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hanarama's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-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
3.75
The Good:
• Provides new perspective
• Well researched, detailed
The Bad:
• Telling, not showing
You Might Like this if You Like:
• Myths retold
• Witches
Really powerful retelling. I love the way that Miller connects multiple stories to deliver a cohesive and complete tale of one of the more intriguing figures in Greek mythology: the enchantress, Circe.
Circe's divinity feels so evident in this story. The connection to figures across years and centuries really drives this home. But additionally, Miller takes pains to differentiate divine ability from witchcraft, which helps to make Circe seem extremely powerful, and a threat to gods and mortals alike.
My one issue with this book is that it feels much more like Circe is telling the reader about everything years after the fact, rather than allowing the reader to experience Circe's life alongside her. At times, it felt as though very little had happened, despite very many things happening. And the low-key tone occasionally made me drowsy.
I would have preferred a more active tone, but despite that, I felt like this was an excellent exploration into Circe's character. And it's always great to see female POV retellings.
• Provides new perspective
• Well researched, detailed
The Bad:
• Telling, not showing
You Might Like this if You Like:
• Myths retold
• Witches
Really powerful retelling. I love the way that Miller connects multiple stories to deliver a cohesive and complete tale of one of the more intriguing figures in Greek mythology: the enchantress, Circe.
Circe's divinity feels so evident in this story. The connection to figures across years and centuries really drives this home. But additionally, Miller takes pains to differentiate divine ability from witchcraft, which helps to make Circe seem extremely powerful, and a threat to gods and mortals alike.
My one issue with this book is that it feels much more like Circe is telling the reader about everything years after the fact, rather than allowing the reader to experience Circe's life alongside her. At times, it felt as though very little had happened, despite very many things happening. And the low-key tone occasionally made me drowsy.
I would have preferred a more active tone, but despite that, I felt like this was an excellent exploration into Circe's character. And it's always great to see female POV retellings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Self harm, Pregnancy, and Medical trauma
stargazeartist's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Medical trauma
babyanarkist's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Violence
Moderate: Child death and Infidelity
kylieqrada's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
For some reason, Circe is defying my admittedly meager reviewing skills. I really, really did enjoy this book! I have nothing negative to say about it. It is the feminist retelling of Greek mythology that we need and I am here for it. Madeline Miller's writing is, as always, stunning, and her characters are beautiful and complex. I especially loved this dialogue from near the end:
"'If it is so,' I said, 'it is only because I have been fool enough for a hundred lifetimes.'
'Yet at least what you loved, you fought for.'
'That is not always a blessing. I must tell you, all my last is like today, monsters and horrors no one wants to hear.'
He held my faze. Something about him then reminded me strangely of Trygon. An unearthly, quiet patience.
'I want to hear,' he said.'"
I just have this sneaking suspicion that, for all that I enjoyed it, this one won't stick in my head the way that some books do. There's just something missing for me. That unnamed quality that makes a book perfection. However, if Circe sticks around in my head and proves me wrong, I'll come back and change this to a 5 ⭐.
"'If it is so,' I said, 'it is only because I have been fool enough for a hundred lifetimes.'
'Yet at least what you loved, you fought for.'
'That is not always a blessing. I must tell you, all my last is like today, monsters and horrors no one wants to hear.'
He held my faze. Something about him then reminded me strangely of Trygon. An unearthly, quiet patience.
'I want to hear,' he said.'"
I just have this sneaking suspicion that, for all that I enjoyed it, this one won't stick in my head the way that some books do. There's just something missing for me. That unnamed quality that makes a book perfection. However, if Circe sticks around in my head and proves me wrong, I'll come back and change this to a 5 ⭐.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Violence, Infidelity, Incest, Gore, Medical trauma, and Blood
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
_vampiresquid's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Grief, Medical trauma, Rape, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Slavery, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexism, and Sexual violence
sheryl_macca's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Circe is a story of a woman discovering herself. Circe is searching for her place in the world, learning what her true desires are, evaluating her flaws and finding what she rightly deserves. It's a thoroughly modern tale of loss, love, family and purpose set in ancient Greece with all its recognisable myths, gods and goddesses. My favourite thread of the tale is how Circe must first learn to not trust so easily and then to trust more fully once again.
The first person past tense puts a slight distance or small separation between the reader and the protagonist, Circe. Perhaps it's there to keep us mortals from the gods or maybe to reflect the exile Circe lives in, maybe it's a metaphor for the fear of witches. Whatever its purpose it didn't feel wrong.
The passage of time in this book is strange, in fact, there is very little concept of time. As the gods are immortal time is irrelevant to them but they are hyper aware of it in relation to the mortals they entwine their lives with. The book covers hundreds of years but the pace either meanders gently or suddenly hops on a few months giving a feeling of only a decade having passed at most. It's an odd feeling. I think that I should probably feel fully immersed by this but I didn't.
I enjoyed the book immensely but the end was uncomfortable for me and put a dampener on the whole tale.
The first person past tense puts a slight distance or small separation between the reader and the protagonist, Circe. Perhaps it's there to keep us mortals from the gods or maybe to reflect the exile Circe lives in, maybe it's a metaphor for the fear of witches. Whatever its purpose it didn't feel wrong.
The passage of time in this book is strange, in fact, there is very little concept of time. As the gods are immortal time is irrelevant to them but they are hyper aware of it in relation to the mortals they entwine their lives with. The book covers hundreds of years but the pace either meanders gently or suddenly hops on a few months giving a feeling of only a decade having passed at most. It's an odd feeling. I think that I should probably feel fully immersed by this but I didn't.
I enjoyed the book immensely but the end was uncomfortable for me and put a dampener on the whole tale.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Death, Grief, Infidelity, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Medical trauma, and Rape
tayngerous's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Well written, deeply researched, beautiful prose. Strong theme throughout. Wished the main character's happiness revolved less around men.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, and Body horror
Moderate: Sexual assault, Violence, Self harm, Rape, Medical trauma, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Animal death
Minor: Sexual content and Incest
In my opinion, all the content that requires warnings is handled very well, and the abuse is not excused or glorified.
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