Summary:

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. Circe is a strange child - not powerful and terrible, like her father, nor gorgeous and mercenary like her mother. Scorned and rejected, Circe grows up in the shadows, at home in neither the world of gods or mortals. But Circe has a dark power of her own: witchcraft.

When her gift threatens the gods, she is banished to the island of Aiaia, where she hones her occult craft, casting spells, gathering strange herbs and taming wild beasts. Yet a woman who stands alone will never be left in peace for long - and among her island's guests is an unexpected visitor: the mortal Odysseus, for whom Circe will risk everything. Madeline Miller weaves an intoxicating tale of gods and heroes, magic and monsters, survival and transformation.​

Opinion:

The second book by Madeline Miller, this is in part a retelling of certain sections of Ovid's Metamorphoses and Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, reimagined from Circe's perspective.

This book completely absorbed me, and I thought it was fantastic. It knows exactly where it wants to take itself and I was amazed that it managed to weave it into the myths that remain essentially unaltered, and keep it satisfying.

It's brilliant to see the perspective on godhood, immortality and their dynamics. The way her perspective changes from naive (I guess she's not truly a child) to cynical and knowledgeable woman is compelling and the lack of regard for time, except as applies to the mortal she interacts with is really felt. Although she's completely aware of it, you can feel how unimportant it is to her personally, and that's a rare thing in any fiction that deals with gods I think.

It's really well written. First person perspective (depending on your perspective on this), and it's immediately engaging.

It's been a long time since I've really read a 'not-put-downable' book, but it was a wonder to be this into a story and I highly recommend you read it.

It covers from shortly before Helios takes a fancy to Circe's mother, and we see immediately the value (and only value) of a nymph, all the way to the end of Circe's view of the classical period. We start with the gods and eventually meet the mortals, and this inversion of perspective was wonderful. Often in myth, the beauty of the divine and those with divine ancestry is emphasised. I really enjoyed the sense of the inverse in this, the horror of seeing mortals when all you've ever known is gods and goddesses.

 

Thanks for the thoughtful review. I’ve heard of Miller, but was a bit wary it might be cheesy (I heard Song of Achilles wasn’t great). I’ll give it a try now!

From your description it reminds me of Virginia Woolf’s Orlando where the title character is immortal and goes through changes of civilization and encounters with people that bewilder them at first before coming into their own. It’s based on Tiresias so there is a metamorphosis halfway through, like the myth.