74.7k reviews for:

კირკე

Madeline Miller

4.25 AVERAGE

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

ugh I saw a lot of myself in circe. gorgeous book, dare I say better than song of achilles
adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
emotional informative inspiring reflective fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I’ve been thinking about this non-stop since I finished it. Great mythology and a message centered around being true to your own values, despite where you started and what those around you try to push you to value. I also loved how she hated men and would turn them to pigs
adventurous reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
adventurous mysterious

I... did not like this that much.
Circe is tame and unremarkable, her presence only an excuse to introduce some of the more famous Greek myths, regardless of whether she is connected to them in any way or not. Her own story is slow, boring and shallow, with the men seemingly more important than Circe.

4.9

4,25
inspiring reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Even before I finished this book, I knew it was going to be a 5-star and on my favourites shelf.  Madeline Miller is just that good. Time and time again, Circe felt so human. We watch as she sheds her naivety and grows into a self-assured woman. 

Love, family and home are major themes in this book. For all of these topics, we learn that it is up to you to discover and choose what they mean to you. Throughout the book, all the themes are presented to us in various forms as we watch Circe create her own definition for each. Love is one that is very prevalent throughout the book, but Circe's story is not solely about romance. Love is observed through Circe's perception of love and how she observes it presented by others. I've seen the topic of the divine vs mortal as another one of the themes, but I think those were the tools to discuss morality and values.

At one point, Circe has a traumatic experience that impacts her mental health. Although the reckless, maladaptive thoughts are sparse, it still felt like Madeline Miller was holding up a mirror to my past, depressed self, to show me what it looks like on the other side. The event itself sets off a chain reaction of how Circe begins to navigate her life as the witch of Aiaia, but it is the few moments where she has such troubling, but relatable (if you've been there) thoughts that really stuck with me, even after Circe was no longer in such a mindset. 
 

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