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"He does not mean that it does not hurt. He does not mean that we are not frightened. Only that: we are here. This is what it means to swim in the tide, to walk the earth and feel it touch your feet. This is what it means to be alive."
Madeline Miller for sure knows how to write a great ending. I didn't find the ending of this book as powerful as the ending of 'The Song of Achilles' but I think I'd say it was the more touching of the two, and, on the whole, I enjoyed this book more.
Whatever faults I took with TSOA seem to have been mostly down to it having been Miller's first novel. My major issues with its lack of character and relationship development are definitely not a problem in 'Circe' at all - our protagonist is incredibly nuanced and complex, and everyone she meets along the way, whether fleeting or recurring, is afforded a lot of depth too. I enjoyed getting inside Circe's head and understanding the motivations behind some of her actions, and her at-times morally grey outlook was fascinating.
The same as I did with TSOA, I adore what Miller has done with her retelling. As a retelling of 'The Odyssey' it's very accessible to someone with absolutely no Greek mythology knowledge going in and still very enjoyable, and the world building is so wonderfully well done you don't even realise it's happening (my favourite kind of world building).
I was immersed in the story pretty much immediately, which is rare for me; I always dread starting new books because it takes me forever to build up any real interest in the characters and storyline, so I loved the fact that it didn't in this. And, of course, Miller's writing is gorgeous. I could read her prose forever.
The only thing I would say as a negative is that it did feel quite episodic. I suppose that's the nature of the plot, really, and of the fact that Circe is immortal, but with the frequent comings and goings of characters and the stories tied to the mortals it didn't feel much like a cohesive whole to me. It felt more like a collection of short stories all woven together - woven very well, mind you, but woven all the same, with various time jumps in between them.
All in all, though, I enjoyed this novel a lot. Unfortunately, I do now seem to have a bit of a thing for Greek mythology retellings. I'll be on the look out for some recs.
Madeline Miller for sure knows how to write a great ending. I didn't find the ending of this book as powerful as the ending of 'The Song of Achilles' but I think I'd say it was the more touching of the two, and, on the whole, I enjoyed this book more.
Whatever faults I took with TSOA seem to have been mostly down to it having been Miller's first novel. My major issues with its lack of character and relationship development are definitely not a problem in 'Circe' at all - our protagonist is incredibly nuanced and complex, and everyone she meets along the way, whether fleeting or recurring, is afforded a lot of depth too. I enjoyed getting inside Circe's head and understanding the motivations behind some of her actions, and her at-times morally grey outlook was fascinating.
The same as I did with TSOA, I adore what Miller has done with her retelling. As a retelling of 'The Odyssey' it's very accessible to someone with absolutely no Greek mythology knowledge going in and still very enjoyable, and the world building is so wonderfully well done you don't even realise it's happening (my favourite kind of world building).
I was immersed in the story pretty much immediately, which is rare for me; I always dread starting new books because it takes me forever to build up any real interest in the characters and storyline, so I loved the fact that it didn't in this. And, of course, Miller's writing is gorgeous. I could read her prose forever.
The only thing I would say as a negative is that it did feel quite episodic. I suppose that's the nature of the plot, really, and of the fact that Circe is immortal, but with the frequent comings and goings of characters and the stories tied to the mortals it didn't feel much like a cohesive whole to me. It felt more like a collection of short stories all woven together - woven very well, mind you, but woven all the same, with various time jumps in between them.
All in all, though, I enjoyed this novel a lot. Unfortunately, I do now seem to have a bit of a thing for Greek mythology retellings. I'll be on the look out for some recs.