site, thousands upon thousands of years old, as a living, breathing palace, gleaming with splendor and marveling that I’d once walked those walkways as well.

Miller’s mythological retelling is so dazzlingly alive . She uses Circe’s story to bring in a whole host of other mythologies, ranging from the Titanomachy (“battle of the Titans”) to the Gift of Fire, various other parts of the Odyssey and so on. The events of these stories all overlap, one washing over the next, intertwining in a delightful and inventive manner. Under Miller’s imaginative gaze, these classic stories are endowed with a newfound energy. Fleshed-out and lively, it’s a pleasure to read, especially if you’re someone who loves mythological tales.

The most difficult part of reading Circe for me was that it took forever because whenever a mention of any character came up, I was always tempted to look them up on Wikipedia to see what parts of their story originate from where. This inevitably led me down deep, and I mean deep , rabbit holes of endless Wikipedia entries and other sources filled with mythological esoterica. (But honestly, I’d consider that a feature, not a bug, when it comes to reading).

Ulysses at the Palace of Circe by Wilhelm Schubert van Ehrenberg (1667)

Themes and Character Development

By the second half of the book, Circe has been alive for over a thousand years. She becomes more reflective about her experiences during various interludes, and certainly when Circe’s story takes a darker turn. At those junctions, Miller is thoughtful and introspective. In the book’s more somber moments, Miller explores Circe’s loneliness, alienation, and how her perceptions may have been warped by her experiences or misunderstandings.

Through the relationship of the gods, Titans, Olympians, lesser gods, mortals and so forth, the book contemplates the meaning of having power, how power is derived and how power effects how people relate to each other. Furthermore, using a range of classic Greek Myths to tell a story provides the perfect foundation and a wide berth to delve into fundamental questions about morals and goodness and pragmatism and ambition and balancing it all with the need to survive and protect yourself.

I loved what a complete character Circe is. She is complex, imperfect and is consistently drawn in a way that grounds her in reality, despite her divine origins.

Read it or Skip it?

I loved this book. I loved this book so much, it actually surprises me how strongly I feel about it. If you like mythology, Circe is a must read, no caveats. It is such a vivid and wonderful story that brings together so many bits and pieces of Greek mythology and somehow turns them into a cohesive book that is well worth your time. It is all at once thoughtful and entertaining and elegantly written. I was delighted by it.

If you aren’t as into mythology, I still think the story is very worthwhile, though you may have to exercise a bit more patience as you get grounded in all the characters and their stories. I’d really encourage you to give it a shot though if you’re looking for an entertaining, yet meaningful and complex story.

Circe won me over about 20 pages in, and it only got better from there. It’s honestly been quite a few years since I’ve found a book I loved as much as this one, so my feeling can be summed up as follows: 1) I’m sad it’s over, 2) I can’t believe I waited so long to read this, and 3) I need to go buy a copy of Madeline Miller’s previous novel, The Song of Achilles .

Have you read this and what did you think? See Circe on Amazon .

Book Excerpt

Read the first pages of Circe

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See Everything We Know About the 'Circe' Adaptation

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38 comments

Share your thoughts cancel reply.

Been meaning to read this. Do you think reading it in electronic format is OK? Some books lose something when read on a device.

Funny you should ask! I actually read half of it as an ebook and half of it on hard copy (I had a hard copy but forgot to bring it and didn’t want to stop reading. Of course, by the end I loved it so much I went out and bought a first edition signed copy, haha, so now I actually have two.)

Anyway, my point is, it’s definitely readible as an ebook, I did just fine with it. But if you’re like me, maybe you’ll just end up wanting it regardless. Mostly my advice is to read it ASAP because it’s really good. :)

Perfect. Thanks!

Thanks for reminding me about this! I’ve added both Miller books to my TBR. We’re great fans of Greek mythology around here: I was hooked during my childhood, when the marionette puppeteers who used to make the rounds of the schools put on a “Golden Fleece” show; and my kids grew up watching the 1950s “Jason and the Argonauts” movie, when it was finally released on video, just as I had been raised on it, back when it was released to broadcast TV (I still love those ancient special effects).

Oh, I’m excited on your behalf, I think you’re going to love it! I honestly don’t understand how anyone can NOT love mythology, it’s so fascinating and fun and dramatic. That’s so awesome they did a Golden Fleece show, it sounds like that would be so much fun! Thanks for your thoughts and happy happy reading! Hope you’re having a great weekend!

I hadn’t thought about the puppet shows for years, and had forgotten the name of the troupe, but it must have been the Cole Marionettes (see Mr. Cole’s obituary, which mentions the Jason and the Golden Fleece show: https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1986-10-21-8603190250-story.html ). The puppet shows were an eagerly anticipated annual event at our elementary school, but the only one I remember is the Golden Fleece. Greek mythology rocks! :)

Oooh! I’ve been hearing nothing but good things about this book! It’s waiting on my shelf … I think it’ll make a good July read?

Yes, do it! I actually bought this book back in September or somewhere around there and I still can’t believe I let it sit there for so long, haha. Hope you love it!

I adored Circe, and The Song of Achilles!

I’m really excited for the Song of Achilles, though I’m a little scared my expectations are way too high now, haha. :)

This has been on my TBR list for awhile. I hope I can get to it soon. Thanks for your thoughts.

So many books, so little time, such a familiar feelings, haha. This one is really good though. Hope you love it if you get a chance to read it!

Yeah this book is amazing.

Right?! The best part about book blogging is getting to chat with others about how awesome a book is when you find one you love… thanks for dropping by!

So glad you read this book!!! Honestly one of our favorites!!! You have to read A Song of Achilles, because like Circe it draws you into Ancient Greece like nothing before! When you get the chance to read, come check our review and tell us your thoughts as well!!

Thanks for dropping by! I’ll give your review a read later today, thanks for the heads up!

Glad to see you enjoyed this book so much! I listened to the audio last summer and found the story lively – it moves at such an absorbing pace, from start to finish.

Yeah, I was surprised how evenly paced it was considering how much of the book hinges on understanding her internal thought processes. I feel like it’s hard to write that stuff in a way that doesn’t make the book drag. I think it worked well in Circe because she does a fantastic job of “showing” you how her perspective on things is shaped, etc. instead of just doing a bunch of internal monologues. Thanks for dropping by!

I finished it today and absolutely love it. your review is beautiful

Thank you for the kind comment! Glad to connect with people who loved this book as well! :) Cheers!

This book was fantastic. Appreciate the review.

Thanks for dropping by and thanks for reading!

Thanks for your review, I’ve been meaning to read this book and whilst I’m not a huge fan of her previous book, I have to admit she has a beautiful writing and a melancholy that I like. Can’t wait to read this one.

Oh, I’m sad to hear you didn’t like A Song of Achilles. I’m really curious about it — I haven’t read it yet so unfortunately I have no insight to provide on a comparison between the two, but I hope you do like Circe, and thanks for reading the review!

Oh it’s not that I didn’t like it, it’s just that the first half of the book was a nit difficult for me. I didn’t quite like how the story was told, but the second half was amazing. I cried by the time it ends. Anw, I love reading your reviews, it’s always well written.

This book does deserve a glowing review! Loved it too!

I honestly can’t believe I didn’t read it sooner! Thanks for dropping by!

I wrote about Circe in my dissertation so it seems incredible I still haven’t read it!! Fingers crossed I get round to it soon!!

I bet you’ll love it! Thanks for reading!

I absolutely rave about this book as well! I was lucky enough to hear Madeline Miller talk about it at an author event – especially hearing her read sections aloud, based on the Ancient Greek oral traditions of storytelling. Your review sums up everything I enjoyed about Circe, I particularly like what you said about the book exploring power and morals in general. It’s amazing how easy it is to relate to the characters, even though they are divine beings living thousands of years ago! 😊

Oh that’s awesome, I’m jealous I would’ve loved to hear that. I’m so glad other people loved this book too! :) Thanks for dropping by!

Nicely written review. I’ll think I’ll read the book.

Thank you! Hope you like it if you get a chance to read it!

I liked Circe :) just wished she had gone deeper into the stories of the other gods!

