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yuhala's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
thekidonherown's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
garlicbreadrach's review against another edition
4.0
The book was well written and contained compelling characters, I enjoyed Circe’s growth through the books and how it changes her perspective of the world around her and the people she encounters. While she does encounter many amazing hero’s of legend I did find that the book had no real stakes. It contained beautiful introspection and was enjoyable and smooth to read. I didn’t feel as if it was a page turner as I often put it down to then not pick it back up for weeks. But when I did pick it back up I was transported into a well written and lovely story.
softcalico's review against another edition
4.0
Madeline Miller does a great job at portraying and continuously reminding us that gods do not think like us and they can't be humanized. I liked watching Circe grow into her powers and discover herself on her island.
Odysseus... is Odysseus? Idk how else to put it. Not-like-other-girls Odysseus. He's just different from all the other men that come to her island, therefore deserves her special treatment. Then later, when Circe is given accounts of him after he's died, we're shown that this man was actually pretty horrible (and had some PTSD).
I would've given this book a higher rating except for the fact that Circe gets a happily-ever-after with Odysseus-but-better, becomes mortal, and presumably dies of old age. The whole point of every Greek myth is that they all end in tragedy, or at least unhappiness.
However, this is my only complaint. I did enjoy reading this book since I love Greek mythology. Those who don't probably wouldn't like it.
Odysseus... is Odysseus? Idk how else to put it. Not-like-other-girls Odysseus. He's just different from all the other men that come to her island, therefore deserves her special treatment. Then later, when Circe is given accounts of him after he's died, we're shown that this man was actually pretty horrible (and had some PTSD).
I would've given this book a higher rating except for the fact that Circe gets a happily-ever-after with Odysseus-but-better, becomes mortal, and presumably dies of old age. The whole point of every Greek myth is that they all end in tragedy, or at least unhappiness.
However, this is my only complaint. I did enjoy reading this book since I love Greek mythology. Those who don't probably wouldn't like it.
jpwilliams's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
peepington's review against another edition
5.0
had this book on my shelf for years and im soooo mad at myself for taking so long to finally read it because its sooo stunning
peaxekeepxr's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
mitskacir's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting read, made me learn a lot about Greek mythology (I was constantly Googling the 'original' myths and comparing them to what happens in Miller's story). I would recommend this to someone who is interested in Greek mythology, and/or who enjoys classic stories reimagined/told from female perspectives. I appreciated how Miller put women at the center of stories that (often bafflingly) place males as the heroes (I particularly like her interpretation that these men are at the center of these stories because the men are the ones who are telling them - think of Odysseus and all the male bards in the The Odyssey). Overall though, I found the story a bit slow and not particularly creative.
faimt28's review against another edition
4.0
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (maybe 3.5-3.75?)
TW: rape
Circe is a retelling of the story of the witch from The Odyssey, although I never read the Odyssey, I just know parts of the story, so I couldn't tell you how different this is from the original myths, and thus my review is in the eyes of someone who had no idea who Circe is, and just recognized some of the well known Greek mythological stories (Daedalus and Icarus, Odysseus, Medea, the Greek gods and titans). Phew that was a run on sentence haha.
Also this was one of my @bookofthemonth books and I’m so happy I got it I love book of the month (ps I have a referral code for a $5 book in my bio)
Anyway! This was a great book, though it took a little while to grow on me. I'm glad I didn't give up on it, though I considered it around 35%.
The story of Circe starts out from when she is young, a nymph who doesn't seem to have power or beauty, and thus is not particularly liked or loved by anyone. She instead turns her focus to mortals, and as a result finds out she is a powerful witch. When this truth comes to light, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island for the rest of time, where she works on her witchcraft and comes across all those mythological characters I mentioned.
The thing I loved the most about this story was to see the progression of Circe and how she grows as a person through hundreds of years. I don't want to say too much more because spoilers! But the ending was worth it.
Some other thoughts:
* I'm not sure this book would be very well liked by someone who is very familiar with Greek mythology, but for someone like me who doesn't know much beyond things discussed in Percy Jackson, the story is very new and exciting
* It is a little difficult to get past the middle-ish section but I encourage you to stick through with it
* The plot line of this story is messy, as it spans through the centuries of the life of a immortal goddess, so it is a bit difficult to keep track of all the characters.
TW: rape
Circe is a retelling of the story of the witch from The Odyssey, although I never read the Odyssey, I just know parts of the story, so I couldn't tell you how different this is from the original myths, and thus my review is in the eyes of someone who had no idea who Circe is, and just recognized some of the well known Greek mythological stories (Daedalus and Icarus, Odysseus, Medea, the Greek gods and titans). Phew that was a run on sentence haha.
Also this was one of my @bookofthemonth books and I’m so happy I got it I love book of the month (ps I have a referral code for a $5 book in my bio)
Anyway! This was a great book, though it took a little while to grow on me. I'm glad I didn't give up on it, though I considered it around 35%.
The story of Circe starts out from when she is young, a nymph who doesn't seem to have power or beauty, and thus is not particularly liked or loved by anyone. She instead turns her focus to mortals, and as a result finds out she is a powerful witch. When this truth comes to light, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island for the rest of time, where she works on her witchcraft and comes across all those mythological characters I mentioned.
The thing I loved the most about this story was to see the progression of Circe and how she grows as a person through hundreds of years. I don't want to say too much more because spoilers! But the ending was worth it.
Some other thoughts:
* I'm not sure this book would be very well liked by someone who is very familiar with Greek mythology, but for someone like me who doesn't know much beyond things discussed in Percy Jackson, the story is very new and exciting
* It is a little difficult to get past the middle-ish section but I encourage you to stick through with it
* The plot line of this story is messy, as it spans through the centuries of the life of a immortal goddess, so it is a bit difficult to keep track of all the characters.