Scan barcode
author_d_r_oestreicher's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
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
Circe by Madeline Miller is the ultimate coming-of-age story. Circe, an immortal, first steps out on her own when she defies her father Helios and god Zeus to give comfort to Prometheus. Later, she offended Zeus by transforming Scylla (of Scylla and Charybdis fame) into a six-headed monster. For these forays into independence, she was exiled, where she became the witch of Aiaia. She did not learn her lesson and continued to defy the gods. She experienced the other side of coming of age when she became mother to Telegonus (her son with Odysseus). Thus, the author explores coming of age with the intertwined stories of mother and child. Caveat: It helps to be familiar with Greek mythology, Minoans, and Homer to follow this book.
“As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Grief, Rape, Physical abuse, and Sexism
eliziaeve7's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-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? It's complicated
4.25
For me, the experience of reading the book was akin to following a person around as they are living their life and developing. I couldn't put the book down honestly and finished it in a couple of days and a major contributing factor for the same was that I could see myself in her, the earlier naivete and fear that stunted her growth in her father's court, then when the exile exacerbated her loneliness and lead to her believing all mortals are good and naturally not to be wary of. To view the book to be about a god would be a mistake, because circe was one who was ashamed of her divinity, she hated the fact that at some level she was the same as her abusers- her family essentially and the entire book was about her trying her hardest to be different from them, to set herself apart from their cruelty and indifference. She did succeed in setting herself apart while growing out of her naivety and understanding human nature while living on that island.
I wouldn't necessarily call it a feminist book, which would be a highly reductive term to use, rather Circe would be a reflection of patriarchy, which essentially views women as lesser beings, how the only way for her to make something of herself was through marriage, how her exile was a blessing in disguise, given it allowed her to take her first steps into being alive and discovering freedom away from society which had held her back for so long within its limited framework. Often, as is stated in the book itself, women are depicted as black and white characters, either villains or damsel in distresses, nothing in between, how Hermes forced her to take on one of the other personality rather than allowing her to be a complex, dynamic person who doesn't necessarily has to fit a mold.
The villain aspect has never been touched upon in her ither adaptations that paint her as a cruel shrew, we can finally witness her being fleshed out, painting her bleak reality, what the world of the God's looked like, how limited she was with her lack of power and helplessness, especially with not even being able to prevent the nymphs from arriving at her home. Her turning the men into swines sort of signified her breaking those shackles, finally having power essentially to change her circumstances.
I suppose the largest sign of her growth was when she negotiated with her father, having finally learned how to get what she wanted, without being taken advantage of, given how she had been betrayed by Aeetes and Glaucus.
I could, in a way, see the end coming, as is often in stories revolving around Immortals, they often wish to be mortals, having endured for centuries without respite or being tired of an unchanging life. Her being mortal sort of consolidated her desire to be different than the gods and finally gave her the life she always wished for.
I wouldn't necessarily call it a feminist book, which would be a highly reductive term to use, rather Circe would be a reflection of patriarchy, which essentially views women as lesser beings, how the only way for her to make something of herself was through marriage, how her exile was a blessing in disguise, given it allowed her to take her first steps into being alive and discovering freedom away from society which had held her back for so long within its limited framework. Often, as is stated in the book itself, women are depicted as black and white characters, either villains or damsel in distresses, nothing in between, how Hermes forced her to take on one of the other personality rather than allowing her to be a complex, dynamic person who doesn't necessarily has to fit a mold.
The villain aspect has never been touched upon in her ither adaptations that paint her as a cruel shrew, we can finally witness her being fleshed out, painting her bleak reality, what the world of the God's looked like, how limited she was with her lack of power and helplessness, especially with not even being able to prevent the nymphs from arriving at her home. Her turning the men into swines sort of signified her breaking those shackles, finally having power essentially to change her circumstances.
I suppose the largest sign of her growth was when she negotiated with her father, having finally learned how to get what she wanted, without being taken advantage of, given how she had been betrayed by Aeetes and Glaucus.