I’ve just finished this book and the tears are still drying on my cheeks. I was so moved by her relationships with mortals, while the gods were cold and almost lifeless – as the author intended. There are so many themes to explore here. I borrowed a friend’s copy but might have to buy my own so I can revisit this intriguing and complex take on Circe – and spend some more time exploring the many threads of mythology that weave their way through the tale as you clearly have done. Thanks for the great review.

I just finished the audio version of Madelne Miller’s “Circe” narrated by Perdita Weeks. It was an astoundng experience to hear Circe’s story in Circe’s voice.

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Circe brilliantly recasts a Greek goddess in a modern light: EW review

Madeline Miller follows up 'Song of Achilles' with another gorgeous novel steeped in mythology

In 2012, a Massachusetts teacher named Madeline Miller published The Song of Achilles , the hard-won work of a decade. The book went on to become an international best-seller, translated into more than 25 languages and awarded the U.K.’s prestigious Orange Prize for Fiction. It was a nifty trick for any first-time novelist, and even more so for its subject: ancient Greek myth, retold with an immediacy that mesmerized not just classics majors but countless readers who probably would have rather pulled out their own eyebrows than finish Homer’s The Iliad in high school.

With Circe , Miller returns to the same fertile, myrrh-scented source, though her lead here is a lesser goddess — or at least a less celebrated one: the first-born daughter of the sun titan Helios and his royal consort Perse. Circe’s pedigree is impeccable, but her perceived imperfections (a too-sharp chin, a reedy voice) are a disappointment from the start. Life among the gods is ruthless, and she has no real aptitude for the petty grudges, plots, and cruelties of dryads and river lords. Golden and gorgeously formed, they’re also vain, vicious, and easily bored, and their blood-soaked soap operas read like the gossipy intrigues of Versailles, or Dynasty for people who can’t die. (The idols eat and sleep strictly for pleasure; even their hangnails heal themselves.)

Noted mostly for the illicit sorcery that earned her exile to the island of Aiaia — and her gift for turning grown men into pigs — Circe’s tale lacks the sweeping arc and central romance of Achilles . Her narrative is more episodic, a string of feuds and love affairs occasionally bisected by myth’s greatest hits (Prometheus, the Minotaur, Helen of Troy). But Miller, with her academic bona fides and born instinct for storytelling, seamlessly grafts modern concepts of selfhood and independence to her mystical reveries of smoke and silver, nectar and bones. And if the Circe that emerges from her imagination isn’t exactly human­ — technically, she can’t be­ — she is divine. A-

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Circe, Madeline Miller, review: Feminist rewrite of the Odyssey turns tale of subjugation into one of empowerment

Following her bestselling, prize-winning re-imagining of the 'iliad', miller turns to homer for inspiration once more, article bookmarked.

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The Song of Achilles , Madeline Miller ’s re-imagining of The Iliad that positioned the love story between Achilles and Patroclus centre stage, was both a bestseller and won the 2012 Orange Prize for Fiction. With this recipe for success in hand, it’s not surprising that Miller – who teaches high school Latin and Greek – has turned to the same model for her thrilling second novel, Circe , though this time it’s the Odyssey that provides the primary text.

The powerful witch Circe, who waylays Odysseus and his men – turning the latter to pigs – on their long voyage home to Ithaca, is set free from the few meagre lines of text she’s afforded by Homer, and transformed here into the heroine of her own magnificent story. “How would the songs frame the scene?” Miller’s Circe often asks herself, well aware of the narrative control others exert over the story of her life.

The Classics are undergoing something of a feminist revisionist revolution right now. Emily Wilson’s new translation of the Odyssey – the first to be written by a woman – was published to great acclaim at the end of last year, and this August brings Booker Prize-winner Pat Barker’s new novel, The Silence of the Girls: a “radical retelling of The Iliad ” from the point of view of Briseis, the captured queen-turned-slave. So too, Miller’s Circe is a woman who will not be silenced.

“When I was born,” she begins her tale, “the name for what I was did not exist.” Circe’s witchcraft originates in her rage and jealousy, itself the result of years of harsh treatment at the hands of her more beautiful and powerful Titan kin – she is the firstborn of Helios the sun god and the beautiful nymph Perse (daughter of Oceanos). She’s dismissed as unattractive, her weak mortal’s voice considered most offensive of all, nevertheless she persists; one could well describe her as the original nasty woman.

One fears that once she’s banished to the island of Aiaia – punishment for transforming the beautiful but viper-hearted nymph Scylla, Circe’s rival in love, into a hideous sea monster – the narrative will stall. Instead, Miller weaves the tales of others – Medea, the bride of Jason with the blood of her brother still fresh on her hands; the birth and imprisonment of the bloodthirsty Minotaur; those the sorceress takes to her bed, Hermes, Daedalus, Odysseus, and finally his son Telemachus – in with Circe’s own, all as seamlessly as the beautiful cloth Circe herself spins on the splendid loom the master craftsman Daedalus builds her.

The enchantress’ “virtue” is “endurance,” and Circe is accosted with much that demands forbearance, all of which makes for gleeful, greedy reading. Written in prose that ripples with a gleaming hyperbole befitting the epic nature of the source material, there is nothing inaccessible or antiquated about either Circe or her adventures. Miller has effected a transformation just as impressive as any of her heroine’s own: she’s turned an ancient tale of female subjugation into one of empowerment and courage full of contemporary resonances.

'Circe' is published by Bloomsbury, £16.99

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Circe by Madeline Miller: A Spoiler Free Review

Circe by Madeline Miller is a retelling of the witch Circe from Greek Mythology. She is the daughter of the titan Helios and a nymph. The gods, fearing her witchcraft, banish her to a deserted island. Here, she forges her path – honing her craft, meeting infamous figures of mythology, and being pitted against the wrath of men and gods alike. She’s torn between the mortal and the divine, and forced to grapple with what it means to be immortal. 

I really, really enjoyed this book. It’s one of the most unique stories I’ve read, chock-full of beautiful writing and characters. It’s definitely one I’ll be rereading for a long time to come.

In Circe , I particularly enjoyed the writing. The way Madeline Miller weaves her words into prose is mesmerizing. It’s almost lyrical in its flow, natural yet riveting. I would often read the same paragraph multiple times to soak in the words. This also comes into play as Miller describes the gods. She forgoes many physical details, instead describing things like the sound of their voice and the power in their presence. You begin to fear them the way Circe does. Additionally, the passage of time from the start to the end of the book is beautiful. At the end of the book, you look back and remember all she has gone through – it feels so long ago since she first stepped onto the island. You lived through it with her, in a sense. That feeling of passed time once I finished the book for the first time was overwhelming. 

No one book is enjoyable for everyone. Circe tends to be very character-driven rather than plot-driven and relies on mostly introspective focus. She is isolated on her island, after all. Thus, there are not so many dramatic action moments as dramatic personal moments. Plus, some consider the pacing to be somewhat slow and uneven, especially towards the latter half of the book.

All in all, I enjoyed Circe’s rich, bold 385 pages. It bursts with life and thought, and it holds a proud place displayed on my bookshelf. It is definitely a recommend from me. 

Circe  by Madeline Miller is available to check out from the  Mission Viejo Library . It is also available to download for free from  Libby .

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Circe by Madeline Miller

A Journey Through Greek Myth and Feminine Power

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Genre: Greek Mythology, Fantasy
• First Publication: 2018
• Language:  English
• Major Characters: Circe, Odysseus, Penelope (wife of Odysseus), Glaucus, Zeus (God),  Athena (Greek goddess), Telemachus, Daedalus, Hermes,
• Minor Characters: Helen of Troy, Prometheus, Medea of Colchis, Aeëtes, Boreas, Minos, Scylla, Minotaur, Ariadne (mythology), Agamemnon
• Setting Place: Oceanos’ Halls, Aiaia (island), Crete (Greece), Charybdis (Italy)
• Theme: Gender dynamics, Mortality vs. Immortality, Fate vs. Free Will, Maturity and Responsibility
• Narrator: First person POV (Circe herself narrates the story)

Book Summary: Circe by Madeline Miller

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe has neither the look nor the voice of divinity, and is scorned and rejected by her kin. Increasingly isolated, she turns to mortals for companionship, leading her to discover a power forbidden to the gods: witchcraft.

