Circe by Madeline Miller: A Novel of Mythology, Magic and Transformation

Karina Estrada: Beautifully written and Beautifully ended

United States on Oct 26, 2023

mmonica: Greek legends retold from Circe’s perspective and with a more human aspect. The writing and imagery is great and the length of the book is just right.

United States on Oct 19, 2023

Josef: I held off of this book as I was never one for fairy tales, I had thought. How wrong I was! This telling of one character of the Odyssey and all its permutations is at once old and new. A great read for those familiar with the take it is based upon and for those seeking remembrance.

United States on Oct 07, 2023

BosMA: Of the several books written about Greek mythology characters, I like “Circe” the best. In fact, I like Madeline Miller’s books best of all, having really enjoyed “The Song of Achilles” as well. I look forward to her next book, but I read that she suffers from Long COVID and her ability to write novels has been severely curtailed. I wish her all the best for a full recovery.

United States on Sep 29, 2023

lauren johnston: Worth the time especially if you like mythology. Same prose-like, flowery writing as son of Achilles. I have almost DNF'd both these books halfway through and the final chapters of both these books has brought the characters and their insights full circle and made me enjoy the journey more. Still wish it was a more exciting journey throughout the book.

United States on Sep 13, 2023

CassieCassie: Tout d’abord, au vu des avis qui divergeaient et de sa notoriété sur les réseaux sociaux j’ai été vraiment très sceptique à propos de ce livre. J’ai repoussé de nombreuses fois son achat mais également sa lecture. Toutefois, j’ai décidé de me lancer et quelle claque je me suis prise ! Ce roman est bouleversant, touchant, magnifique, presque poétique. Il est une ode à soi, à l’autre mais surtout une ode à la femme. Cette histoire mythologique retrace les événements les plus importants et pour d’autres les plus connus de la mythologie grecque tout en suivant le destin de la jeune Circé. Donc si vous ne vous y connaissez pas en mythologie, aucun problème, l’autrice a cette faculté d’exprimer avec tant de beauté, de justesse et de simplicité l’histoire de cette jeune femme ainsi que l’origine de l’Olympe avec ses nombreux(ses) dieux et déesses. Ce récit à la première personne nous emporte réellement et complètement dans les pensées et sentiments de Circé. C’est une histoire si belle et époustouflante dans laquelle toutes les femmes peuvent se retrouver. Circé est l’héroïne parfaitement imparfaite et c’est cela qui la rend...

France on May 13, 2023

Kate Hopkins: Madeline Miller's second novel is the story of Circe, daughter of the sun god Helios - Circe who turned the nymph Scylla into a monster with dogs springing from her thighs, and Odysseus' men into swine. But the Circe portrayed here is not the devilish temptress of popular legend. Scorned by the gods for having a voice and eyes 'like a mortal's', Circe grows up neglected in her father's hall, and longing for love. She thinks she has found it with Glaucos, a mortal fisherman who through magic she renders divine. But when Glaucos rejects her for the callous nymph Scylla, she takes drastic revenge. Horrified by what she has done - which turns out far worse than planned - Circe confesses her sins and is banished for all eternity to the island of Aiaia. And - other than a short journey to Crete to witness her sister Pasiphae give birth to the Minotaur - there she remains for centuries, until the wanderer Odysseus arrives and changes her life forever...

This is a much better book than Miller's debut 'The Song of Achilles', which despite some lovely passages seemed to be constantly trying to impose a 21st-century outlook on an ancient tale. A good deal of the writing is beautiful -...

United Kingdom on Jan 08, 2023

Anuradha Gupta: ***SPOILERS AHEAD***

On the Facebook reader group, I heard a lot about Circe by Madeline Miller over the last year. Though I was enamored by its beautiful cover and an exotic title, I kept away because I thought it was one of those novels which would be highly demanding, my time and brainpower. I wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment because my daughter was still demanding most of my time. It took a lockdown and a now less dependent child for me to finally pick this book up. And I am glad I did it. Circe follows the story of the Goddess daughter of the Sun God Helios and the nymph Perse over the course of several hundred years before leaving the reader on the verge of a further story.

“I will not be like a bird bred in a cage, I thought, too dull to fly even when the door stands open.”

Circe had always been different. With her frail human-like voice and yellow eyes, she was the least wanted child of her parents. Despised by everyone in her family of Gods for her distinctness, Circe grows up at her father’s feet in the hopes of receiving his affections at least once. Neglected by him and her mother alike, she finds support and solace in her younger...

India on May 31, 2020

Muse: I fell in love with Madeline Miller’s writing when I read The Song of Achilles, and I eagerly awaited the release of Circe, because I was desperate to experience the magic that is her storytelling once again. After reading The Song Of Achilles and Circe, I am certain that Miller was born to write about Greek Mythology. She has such a unique way of transporting you, effortlessly, into a time of Greek Gods, demigods, Greek heroes and those mortals either willingly, or unwillingly caught in their orbit. The Song of Achilles will always have a special place in my heart, but Circe is its close companion, as Miller soared to new heights with it and gave me an experience I will never forget. In Circe, we walked among Gods and Goddesses, witnessing myth after myth and it really was a feast for those who have a hunger for Greek Mythology, such as myself.

Our journey with Circe begins quite early on in her life when she is still a resident in her fathers halls, where he is very literally the light of her life, “He liked the way the obsidian reflected his light, the way its slick surface caught fire as he passed. Of course he did not consider how black it would be when he was...

United Kingdom on Dec 09, 2018

Ralph Blumenau: The relationships between the ancient Greek deities – Titans, Olympians, naiads or nymphs, demi-gods who are offsprings of a divinity and a mortal, etc – is complicated and there are many different versions of them. Madeline Miller doesn’t make it any easier; so it takes some time before the book gets under way and becomes gripping. It is not clear to me whether Miller has invented some crucial episodes herself or whether she has drawn them from one of the many different sources about Circe. At any rate, I cannot find some of these episodes in the several books I have on Greek mythology or on the internet.

The story is told by Circe, who has very “human” emotions and endures much suffering at the hands of the inhuman gods. She is a naiad, daughter of the Titan sun-god Helios and the naiad Perse. In the novel’s first episode, she witnesses the Zeus’ punishment of her uncle Prometheus, which, initially, is different from the traditional story of being chained to a rock and daily having his liver eaten by an eagle. She risks trying to help him.

Because, unlike the other nymphs, Circe is plain-looking and has an ugly voice, she does not believe she will be...

United Kingdom on May 27, 2018