A review by mijtje
Circe by Madeline Miller

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-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

4.75

I have always loved stories of non-conforming, annoyingly independent and powerful women. Cleopatra, Medusa, and Circe are great examples. Originally written as some sort of Evil Seducer archetype, they are never much more than man-eating devils. Take that fear of feminine strength and independence, of women who don’t abide by traditional roles and expectations, and shove it somewhere Helios can’t see because modern writers are reclaiming their stories.

‘Circe’ revolves around the story of, surprise surprise, the minor Goddess and witch Circe. In Greek myths, she is known as the witch who turns men into pigs.

At the beginning of the book, Circe’s voice evokes innocence, naivety, and youth. Throughout the story, it changes into that of an ancient, tired, weathered woman. Amazing how Miller pulled that off. Through Circe’s story, Miller explores a plethora of topics: family dynamics, mortality, identity, love, death, motherhood, and more.

The prose, plot, and structure are poetic. There is a balance in this book that feels so well thought- and worked out that it makes Miller a sorceress in her own right. I am a sucker for creative and bizarrely relatable metaphors that feel just right. There is plenty of that here. For the first time, I was tempted to underline passages, but I feared I’d mark half the book, so I didn’t.

10/10 would drink a concoction to relive this book’s enchantment again.