When love drives Circe to cast a dark spell, wrathful Zeus banishes her to the remote island of Aiaia. There she learns to harness her occult craft, drawing strength from nature. But she will not always be alone; many are destined to pass through Circe’s place of exile, entwining their fates with hers. The messenger god, Hermes. The craftsman, Daedalus. A ship bearing a golden fleece. And wily Odysseus, on his epic voyage home.

“He showed me his scars, and in return he let me pretend that I had none.”

There is danger for a solitary woman in this world, and Circe’s independence draws the wrath of men and gods alike. To protect what she holds dear, Circe must decide whether she belongs with the deities she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.

Breathing life into the ancient world, Madeline Miller weaves an intoxicating tale of gods and heroes, magic and monsters, survival and transformation.

Book Review: Circe by Madeline Miller

Madeline Miller’s story embellishes on the legend of Circe from Greek mythology. Circe is the daughter of the Titan sun god Helios and an ocean nymph.

Circe is a witch, skilled in potions, herbs and transformational arts. Exiled by her father to a remote island in punishment for her use of sorcery, Circe eventually encounters the mortal Odysseus, who becomes shipwrecked on her island. They become lovers and after Odysseus leaves the island, Circe bears him a son, Telegonus. Telegonus later goes in search of his father, an action that ends up having life altering consequences for Circe.

For those who don’t know, Madeline Miller is 2018 Goodreads Choice Winner follows the story of Circe, the goddess of the island of Aeaea. She shows up in the tale of Odysseus, turning his men into pigs & ultimately allowing them to reside on her island for a year. But what of Circe before she enters the story we know?

There are several striking aspects to Madeline Miller’s gift for retelling lesser known narratives from classic Greek mythology .

“I thought once that gods are the opposite of death, but I see now they are more dead than anything, for they are unchanging, and can hold nothing in their hands.”

In Circe by Madeline Miller, author weaves her characters into the situations we’ve all come across a time or two in the canon or through various pop culture references, but her integration is so seamless that it only enhances the original works. It builds up each character in such a believable, effortless way, giving their point of view & prompting readers to reconsider how they may have previously regarded certain events & motivations.

In both of Miller’s novels I’ve read, she has a particular talent for writing her title characters in a flawed but relatable way. More than once I found myself sympathizing with Circe as she navigated the disdainful tangle of gods and goddesses surrounding her. I even found myself feeling as though I would act similarly to, if not worse than Circe did if I were her. When an author is able to naturally create such an affinity between reader & character, especially in the frame of a retelling without compromising original characterization, I’d call that a huge win.

“I would say, some people are like constellations that only touch the earth for a season.”

There are so many solid themes present in the book Circe by Madeline Miller. Breaking away from the expectations of your lineage, taking control of your destiny, parenthood, family, making the best out of the worst, finding your inner peace, loving your body, drawing boundaries. And Every. Single. One of them is expressed exquisitely.

My absolute favorite part of Circe by Madeline Miller, author’s breath-taking writing. This has to be some of the most gorgeously fluid word composition I’ve ever come across. If it weren’t enough to find a unique retelling by a skilled author, Madeline Miller’s every word is like honey. In fact, writing this review makes me feel self conscious because I know I’m not able to use my words to adequately explain just how beautiful the writing in this book is.

I’d highly recommend picking Circe by Madeline Miller, especially if you’re a fan of Greek Mythology. Circe is a spectacularly captivating character, I am incredibly excited to see the next character Madeline Miller will choose to write about!

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Common Sense Media Review

Lurid, violent, imaginative tale told by mythical sorceress.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Circe , by classical scholar and author Madeline Miller, first published in 2018, is a best-selling, imaginative, lurid and violent story of the legendary sorceress, written for an adult audience but also popular with teens. Poets have told of Circe's magic, power, lovers, and…

Why Age 18+?

As told in the original myths, the whole tale is awash in violence, treachery, a

Especially early in the narrative, cursing and crude language, often brutal, as

Sex is not not explicitly described, but over the many centuries of the story, C

Characters drink alcohol, often to excess; Circe often gets unwelcome visitors d

Any Positive Content?

Making the best of grotesquely evil, violent circumstances when you're stuck wit

Lots of in-depth detail about Greek mythology -- the Titans, the Olympian gods,

All the characters are from Greek mythology. Both gay and straight romantic/sexu

Penelope and Telemachus are basically good, ethical people trying to do right in

Violence & Scariness

As told in the original myths, the whole tale is awash in violence, treachery, and gore. Coming from a family where her uncle was known for devouring his children, and all her relatives are murderously self-serving, Circe does plenty of violent deeds, like turning a romantic rival into a legendary, seafarer-devouring monster. Raped by a pirate, she responds by turning him and his crew (who were planning to take their own turns) into pigs and hacking them to bits. She also drugs many (male) visitors to her island before killing them. Much hacking, slashing, butchery, ritual sacrifice, and two lengthy, graphically described C-sections. One self-administered and the other involving the birth of the Minotaur. The beating of Prometheus, prior to his being chained to a mountain and having his liver devoured anew each day by eagles, is gruesomely described; his fate is important to the story. Many gods and humans are sexual predators, taking what they want and leaving destruction in their wake -- and the skills of treachery and manipulation necessary to deal with them are a strong theme. Assorted massacres of innocents for convenience or political gain; few perpetrators feel guilty about it. A cheating husband's partners all die -- because his wife has cast a spell that turns his semen to snakes and scorpions that kill them from within. The murder of Hector's baby son Astyanax at the end of the Trojan War is vividly described.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Especially early in the narrative, cursing and crude language, often brutal, as when the character who gives birth to the Minotaur announces "I f---ed the bull." Later, in the throes of labor, "I've had eight children! Just cut the f---ing thing out of me!" Circe's eyes are described as the color of piss. References to bastards, especially of gods.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Sex is not not explicitly described, but over the many centuries of the story, Circe has several lovers, humans and gods (though not nearly as many as imaginative poets have described from Homer to the present day). Being immortal, she's fated to outlive the mortals -- which gets stranger than usual when she falls in love with an ex's son. Of her relationship with the god Hermes, she says, "He was a poison snake, and I was another, and on such terms we pleased ourselves." As told in The Odyssey , Penelope is harassed by suitors who want to marry her for her money, which is also Odysseus' money. Circe's father regards his many female children as lucrative, power-building assets in his dealings with kings and gods. He also transforms himself into a bull to have sex with his prized cows and breed new ones; Circe's sister has sex with a bull and gives birth to the Minotaur. Circe wonders if her siblings are having sex with each other -- it's not uncommon among gods, so she thinks it's likely.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Characters drink alcohol, often to excess; Circe often gets unwelcome visitors drunk.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Messages

Making the best of grotesquely evil, violent circumstances when you're stuck with them, and doing better when you're shown a better way. Love and kindness offer hope and, possibly, redemption. Making amends for your past misdeeds. Resourceful problem-solving. The life-changing discovery that decent, honest people actually exist.

Educational Value

Lots of in-depth detail about Greek mythology -- the Titans, the Olympian gods, their lurid and violent doings (like Kronos devouring his children), and the many ways they find to mess with the lives of mortals. Like the Trojan War and its aftermath. The tales of the Minotaur, Theseus, and Ariadne; Daedalus and Icarus; Jason and Medea; and other mythological stories are interwoven with Circe's narrative.

Diverse Representations

All the characters are from Greek mythology. Both gay and straight romantic/sexual relationships are part of the story.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Positive Role Models

Penelope and Telemachus are basically good, ethical people trying to do right in dire circumstances; Telemachus in particular is haunted by murders he's done because his father ordered it, and seeks to live a better life. Circe is trying to do better, against the odds; she is kind to Prometheus when he's tortured and suffering. Her son Telegonus is kind-hearted and empathetic. Daedalus, who's guilt-ridden about the Minotaur and his many victims, is devoted to his son Icarus, and becomes one of Circe's lovers. Everyone else is pretty much useless, evil, or both, and perfectly willing to lie, maim, and kill to get their way. Like Medea, who kills her brother and throws his body parts in the water to delay her pursuing father.