I could, in a way, see the end coming, as is often in stories revolving around Immortals, they often wish to be mortals, having endured for centuries without respite or being tired of an unchanging life. Her being mortal sort of consolidated her desire to be different than the gods and finally gave her the life she always wished for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, War, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Sexism, Bullying, Classism, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, and Gaslighting
pernrider's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Abandonment, Pregnancy, Violence, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Vomit and Rape
captnmorgan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-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
I wish there were more! Circe grew so much, yet down to her core, remained the Circe we were initially introduced to. It was a hard book to put down, even at the worst moments, the writing was captivating. I felt charmed by the writing, similar to how I felt gods and goddesses charm those around them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Blood, Grief, Pregnancy, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Death, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Gore, and Murder
moraina's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Circe is a twist on how women are represented in Greek mythology, giving them power and wit. Although it is a slower read, Circe interacts with a variety of characters and learns lessons from each of them, while imparting some wisdom of her own and trying to fix her past mistakes. She learns that she is capable of more than she and her family realize and sticks true to her moral compass even when it is contradictory to what godhood entails.
Madeline Miller has a great writing style and conveys relationships between characters in a way that I don't find in books often. I do think this is a slower read than The Song of Achilles, but both books are fantastic and I highly look forward to reading more from her in the future.
Madeline Miller has a great writing style and conveys relationships between characters in a way that I don't find in books often. I do think this is a slower read than The Song of Achilles, but both books are fantastic and I highly look forward to reading more from her in the future.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, War, Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, and Child death
clovetra's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
oh that was delectable.
ok so i will admit. i am a baby greek mythology consumer. before this i knew barely anything - i knew of the minotaur, and “read” the odyssey last year (no i didn’t i got 30 pages in and closed it and then pretended i read it for my year 12 literature class…. i ate that essay up)
anyways i can solemnly say this book has actually turned me into a greek mythology lover. wow did i love the way miller wrote.
her writing seems to have this lyrical quality of it that seems like she herself is immortal, like circe. honestly i could read her work for days.
also the way she made some stories beginner friendly? chefs kiss.
i was so enthralled in circe’s life, i couldn’t stop thinking about her. granted my insanity for the twilight series was unmatched, but i have banned myself from twilight for a while. and in the meantime circe has taken its place in my noggin.
god i cant gush about this book enough
now the question is…. why is it only a four star?
i found this so ooo ooo o fucking hard to read for like the first 150 pages. not because it’s boring! oh no! because it reads like i’m trying to read an untranslated bible. granted it works for the book! if it was written any other way i would be a little bitch about it! but the reason i dnf’d the odyssey wasn’t because i was bored, but because the writing style was like trying to read 30 layers of subtext in one sentence. this book had less of that, but i would spent ages reading a page. i’d say i’m a quick reader, but genuinely i would spend 5 minutes on each page. like just having to wrap my head around some of the phrasing being used made my noggin want to explode. i think over time i will get used to it if i keep reading books in this same style (is style the right word idk), but for this being my first book of its kind it was a doozy!
anyways shout out to medea what a bad bitch.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Rape, Murder, Sexual assault, and Alcohol
Moderate: Incest, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Blood, War, Infidelity, Child death, Misogyny, and Medical trauma
amanda_mh's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Where do I begin with Circe! This was a truly breathtaking book, I will say it again and again the way Madeline miller crafts her story’s and characters is beautiful. She found a way to take a well known character in Greek mythology and create an entire life story for her that is real, honest, and meaningful. Themes of feminism, motherhood, love, and independence are shown as Circe alone grows into her own person. I will continue reading Madeline millers books when she publishes them because I cannot get enough of her writing !!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Body horror, Rape, Sexual content, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Murder, and Sexual assault
jesssarah96's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I started to re read this book and was just blown away again by how beautiful Madeline Miller writes, it's so poetic.
For anyone who doesn't know its about the life of the goddess Circe and covers many myths over her lifetime.
My only criticism is that the pacing of the book majorly picks up in the last few chapters and it feels rushed compared to the other chapters. I think there couldve been another couple hundred pages of those few chapters to be honest and I'll be excited when hbo brings the TV show out to see what they do with those final chapters!
Its made me even more excited for her next book.
For anyone who doesn't know its about the life of the goddess Circe and covers many myths over her lifetime.
My only criticism is that the pacing of the book majorly picks up in the last few chapters and it feels rushed compared to the other chapters. I think there couldve been another couple hundred pages of those few chapters to be honest and I'll be excited when hbo brings the TV show out to see what they do with those final chapters!
Its made me even more excited for her next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, and Rape
kshy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Rape, Animal death, Grief, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Blood, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Confinement, and Injury/Injury detail
grebegirl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-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
4.5
It took me a long time to get through this book. Not because it isn't well written or a great story. It's just very heavy. Miller created such a deep and complex character is Circe. I sometimes liked her, sometimes disliked her and always loved her. I can't wait to read song of Achilles.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual violence, War, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Grief, Abandonment, and Violence