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Rate: 5/5

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Genre: Fantasy, Fairy Tale, Myth

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Circe is an ancient tale of survival and heroism; as a small nymph navigates the world of gods and titans, she learns to embrace her power of witchcraft and fight for herself.

“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.”

Overview

Madeline Miller has a knack for creating such beautiful and insightful stories out of old and worn-out myths; The Song of Achilles, her first book, was a retelling of the tragedy of Achilles and the Trojan War, but told from the perspective of his lover Patroclus. Giving her own twist to the famous Greek legend, she created a tale that is timeless, original, and unlike anything seen before. She does the same thing with Circe but with more confidence and creativity. Heartbreaking and powerful simultaneously, you can feel the love and care that has been put into this unforgettable piece of writing.

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

Circe, in its essence, is a story of a young woman fighting for autonomy. Born into the family of the titan Helios, she is the first nymph ever with witchcraft in her veins. After a series of events that earns the ire of the gods and titans, she is whisked onto a desolate island to be isolated for her entire immortal life. There in the wilderness, she learns to tame her unchecked power to create a life for herself. She loves gods, exercises power against men who dare thread her island and helps heroes on their journey home.

“It is a common saying that women are delicate creatures, flowers, eggs, anything that may be crushed in a moment’s carelessness. If I had ever believed it, I no longer did.”

Character

Despite being an immortal nymph, there’s something about Circe’s journey that beautifully reflects humanity. She starts off as a naive and vulnerable girl who is susceptible to the control of more powerful beings of the cosmos, but she eventually uses her witchcraft to defy them. It is such a powerful story that resonates with a lot of people.

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

Prose

Madeline Miller’s prose has always been poetic; she brings words together to create these amazingly quotable passages that provides us a glimpse of the human condition. Her writing is effortless in how they portray Circe; she feels so real and human. The struggles she goes through and how she responds to them aren’t perfect, but instead, it sheds light on the dirty and brutal side of humanity. The words blend and mix with each other to make one of the most gorgeous prose I’ve ever seen. 5/5

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