Parents need to know that Circe , by classical scholar and author Madeline Miller, first published in 2018, is a best-selling, imaginative, lurid and violent story of the legendary sorceress, written for an adult audience but also popular with teens. Poets have told of Circe's magic, power, lovers, and children (often in contradictory narratives driven by the poet's era and agenda) from Homer to the present. In this version, which follows much of the classics and will be familiar to mythology-loving readers, a young, unloved daughter of the sun god, born to a nightmare world of murderous, sociopathic divinities, experiments with magic and is exiled to a remote island, where over the centuries she encounters Daedalus, takes him as a lover, and becomes involved in the birth of the Minotaur. Later, Odysseus arrives on the island, fathers her son, and sets in motion many of the events that follow. Sadistic violence, rape, betrayal, bestiality (especially with cows), and incest were pretty much everyday occurrences with the Greek gods, and most of it is on parade here, with the rest broadly hinted at. The discovery that decent, honest people exist is life-changing for Circe -- but there's a whole lot of dark, gruesome, evil stuff on the way to it.

Where to Read

Parent and kid reviews.

• Parents say (2)
• Kids say (1)

Based on 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

CIRCE, daughter of the sun god Helios, is born into a toxic world of recent cosmic upheaval -- one of her uncles, Kronos, has devoured all his children until their desperate mother spirits baby Zeus to safety, Zeus returns to force Kronos to vomit his devoured children, and they all join Zeus to become gods of Olympus. Feuding, scheming, treachery, and murder ensue, the gods mess with humans for sport, and soon to unfold, the tales of the Minotaur, the Golden Fleece, the Odyssey, and more. Circe, a lot more innocent than her family members and often called ugly and stupid, falls in love with a mortal who's an undeserving jerk even before she uses magic to make him a god, and transforms her rival for his affections into a legendary monster. Exiled to a remote island for her bold rule-breaking by a father who happily reduces people to ash, she delves into the world of herbs, potions, and magic, and finds her power.

"For a hundred generations, I had walked the world drowsy and dull, idle and at my ease. I left no prints, I did no deeds. Even those who had loved me a little did not care to stay. Then I learned that I could bend the world to my will, as a bow is bent for an arrow. I would have done that toil a thousand times to keep such power in my hands. I thought: this is how Zeus felt when he first lifted the thunderbolt."

Is It Any Good?

Madeline Miller's best-selling tale revisits the dark, lurid doings of Greek gods in the wake of a cosmic battle, as seen through the eyes of the lecherous, murderous sun god's unloved daughter. In this imaginative, vivid retelling, Circe struggles amid the carnage to navigate her treacherous world, and over many centuries delves into magic, turns her rival into the monster Scylla, and takes as lovers lost sailors Daedalus and Odysseus, whose deeds are often seen here more for their harm than their glory. The discovery that honest, decent people exist points to new and unimagined possibilities, but like the narrator, the reader may often feel helplessly overwhelmed by evil forces along the way to the glimmers of hope.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about stories like Circe that are based on characters in classical mythology -- and how each version of the tale reflects its author's time, place, and agenda. Over the centuries, murderous Medea has been spun as everything from a monster to a feminist icon; how do you think this version of Circe's story compares with others you know -- and what messages might that imply?

Why do you think some cultures see gods as showing the best qualities of humans, and others see them gleefully outdoing the worst of human deeds? How would it change your life if you believed one or the other?

Using magic to control other people -- good? evil? it depends?

Book Details

• Author : Madeline Miller
• Genre : Fantasy
• Topics : Magic and Fantasy , Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
• Character Strengths : Perseverance
• Book type : Fiction
• Publisher : Little, Brown and Company
• Publication date : April 10, 2018
• Publisher's recommended age(s) : 18 - 18
• Number of pages : 400
• Available on : Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
• Last updated : May 11, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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Book Review: Circe by Madeline Miller

Before I begin, I think it’s important to note that I opened Circe having almost zero prior knowledge about mythology . Despite majoring in English in college, I never had to read mythology. Crazy huh?

The Summary

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.

The Book Review

I was immediately pulled into Circe . It was so different from what I normally read, and I fell into the world of mythology with abandon.

And then…the fizzle.

Let’s back up here for a minute, though. Circe is a child in the beginning of the book, and I loved her story. She lives in the house of Helios (her dad, whose chariot pulls the sun across the sky every day), and is generally unliked by all the other gods, including her own family. It’s strange, but pulled me in.

However, even in the beginning, the sheer number of characters in Circe is super overwhelming. I had to keep pausing when names were mentioned to remember who it was, or try to wrap my head around him/her if it was a new character. Mythology is like that, so it makes sense, but man, it made for a difficult read when I was more interested in the story arc than the characters.

This book fizzled a little for me as it went on. I expected more of a story arc, but what I got was more like mythology itself – shorter stories that make a whole. Sure, it was chronological about Circe’s life, but for me, there wasn’t really a peak of any kind – it just kind of rumbled on. Of course, it’s based off of the existing story of Circe, so I don’t think Miller could have done a whole lot to remedy this.

Circe was compelling enough throughout to keep me reading and mostly enjoying, but I do have to say that I was happy to get to the end and put it behind me. Although it was a bit of a slog for me at times, I would recommend it to someone with more of an interest in mythology. I thought the writing was great and it was well done overall, so I gave it 4 stars.

Looking for more awesome books about Greek mythology? Check out our list of Best Fiction Books About Greek Mythology .

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Circe by Madeline Miller

17 Dec Circe by Madeline Miller

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“Circe” spans several centuries, offering a deep dive into the life of its eponymous character. It begins with Circe’s childhood in the halls of Helios, her father, where she struggles to find her place among gods and nymphs. She discovers her penchant for witchcraft, a talent that leads to her exile on the island of Aiaia. This isolation becomes both a punishment and a sanctuary, allowing Circe to hone her magical skills and interact with various figures from Greek mythology, including Odysseus, the Minotaur, and Athena. The novel is not just a series of events but a profound exploration of Circe’s evolution from a naive nymph to a powerful sorceress, grappling with her immortality and her desire to understand the mortal world.

Main Characters

• Circe : Initially a timid and overlooked nymph, Circe grows into a formidable witch. Her journey is marked by moments of vulnerability, strength, and deep introspection.
• Odysseus : A clever and complex character, Odysseus’ interaction with Circe adds layers to both their stories.
• Telemachus : Odysseus’ son, who visits Circe and develops a unique bond with her.
• Athena : The goddess who often stands as Circe’s antagonist, representing the capricious and often cruel nature of the gods.

In-Depth Analysis

Miller’s writing is a standout feature, with its lyrical quality and deep emotional resonance. The novel excels in its portrayal of Circe as a multifaceted character, exploring themes of power, isolation, and identity. It also delves into the pettiness and politics of the gods, contrasting it with Circe’s growing affinity for humanity.

• Character Development : Circe’s evolution is the heart of the story. Miller skillfully depicts her transformation, making her a relatable and compelling protagonist.
• Lyrical Prose : The writing style is evocative and poetic, enhancing the mythological setting and the emotional depth of the narrative.
• Pacing : Some readers might find the middle part of the book a bit slow, as it delves deeply into character exploration.

Literary Devices

• Symbolism : Circe’s witchcraft symbolizes her independence and self-discovery.
• Foreshadowing : The novel uses subtle hints to foretell key events, particularly in the interactions between gods and mortals.

Relation to Broader Issues

“Circe” speaks to the universal themes of identity, power dynamics, and the nature of humanity. It also touches on gender roles and the struggle for autonomy, particularly resonant in the #MeToo era.

“Circe” will appeal to fans of Greek mythology, character-driven narratives, and feminist literature. It stands out for its fresh take on a mythological figure often relegated to the margins of these stories. Readers who enjoyed “The Song of Achilles,” also by Miller, or “The Silence of the Girls” by Pat Barker, will likely find this novel captivating.

Potential Audiences

• Fans of Greek mythology and retellings.
• Readers interested in feminist narratives.
• Those who appreciate character-driven stories and lyrical prose.

Thematic Analysis

The novel deeply explores themes like female empowerment, the nature of divinity versus humanity, and the search for identity. Circe’s journey is a powerful representation of breaking free from societal constraints and finding one’s voice.

Stylistic Elements

Miller’s prose is rich and poetic, bringing a modern sensibility to ancient myths. Her use of vivid imagery and careful pacing adds depth to the narrative and characters.

Comparison with Other Works

“Circe” can be compared to “The Song of Achilles” in its retelling of Greek myths with a humanistic perspective. It also shares thematic similarities with works like “The Penelopiad” by Margaret Atwood, offering a feminist perspective on classical stories.

