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A review by ajediprincess
Circe by Madeline Miller
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is a beautiful book. It is written in the first person perspective, from Circe’s point of view. It’s also written in a way that is so different to what I am used to, but it serves the tone and theme of the Greek myth well. The style seems almost like an encyclopedia entry or a biography at times. Circe rushes through many broken memories, spanning all the way back to her earliest days alive, and the narrative follows what she chooses to tell and what she thinks is most important to mention. For this reason, she does summarize things and she stops speaking of them when she feels they are no longer important. There are a lot of plain, practical statements, and there is a lot of telling of facts. But there are also beautiful analogies and uses of simile and even hyperbole.
The pace did strike me as a bit odd. Personally, the narrative feels best when it zooms in and focuses on moments and scenes with dialogue and emotion. More on this later. Everything else really feels so abridged, like dancing across the surface of a great iceberg. One knows there must be more there, but Circe chooses not to go into great depth about it.
This is a very good story, if not told rather strangely, in snapshots and summaries and anecdotes. It's almost as if Circe herself is trying to tell the reader her life story in the most succinct way possible. At no point was I aware of or able to discern how much time had passed from point to point in the narrative. I could make a guess, but I would never be certain. She tells the story in such a scattered, stream of consciousness manner that it is impossible to discern when all of the events of Circe's life happened, only that they did. That is not to say that it doesn't feel satisfying, it does, it's just different than most methods of storytelling. I lost track of how many famous Greek myths made appearances in the tapestry of Circe's life, but suffice it to say she was involved in some manner in many of the very famous stories in Greek mythology, and it was very interesting to see how.
The overall structure of the narrative is very apropos for Greek mythology too. Circling all the way back to events from the very beginning of Circe’s life, there are peaks and valleys and bitter twists of fate. The way all of these threads come together is meticulous, masterful. There is so much literary symmetry that even when things happen that threaten to cause unspeakable anger and frustration in the reader, one cannot help but admire how brilliant and clever these events and their relationship to Circe are.
Circe herself is a strong, compelling protagonist. She has an almost unbelievable amount of compassion for mortals, and has even been told that she has a “mortal voice.” This is striking when contrasted with the reactions and opinions regarding mortals from all the other gods and even nymphs around her. She feels somehow different from them in so many ways, and one fateful decision she makes in her youth shows her just how different she really is. Thus begins the great story of her life—a life filled with discovery, magic, longing, exile, loneliness, invention, opportunity, vengeance, personal growth, empowerment, forgiveness, trust, love, and hope.
There was a period where I felt as though the book must be coming to a close, yet it marched on, in a good way, because Circe’s story was not yet done, even though all of the mythology with which I was familiar had ended. The last ten chapters of this book are the most gripping. Here the narrative seems to slow down and zooms in the focus. No longer a summary, it’s now the careful recounting of what has transpired most recently, all leading up to where the tense of the narration actually changes from past to present, active. We see what has happened, giving rise to what is happening now, just before the book ends with something of a cliffhanger. It’s beautifully done.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Greek myth and wants to hear an interesting and moving story of one minor figure from arguably the most famous tale of Greek Mythology and discover her life. It was an enjoyable read.
The pace did strike me as a bit odd. Personally, the narrative feels best when it zooms in and focuses on moments and scenes with dialogue and emotion. More on this later. Everything else really feels so abridged, like dancing across the surface of a great iceberg. One knows there must be more there, but Circe chooses not to go into great depth about it.
This is a very good story, if not told rather strangely, in snapshots and summaries and anecdotes. It's almost as if Circe herself is trying to tell the reader her life story in the most succinct way possible. At no point was I aware of or able to discern how much time had passed from point to point in the narrative. I could make a guess, but I would never be certain. She tells the story in such a scattered, stream of consciousness manner that it is impossible to discern when all of the events of Circe's life happened, only that they did. That is not to say that it doesn't feel satisfying, it does, it's just different than most methods of storytelling. I lost track of how many famous Greek myths made appearances in the tapestry of Circe's life, but suffice it to say she was involved in some manner in many of the very famous stories in Greek mythology, and it was very interesting to see how.
The overall structure of the narrative is very apropos for Greek mythology too. Circling all the way back to events from the very beginning of Circe’s life, there are peaks and valleys and bitter twists of fate. The way all of these threads come together is meticulous, masterful. There is so much literary symmetry that even when things happen that threaten to cause unspeakable anger and frustration in the reader, one cannot help but admire how brilliant and clever these events and their relationship to Circe are.
Circe herself is a strong, compelling protagonist. She has an almost unbelievable amount of compassion for mortals, and has even been told that she has a “mortal voice.” This is striking when contrasted with the reactions and opinions regarding mortals from all the other gods and even nymphs around her. She feels somehow different from them in so many ways, and one fateful decision she makes in her youth shows her just how different she really is. Thus begins the great story of her life—a life filled with discovery, magic, longing, exile, loneliness, invention, opportunity, vengeance, personal growth, empowerment, forgiveness, trust, love, and hope.
There was a period where I felt as though the book must be coming to a close, yet it marched on, in a good way, because Circe’s story was not yet done, even though all of the mythology with which I was familiar had ended. The last ten chapters of this book are the most gripping. Here the narrative seems to slow down and zooms in the focus. No longer a summary, it’s now the careful recounting of what has transpired most recently, all leading up to where the tense of the narration actually changes from past to present, active. We see what has happened, giving rise to what is happening now, just before the book ends with something of a cliffhanger. It’s beautifully done.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Greek myth and wants to hear an interesting and moving story of one minor figure from arguably the most famous tale of Greek Mythology and discover her life. It was an enjoyable read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing and Emotional abuse
Minor: Gore, Rape, and Sexual assault