Book reviews

Book review: Circe by Madeline Miller


Book Cover

Title: Circe

Author: Madeline Miller

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Publication date: 19th April 2018

My rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Summary:

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

My review:

There are no words to truly describe just how wonderful this book is but I will try to pull my thoughts together and explain why this book is so special to me.

Putting aside the Greek mythology aspect, this story is an accurate reflection of the struggles that many of us face even today in the 21st century. I was pleasantly surprised that the author decided to focus on Circe’s attitude towards her family which runs parallel to the disputes with family members we face in our every day life and the need to often justify our actions or even break free from the negative surroundings, just like Circe is forced to do when she is exiled to a deserted island. Right from the first chapter I began to connect with Circe and supported her in her attempt to escape from the abuse she was subject to at home. Despite the battles she faces and the struggles to live in isolation, her desire to strive for the best for her son’s future with few complaints does not go unnoticed and is a reflection and celebration of many independent women’s lives today.

I must admit that I was not too keen on the fantasy or mythology element before I started the book but the storytelling factor is so effortless that it plays little significance to the greatness of this story. If Greek mythology is not your preferred choice of reading, don’t be discouraged after reading the blurb because the author does a brilliant job of introducing all the main characters and linking them to each other so the story is easy to follow without any necessary background knowledge. In fact, I firmly believe that the storytelling is the main reason for the success of this book; the language, eloquent sentences and retelling of all the adventures from Circe’s point of view are the key elements of the magical universe that the author has created, one which I almost didn’t want to leave after finishing the book.

Perhaps my review doesn’t do this book justice and you aren’t yet convinced on Circe. However, I want to assure those of you who have heard about this book and decided to pass on it, whether it’s due to the mythology or the genre, that we can all find an important message linked to our daily lives if we search hard enough. Although the initial story is a retelling of a Greek mythology, the deep-rooted prejudices and thoughts are what make this story so special and simply for this reason, I believe that Circe should be high up on everyone’s list of books to be read.

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