Potential Test Questions with Answers

• It represents her transformation from an ignored nymph to a powerful witch, allowing her to explore her abilities and independence.
• She portrays him as complex and flawed, focusing on his cunning and moral ambiguities.

Awards and Recognitions

“Circe” was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2019 and received critical acclaim for its innovative approach to myth retelling.

Bibliographic Information

• Title : Circe
• Author : Madeline Miller
• Publication Date : 2018
• Publisher : Little, Brown and Company
• ISBN : 978-0316556347

BISAC Categories:

• Historical – Ancient
• Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology
• War & Military

Summaries of Awards and Other Reviews

• Mythopoeic Fantasy Award Nominee for Adult Literature (2019)
• ALA Alex Award (2019) ,
• Tähtifantasia Award Nominee (2022)
• Women’s Prize for Fiction Nominee (2019)
• The Kitschies for Red Tentacle (Best Novel) (2019) ,
• Goodreads Choice Award for Fantasy (2018)
• Book of the Month Book of the Year Award (2018) ,
• RUSA CODES Reading List Nominee for Historical Fiction (2019)

#1  New York Times  Bestseller — named one of the Best Books of the Year by NPR, the  Washington Post ,  People ,  Time , Amazon,  Entertainment Weekly ,  Bustle, Newsweek, the A.V. Club, Christian Science Monitor, Refinery 29, Buzzfeed, Paste, Audible, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Thrillist, NYPL, Self, Real Simple, Goodreads, Boston Globe, Electric Literature, BookPage, the Guardian, Book Riot, Seattle Times, and Business Insider.

Purchasing Links

Is this book a series.

“Circe” is a standalone novel. However, Madeline Miller’s other work, “The Song of Achilles,” explores similar themes in a different mythological context.

About Madeline Miller

Madeline Miller is an American novelist and classics scholar. Her debut novel, “The Song of Achilles,” also received critical acclaim and awards. Miller is known for her ability to reimagine ancient myths with contemporary relevance and emotional depth.

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Reading Between the Lines: Reviews that Resonate

Circe Book Review, Novel Retelling by Madeline Miller

Circe book review: synopsis.

In this modern feminist retelling of Greek mythology, Madeline Miller shares the epic yet intimate story of Circe, a minor goddess and daughter of Helios, god of the sun. Born lacking divine qualities, Circe discovers she possesses the forbidden power of witchcraft. When Circe transforms her mortal lover using her occult craft, wrathful Zeus banishes her to the remote island of Aiaia. There, Circe continues developing her sorceress abilities, until she is discovered by wily Odysseus and his crew of adventurers returning home from the Trojan War.

Table of Contents

Seeking to take advantage of the solitary woman, Odysseus’s men threaten Circe, who defends herself by turning them into swine with her dark spells. Through trickery and negotiation, cunning Odysseus manages to free his men from Circe’s enchantment. In defiance of expectations for goddesses in Greek myths, independent Circe chooses to take Odysseus as her lover. When he eventually continues his epic voyage back to his wife Penelope, Circe gives birth to their son Telegonus.

Over her long life spanning centuries, Circe encounters many famous figures from legends, including the messenger god Hermes, the murderous sorceress Medea, and Daedalus the craftsman. Madeline Miller, a professor of classics, brings Circe’s story to life with vivid writing and imaginative worldbuilding. Though initially scorned, the daughter of Helios perseveres to become the notorious witch of Aeaea. More than merely a bit player in the epics of legendary men, Circe steps into the light as the powerful heroine of her own extraordinary story.

Circe Main Characters

Daughter of the Titan sun god Helios; born lacking the voice and appearance of a goddess; discovers the forbidden power of witchcraft; exiled to the island of Aiaia after transforming her mortal lover Glaucos; develops her occult craft and encounters many famous mythological figures, including wily Odysseus

Circe’s father; god of the sun who lives in a fiery palace of obsidian; harbors contempt for his disappointing daughter Circe

A mortal fisherman; Circe’s first love; she uses her newfound powers of pharmaka (sorcery) to transform him into a god to be with her; he later spurns Circe for the sea nymph Scylla

Legendary Greek king of Ithaca and hero of the Trojan War; stops at Circe’s island and she turns his men into swine before falling in love with him; cunning and wily, he manages to outwit Circe

Circe and Odysseus’s son conceived on her island; she raises him alone after Odysseus resumes his voyage back to Ithaca and his wife Penelope

Circe’s ambitious brother who rules Colchis, guarding the Golden Fleece

Circe’s sister who gives birth to the Minotaur after her unnatural love for a bull

A skilled craftsman who comes to Circe for help evading King Minos; she provides herbs for his wax wings

Circe’s murderous, wrathful niece who begs for magical herbs and kills her own brother

Circe Book Review: Themes

In this mythological retelling, Madeline Miller explores themes of female empowerment, independence and defiance of patriarchal norms through the characterization of the sorceress Circe. Born a disappointment to her sun god father Helios and the other Olympian gods, Circe discovers her own power of witchcraft and occult craft. In a world dominated by divine and mortal males like Zeus and Odysseus, Circe forges her own life and rules her solitary island of Aiaia. Cast out to the island and expected to live in perpetual exile, Circe flourishes by exercising her will to master her magical abilities through experimentation and persistent work.

The theme of female independence can also be seen in Circe’s subversion of the archetype of a witch who must be defeated or subjugated by a “hero” like wily Odysseus. However, Circe ultimately chooses to love Odysseus on her own terms rather than face suppression. Through Circe, Miller highlights the frequent lack of agency afforded to women in Greek epics. Her life encompasses misogyny, scorn, abuse and disregard by gods and mortals alike. Yet Circe emerges with self-determination, defining her own story over centuries of immortal life. Motherhood later becomes another vital experience shaping Circe’s transformation.

Miller also explores the theme of uncertainty about one’s place in the world, as Circe grapples with loneliness, isolation and not belonging throughout her long existence. As a child of Helios, yet lacking key divine traits, Circe straddles the realms of gods and mortals. Her exile only exacerbates her solitude until she ultimately embraces purpose by helping mythical figures like Daedalus and challenging the will of oppressive deities through witchcraft. This coming-of-age story traces Circe’s evolution from timid girl to confident witch.

Circe Book Review: Writing Style

Madeline Miller’s writing style in “Circe” evokes the lyrical and metaphorical language of the ancient Greek epics. Yet her prose remains fluid and poetic without feeling antiquated. Miller unfurls evocative descriptions of divine realms, conjuring the fiery golden palace of sun god Helios: “The light came from everywhere at once, his yellow skin, his lambent eyes, the bronze flashing of his hair.” Similes empower comparisons, such as Glaucos transforming into “a sea-surge” in his new godly might. Alliteration gives certain phrases melodic impact.

As both classicist and novelist, Miller’s great skill lies in making myths feel vibrant, real and close. She masterfully recreates Circe’s voice through vivid narration – we experience Circe’s exile, experiments with pharmaka and encounters with famous personages like cunning Odysseus with intimacy and immediacy. Miller translates age-old tales of gods and Titans into accessible modern language, while retaining awe-inspiring power.

While crafting her own gorgeous sentences, Miller also weaves in the original text of The Odyssey, layering her expansion of Circe’s tale. References to poetic fragments and recurring themes from the Greek classics enhance Miller’s homage to these enduring stories. For today’s readers, her book’s uniquely feminine point of view offers a welcome perspective to balance the male-dominated narratives of Homer while remaining utterly faithful to the spirit of mythic tradition. The result, as goddess Circe herself declares, feels akin to “a voice of divinity, singing out of time.”

Circe Book Review: Final Verdict

In “Circe”, Madeline Miller succeeds wonderfully in breathing new life into ancient tales. This bold reimagining of a scorned Greek goddess elevates a once-sidelined woman into a complex, flawed and captivating epic heroine in her own right. Miller conjures the realm of Olympians and Titans with equal parts fantasy, feminist spirit, and scholarly faithfulness. Real emotion resonates through elevated language that still feels fresh and contemporary. The pacing moves at a stately yet stirring pace, like a dissolving scroll unveiling secrets and wonders.

