A Book Review: Circe
Title of the book: Circe
Author: Madeline Miller
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication Date: 1st of April 2019
Genre: Mythology, Fiction, Historical Fiction
Why I picked up this book:
First things first, I owe you a bit of an explanation as to why I was gone all of last week. Maybe. You might not have noticed in truth. Either way. Last week was a bit of a hectic one in our home. We took our first ever RSPCA foster dog and boy it has been a wild ride since. Our poor pup had never lived in a house before so we are teaching her everything from scratch. I’m glad when I am able to shower and clean my teeth, so reading has been a luxury I was unable to afford.
We are starting to turn a corner with her though. She is a very clever little creature and every day she is starting to understand more. So I can slowly start to dive back into my stories.
Like Circe. Praises have been sung for this book since it was first released. One of my dear friends recently joined the chorus of voices showering it with accolades, prompting me to pick up a copy. Greek mythology has always tickled my curiosity, and since reading A Thousand Ships I have been searching for more. So all together this seemed like the perfect story to ease me back into reading after my brief hiatus.
About the author:
Madeline Miller was born in Boston and grew up in New York City and Philadelphia. She attended Brown University, where she earned her BA and MA in Classics. For the last ten years, she has been teaching and tutoring Latin, Greek and Shakespeare to high school students. She has also studied at the University of Chicago’s Committee on Social Thought, and in the Dramaturgy department at Yale School of Drama, where she focused on the adaptation of classical texts to modern forms. She currently lives in Cambridge, MA, where she teaches and writes.
Synopsis:
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.
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.
Review of the book:
Let me come out and say it, Madeline Miller has a way with words that knows no equal. She has the uncanny ability to write a tale that is both a timeless classic and an approachable story at the same time. If you had told me this novel had been written thousands of years ago, during the days when Zeus himself walked our earth, I would have believed you. If you had told me Circe lived on a small island in the Mediterranean sea right now, I wouldn’t argue either.
The story has all the gravitas of Greek mythology, without the cumbersome language. It is a story as the bards would have sung it, without the needless embellishments. Our narrator does not shy away from hurt and misfortune. Our hero is not an infallible being, favoured by the gods, the chosen one who will prevail against all odds.
Our hero is a woman scorn. A woman who has never fit in amongst her closest relations. With one foot in the world of divinity and the other firmly rooted amongst mortals. Circe’s is a tale of self-exploration. Circe’s is a tale of will. Circe’s is a tale of persistence.
What is perhaps most interesting about the story is its narrative. No longer is Circe a character thrown into the mix to aid and build the credentials of our heroes. To deify Jason and Odysseus. A minor inconvenience in the epic of men, a plotline, a throwaway character with no agency of her own.
No more. Circe is a woman who has done unspeakable things. Who has created monsters who have haunted her humanity. Who has been failed by those around her with lofty goals and spiteful ambitions. She is bullied, belittled and cast aside. She is lonely, harsh and unforgiven. Through all of that, she finds her centre. She becomes the powerful witch of Aiaia. One who does not rule by taking away free will like her brother. Nor one who rules through fear and threat like her sister. She needs no subjects. She rules her island as she rules herself. Through will, through work.
Another thing Madeline Miller has done expertly is showing the gods through Circe’s eyes. Of course, anyone who has read the barest about the Greek Pantheon knows most of them are flawed beyond measure. However, there always seem to be redeeming factors. Not for Circe. Not for the witch who has existed on the fringes of this cacophony. She undresses them for the reader. She leaves them exposed. She makes us question what we have learned as gospel. She makes us wonder if they are different from us at all. If they are not simply spiteful, power-hungry creatures after all.
I honestly could keep gushing about this epos until I am hoarse, but I will leave it here. Suffice to say I highly recommend this story. Even if you weren’t a fan of Miller’s earlier work, don’t rob yourself of the pleasure of reading this story.