Readers fascinated by Greek mythology will find Miller’s work an utterly transportive delight. Her mastery at immersing audiences in legends allows even newcomers to dive right in. Fans of fantasy and historical fiction alike will relish Miller’s rich worldbuilding. The themes of independence, power dynamics between men and women, fate versus self-determination, and humanity’s relationship with the divine all lend themselves to discussion. Modeling a classic hero’s journey toward identity, Circe will resonate strongly with young adults. But ultimately most satisfying is Circe herself – an underdog who grows into courage and conviction.

Unfolding over lifetimes, Circe’s chronicle makes for an odyssey that adventurous, patient readers can bury themselves in, until the hypnotic song of Miller’s words causes one to lose all track of time. “Circe” earns its place among the literary canon as a tale for the ages.

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Reviews of Circe by Madeline Miller

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• First Published:
• Apr 10, 2018, 400 pages
• Apr 2020, 400 pages

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About This Book

• Reading Guide

Book Summary

Winner of the 2018 BookBrowse Fiction Award The daring, dazzling and highly anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestseller The Song of Achilles .

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. With unforgettably vivid characters, mesmerizing language and page-turning suspense, Circe is a triumph of storytelling, an intoxicating epic of family rivalry, palace intrigue, love and loss, as well as a celebration of indomitable female strength in a man's world. NPR's Weekend Edition "Books To Look Forward To In 2018" Esquire's "The 27 Most Anticipated Books of 2018" Boston Globe's "25 books we can't wait to read in 2018" The Millions "The Most Anticipated: The Great 2018 Book Preview" Cosmopolitan's "33 Books to Get Excited About in 2018"

CHAPTER ONE

WHEN I WAS BORN, the name for what I was did not exist. They called me nymph, assuming I would be like my mother and aunts and thousand cousins. Least of the lesser goddesses, our powers were so modest they could scarcely ensure our eternities. We spoke to fish and nurtured flowers, coaxed drops from the clouds or salt from the waves. That word, nymph , paced out the length and breadth of our futures. In our language, it means not just goddess, but bride . My mother was one of them, a naiad, guardian of fountains and streams. She caught my father's eye when he came to visit the halls of her own father, Oceanos. Helios and Oceanos were often at each other's tables in those days. They were cousins, and equal in age, though they did not look it. My father glowed bright as just-forged bronze, while Oceanos had been born with rheumy eyes and a white beard to his lap. Yet they were both Titans, and preferred each other's company to those new-squeaking gods upon ...

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

• Circe struggles to find a place for herself as a woman in a man's world. What parts of her experience resonate with modern day challenges that women face?
• A central theme of Homer's Odyssey is a longing for "nostos"—homecoming. In what way does that theme resonate with Circe's story?
• How does Circe's encounter with Prometheus change her? How does it continue to affect her actions?
• Throughout the novel Circe draws distinctions between gods and mortals.  How does Glaucus change when he becomes a god?
• Circe wonders if parents can ever see their children clearly. She notes that so often when looking at our children "we see only the mirror of our own faults." What parts of herself does she see when she looks at Telegonus...
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Reader reviews, bookbrowse review.

Much of Circe is an exploration into what it means to be female in a world of men and monsters. While it is usually tenuous to compare an author's latest novel to previous work, it does feel as if Miller wrote Circe as a conscious inversion of her prize-winning debut The Song of Achilles in nearly every aspect. The pool of inspiration may be the same – primarily Homer's epics – but whereas Achilles was very much a book about mortal men coming to grips with their own version of masculinity, Circe is about a divine woman trying to consolidate her myriad feminine identities as daughter, sister, lover, mother, witch, and goddess. Graceful and majestic in equal measures, Circe is sure to leave an indelible impression on readers both new and returning to Miller's singular reworkings of Greek myths... continued

Full Review (791 words) This review is available to non-members for a limited time. For full access, become a member today .

(Reviewed by Dean Muscat ).

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Nymphs in greek mythology.

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BOOK REVIEW: Circe by Madeline Miller

Hi everyone. Welcome back to Bibliophilia Book Reviews. Today I will review Circe by Madeline Miller. At a later date, I will also review The Song of Achilles , by the same author. Like all my reviews, this one too has spoilers.

Circe by Madeline Miller was first published on April 10 th , 2018, and it has become a critically acclaimed novel since then, winning, for example, the 2018 Book of the Year Award allotted by the Book of the Month subscription book box service and the 2019 Book of the Year Award for Adult Fiction in the Indies Choice Book Awards of that year. It was also selected as Book of the Year by media outlets such as Buzzfeed , Refinery29 , The Daily Telegraph , Guardian , Time Magazine , Washington Post , among others. Additionally, it was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2019, which the author had previously won for her debut novel The Song of Achilles in 2012. Moreover, the book received an exorbitant number of reviews praising it for its lyrical writing style, for making Greek mythology (more specifically, Homer’s The Iliad , with The Song of Achilles , and The Odyssey , with Circe ) more accessible to modern readers, for giving a feminist voice to one of the most enigmatic and intriguing figures of both Greek mythology and Western literature but who, at the same time, has been a victim of a narrative told by men, for giving her both a complex and sympathetic nature that has made modern readers identify with her more easily, despite having been born a goddess, in her various roles as witch, mother, wife, and lover…

Truth be told, it’s an impressive list of accolades. And I was a little hesitant to buy the book and read it when I first started seeing it everywhere. Both The Iliad and The Odyssey are books that I read in college, and to this day, The Iliad is my favorite book of all time. It is the book that made me fall in love with reading. So, needless to say, I’m an avid reader of Greek mythology. Books like Bulfinch’s Mythology , Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes by Edith Hamilton, both Mythos and Heroes by Stephen Fry as well as Troy , countless copies of Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey, Helen of Troy by Margaret George, the recently released A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes (see my review here ), The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker (see my review here) and of course both The Song of Achilles and Circe by Madeline Miller are all on my bookshelves. My reluctance to buy Circe when I was still debating whether to get it or not, however, was due to the fact that I didn’t know if it would live up to the hype. Nonetheless, I was still willing to give it a chance.

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

And I really liked it. In The Odyssey , Circe only appears in one book (chapter) of the poem. However, that was enough for her to leave her mark both in Greek mythology and Western literature even though she would also become one of the most misunderstood deities of the Greek pantheon because of her role as a sorceress and the image of a witch that transforms sailors into pigs that she gains just to force/convince Odysseus to stay with her and become her lover. But like most women in history and, in this case, mythology, there is more to Circe’s art of witchcraft and her ability to metamorphosize humans into pigs. Unfortunately, none of that is explained in Homer’s epic poem. Thus, she has been severely maligned by history and those that wrote it; like most women, she has not been given a chance to tell her own story. And that is what Madeline Miller has set out to do, and, boy, what a voice she has given her!

In Miller’s book, Circe is the daughter of the Titan Helios and the nymph Perse. But from a very early age, Circe knows that she is a pariah in her father’s house (palace) and is not wanted. She is deemed strange and different from all the other gods and goddesses, both Titans and Olympians alike. This, however, makes her dangerous to others and she is never fully accepted by those around her. Thus Madeline Miller puts forth the theme of the novel: that of a woman struggling to find a place for herself in a man’s (or gods’) world (something that many modern women can relate to) and, by extension, a longing of homecoming—a theme borrowed from The Odyssey , which chronicles Odysseus’ journey back home after the fall of Troy. Circe’s own journey and search for a home, a place where she can both belong to and be herself, however, begins ironically when she meets another Titan, her uncle Prometheus, who has been punished by Zeus for having given the gift of fire to mortals. And it is during this encounter that Circe first hears about mortals and can’t help but compare them to the gods and goddesses she has known all of her life. It is from this encounter with her uncle also that humans will thereafter be forever linked to Circe’s life, Odysseus chief among them.

“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.”

The first mortal Circe meets is Glaucos, whom she irrevocably falls in love with. Her love for him is such that she does everything in her power to turn him into a god, and she achieves this with the help of some flowers and herbs. She is, however, the first of her kind to ever accomplish this feat. And because nymphs have never been known to do this, no matter how much they’ve wanted to transform the objects of their affections into immortals, we know now that Circe is not a nymph despite having been born from one because she was able to transform Glaucos into a god.

Glaucos, however, changes completely once he is immortal and spurns Circe for her nemesis Scylla. And out of spite and jealousy, Circe transforms her into a six-headed monster. Circe, however, regrets her actions almost immediately and confesses her crime to her father. Helios, on the other hand, doesn’t believe her but when she shows him how she did it, she is deemed a danger to the gods and is exiled to Aiaia.

Aiaia, however, turns out to be the home Circe has always yearned for… and it is here that she hones the art of her witchcraft both by taming the animals of the island, for example, and making them into her companions and by tending her garden. But however beautiful her new home is, Circe is still lonely. And to abate the feeling, she welcomes both gods and mortals to her island, among them the messenger god Hermes, Daedalus, Jason and Medea, and Odysseus, who arrives at her doorstep to ask her to change his crew back into humans after she transforms them into pigs for trying to steal from her. 

“Only that: we are here. This is what it means to swim in the tide, to walk the earth and feel it touch your feet. This is what it means to be alive.”

            All of these “visitors” to Circe’s island and her interactions with them, however, are important for her own transformation from a goddess to a mortal, a decision she makes at the end of the novel in order to both live and die during her husband’s lifetime. What is interesting about this is that her own transformation is both the complete opposite of how the novel began, where she transforms Glaucos into a god, and is the culmination of her own powers and gift, the gift of transformation, thus bringing the novel to a full circle. That was very well done. I gave this novel an A New Favorite rating.

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Circe by Madeline Miller | Summary & Review

Circe by Madeline Miller is a pensive and entertaining book. It is Miller’s second novel after debut The Song of Achilles . Vividly lush in description of Greek gods and goddesses, this unique book has a tendency to take us to a world we had never allowed ourselves to imagine. 

Circe by Madeline Miller: Introduction

Shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2019, Circe by Madeline Miller narrates the alienation, power, and hankering of the Greek goddess, Circe, caught between gods and mortals. Besides being a novel based on ancient Greek mythology, Circe is an amazing story of self-discovery. You can still enjoy the book if you don’t know much about Greek mythology. 

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Table of Contents

1. Circe by Madeline Miller: Book Summary

1.1 a misfit in the house of gods , 1.2 circe’s alienated childhood.

Circe spends most of her childhood in loneliness. Her siblings always mock her and never allow her to get intimate with them. She suffers the pangs of isolation until Aeetes, her youngest brother, is born. As Aeetes grows up, he becomes Circe’s best companion. We see both of them spending every moment together. But Aeetes has to go away to be the king of his own land and Circe is, unfortunately, alone once again. After that she spends most of her time in despair. 

1.3 Circe’s Solace in Mortal World

1.4 the discovery of her hidden talent.

At that time, experimenting with different herbs and potions, Circe discovers her hidden power – the power of witchcraft. The power that has the ability to bend the world to her will. Moreover, she discovers that her powerful black magic can transform humans into monsters or animals and even endanger the gods. A misfit among the gods before, now has become a threat for them.

1.5 Circe’s Exile to a Deserted Island

Circe uses her powers to turn her beloved, Glaucos, into an immortal sea-god. After becoming a sea-god, Glaucos unfortunately falls in love with a nymph, Scylla. Triggered by jealousy, Circe turns beautiful yet malicious Scylla into a six-headed sea monster. For her practice of witchcraft, Zeus, the god of the sky, banishes her from the halls of Helios to the deserted island of Aeaea. Here, she becomes an eternal captive. 

1.6 Circe’s Encounter with Odysseus & Other Mythological Figures

1.7 dramatic tensions in circe by madeline miller.

Circe is a lonely woman and there is always a danger for a woman who stands alone. During her journey, she also suffers a lot. Unintentionally, she becomes the cause of anger for both gods and men and sets herself in opposition with one of the most formidable and vengeful Olympians. For her survival, she has to make a choice between the worlds of immortality, which she is born from, and mortality, which she has come to love. She bravely fights for her place in a world between the mortals and the gods. 

1.8 Circe’s Self Discovery

Despite being the daughter of a god, she loves mortality. She learns from her life that immortality is not a blessing indeed. Instead, it’s a never-ending curse of committing the same mistakes again and again. 

1.9 Circe Book Ending

The novel ends with Circe’s vision of herself as a mortal. She is resolute in transforming herself with the same spell that began her adventure with witchcraft. Towards the end of the book, Circe enlightens us with the blessing of being mortal in such words:

 “ I thought once that gods are the opposite of death, but I see now they are more dead than anything, for they are unchanging, and can hold nothing in their hands….I have a mortal’s voice, let me have the rest.”

2. Circe by Madeline Miller: Book Review 

Circe’s character is depicted by Madeline Miller in a way that grounds her in reality despite her divine origins. Miller’s prose possesses dreamlike simplicity. Her depiction of what it feels like to work magic is extraordinarily brilliant and convincing. Besides its beautiful story, the novel is rich in language and dynamic in characterization. Miller makes brilliant and powerful use of imagery and emotion in depicting the story of a fierce goddess who only occupied a few dozen lines in Homer’s The Odyssey . This book is a triumph of storytelling and must be an immense gift to all who read to seek their own bravery and quest. 

2.1 Is Circe only a Good Book for Greek Mythology Lovers?

Circe is especially a gift for people who like Greek mythology, dense intricate plots, and more formal writing. But you can still enjoy the book if you’re not a big fan of Greek mythology. Thanks to Madeline Miller! She has given a glossary of characters at the back of the book that explains everyone’s role in depth. You can have a look at it to get some understanding of Greek gods and goddesses. 

3. About Circe Book Author: Madeline Miller

You can follow Madeline Miller on social media:

4. Circe Vs The Songs of Achilles

Madeline Miller’s debut novel The Song of Achilles takes us on a tour of ancient Greece, and retells the siege of Troy from the point of view of Patroclus, an awkward young prince. The story of this book is profoundly moving, breathtaking and also contemplates the importance of myths in today’s modern world.

Like its predecessor, The Song of Achilles , Miller’s second hit novel, Circe , also takes the same stimulating approach to ancient Greek literature. Miller brings a classic story of female empowerment by weaving together Homer’s tale with other ancient sources. 

5. Circe: Awards and Honors

Circe by Madeline Miller, is a highly recommended book and, indeed, deserves a good place on your bookshelf! I hope you all enjoyed this review!

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Book Review: Circe by Madeline Miller

While I've been much engaged in Norse mythology in recent years, the Greek myths and legends have always had a special place in my heart, owed to the fact that I grew up with them. Before the thick volumes of high fantasy, before the Lord of the Rings, my parents and grandparents would tell me of the Olympians, their mighty heroes and monsters. Greek myths are almost a part of my DNA and so I'm picky about modern retellings of these timeless stories.

Circe by Madeline Miller is a spellbinding read, a novel that humanises the sorceress of Aiaia in ways I could've only hoped for. A story which will sweep you off your feet, this follows the lifespan of the goddess and Oceanid nymph Circe, the strangest of all the Titan Helios' children, his first with the nymph Perse. Her life's journey is one that begins in parental neglect, all too common a motive for the gods and their children. (One could make the case that being neglected is better than your father eating you whole along with all your siblings, but that's beside the point.)

Circe is, at first, much like a child -- desperate in love, and without knowledge of her witchcraft, she turns a mortal into a god. When he does not respond to her feelings, Circe, in jealousy turns the selfish nymph Scylla into the terrible, many-headed monstrosity; a morally reprehensible act, which leaves a deep stain on her conscience.

Once banished to Aiaia, Circe begins to grow in earnest, and hers is a spectacular change, helped along by a small but impressive cast of supporting characters -- Hermes and Daedalus, Ariadne and the Minotaur and, of course, cunning Odysseus. I'd say spoilers to that last name, but that particular bit of trivia is a few millennia past the expiry date.

Themes and Characters:

This book will scrutinise what it means to be immortal, the difficulties of parenthood and fickle nature of (some kinds of) love, what it is to be a woman in a man-dominated world, and broken time and time again, only to rise stronger than the time before. It is not an easy road -- my heart tightened at the cruelty Circe endured at the hands of both gods and men more than once. She learns bitter lessons from both, but her own exercises in cruelty are rarely callous and undeserved.

Acting as a foil to Circe will be every Olympian and Titan, every Oceanid nymph -- self-centred, unchangeable and unconcerned with anything besides themselves and their hedonistic pleasures, power-struggles and small betrayals. All but one, that is and who that one is, I won't reveal...though if you're knowledgeable enough in matters mythological, you might already have a shortlist. A very short...list.

Mortals, too, are different from Circe. But where they run counter to the gods is, each is different. No one trait, good or foul, is shared between them. Odysseus could be no more different from Telemachus, for good or ill.

So many gods and heroes appear, whether washed up on the shores of Aiaia or before. I can't describe how much I enjoyed Circe's interactions with Hermes and Ariadne, with Odysseus and...many others. Some incredible women await you here, some of them innocent and kind to a fault, others conniving and ambitious, and much more besides. To mention any more names would be to take away some of the surprises you'll find within the novel, and I just can't do that. You should experience them for yourself.

Madeline Miller's prose is clear, lyrical and beautiful. Never once did I feel like I was overwhelmed and had to put the book down. Most impressive I find the fact that Miller has managed, by retelling certain myths and stories in as concise a way as possible, to make this a self-contained story which will never force you to feel like you have to go read the Odyssey, for example, in order to find answers.

The greatest compliment I could make is, Circe, told in a first-person POV, truly felt like the account of a divine being, so bittersweet and powerful was Madeline Miller's writing.

Very Subjective Thoughts:

I love, love, love this novel! I stayed up until 4 in the morning reading the bloody thing! I ignored my poor sweet wee girlfriend to finish it! I couldn't function, I couldn't put it down until I finished the whole damn thing!... Which happens to me a lot more than I'd like to admit. But one thing I want to underline -- this is a story worth experiencing. There is pain here, but also love and kindness and so much more, that words escape me. I cannot recommend this book enough. (And I've obviously tried!)

And can I just say, Madeline Miller hits the nail on the head wherever Olympians and Titans are concerned. Helios' in particular reminded me of Dan Simmons' rendition of the Olympians, with an explosive fury that melts everything away, be it living flesh, stone or metal.

TL;DR: I've written a whole lot of words about this novel, but it all boils down to this: Circe is a strong, likeable heroine whose journey will long burn brightly in my mind. It's a journey worth experiencing.

A journey worth experiencing particularly IF you are into:

Greek mythology;

self-contained novels;

strong female characters;

gods and monsters;

single, first-person POV;

historically accurate notions of sexuality;

witches on islands brewing herbs;

and more! Prob'ly.

Score and Totally Arbitrary Awards:

I gave Circe a 5-star review on Goodreads! More importantly, it is now a permanent part of my Greek mythology headcanon! If I had to give this a score, it would be eleven out of twelve humans consumed by a mindless monstrosity; the twelfth managed to escape for reasons not entirely

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Hopeful fantasy;

Novel with fewer than 2500 Goodreads Ratings (for now!).

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Review: Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand

Editorial note: I received a copy of Swan Song in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand is the final book of the author’s bestselling Nantucket series.

This is her 30th book, and a farewell to writing about the island of Nantucket. She told CBC that she decided to end the series because “she ran out of ideas” and feels like she’s covered every aspect of the island as well as she could. But she’s not fully retiring from books, as she is currently working on a boarding school series with her daughter.

Still, though, it’s a goodbye to summer beach reading set in Nantucket, at least from Elin. I came to her novels late in her career and I have fairly enjoyed them all. Honestly, I don’t love her books, I think they’re fine and entertaining but it always takes me a bit to really get into her stories. Still, I found them a completely pleasant read during the summer.

Swan Song , again, falls into the ‘fine’ territory. I liked it enough, but I also found it repetitive, especially detailing all the party scenes. And a little to try-hard with mastering Gen-Z culture and slang (I say this as a Millennial who is not well-versed in it as well, ha). But I give her credit for willing to write outside of what she knows and try to capture more diverse characters in an otherwise very WASPy environment.

What’s the Story About

This is the Swan Song for many of Elin Hilderbrand’s memorable characters. Chief of Police Ed Kapenash is about to retire. Blond Sharon is going through a divorce. But everyone is talking about the uber rich and mysterious Richardsons who have just moved to the island. They throw huge parties that get all the island talking. But there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to their wealth and intentions.

When their house burns to the ground and their most essential employee goes missing, the entire island is up in arms.

Rich People Problems

This story is the definition of rich people problems. It’s told in somewhat of a tongue in cheek way but it still flaunts the wealth in extreme detail. I sometimes get bored with these types of stories but Elin does try to weave in some more depth, including contrasting the excess of the Richardsons with the hard upbringing of Coco, their assistant who is an aspiring screenwriter. It mostly works, but at times, it all just felt a little empty.

Following Ed and his impending retirement was interesting. But I wasn’t as engaged with some of the characters like his daughter Kacy. There were just too many moving parts with Elin trying to wrap up so many different storylines that it was hard to get attached to any of the new players.

Oh and the Richardsons, especially Leslee, were just so over the top, which was the point but that got a little old too.

I did like the story enough—the setting is incredible and so vivid. She does have a great ability to paint true human emotion with plenty of flaws and accountability. You can tell she put a lot of love into the original characters.

I imagined it would feel almost impossible to know how to wrap up such a long-running series. So I commend her for this impressive writing career. I’m not sure if any story could live up to the hype and expectations of a finale.

So while there are areas I didn’t love, all in all, it was an entertaining read. And in the end, what more do you need out of a summer story, right?

For book clubs, check out my discussion questions here .

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H.R. McMaster Doesn’t Think Donald Trump Is Very Good at Making Deals

A new memoir by the onetime national security adviser shows how the former president’s insecurities and weaknesses harmed U.S. foreign policy.

The national security adviser H.R. McMaster at a meeting in the White House in 2017. Credit... Tom Brenner/The New York Times

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Nicolas Niarchos is a freelance journalist whose writing on international relations has appeared in The Nation and The New Yorker. He is at work on a book about the supply chain for battery metals.

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AT WAR WITH OURSELVES: My Tour of Duty in the Trump White House , by H.R. McMaster

Recently on the campaign trail, Donald Trump has talked up his aggressive stance on China, positioning himself as a tough negotiator in a brutal trade war . But a new memoir by Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, one of Trump’s national security advisers, throws that narrative, and many other stories that Trump tells about his time in office, into stark relief.

As McMaster writes in “At War With Ourselves,” the president could sometimes be kept on the straight and narrow with a clever dose of reverse psychology (Xi Jinping wants you to say this, Xi Jinping wants you to say that). But just as often, McMaster shows Trump to have been an unpredictable waffler who undermined himself to the advantage of his competitors on the world stage.

In November 2017, President Trump visited China on the third leg of a 13-day trip around Asia. It was his “most consequential” destination, McMaster explains. As they flew to Beijing, he warned Trump that Xi would try to trick him into saying something that was good for China, but bad for the United States and its allies. “The C.C.P.’s favorite phrase, ‘win-win,’” he recalls telling his boss at one point, “actually meant that China won twice.”

Trump seemed to hear him, but in the Great Hall of the People, the president strayed from his talking points. He agreed with Xi that military exercises in South Korea were “provocative” and a “waste of money” and suggested that China might have a legitimate claim to Japan’s Senkaku Islands. McMaster, his stomach sinking, passed a note to Gen. John Kelly, the chief of staff: Xi “ate our lunch,” it read.

“At War With Ourselves” is intended to be a companion to “ Battlegrounds ,” McMaster’s 2020 assessment of U.S. foreign policy backsliding since the Cold War, but it works well as a stand-alone and serves as essential reading for anyone countenancing a potential second round of Trump as a global leader. The general shows how, despite his best efforts to help the president, the supposed master of the “art of the deal” was treated like a “chump” by a roster of the world’s top authoritarians.

Flattery and pomp from leaders like Xi, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Russian president Vladimir V. Putin seem to have been all that was required to get in Trump’s good graces. In 2018, McMaster found Trump in the Oval Office scrawling a cheerful note to Putin across a New York Post article reporting that the Russian president had denigrated the American political system but called Trump a good listener. Like a child with his Christmas wish list, the leader of the free world asked McMaster to send it to the Kremlin. It was especially bad timing: Evidence was coming to light that Putin had directed an assassination on British soil. McMaster did not forward the note, later explaining to an infuriated Trump that his letter would “reinforce the narrative that you are somehow in the Kremlin’s pocket.”

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