Circe

Hardcover, 393 pages

English language

Published April 10, 2018 by Little, Brown and Company.

ISBN:
978-0-316-55634-7
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OCLC Number:
1029608347
Goodreads:
35959740

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4 stars (5 reviews)

The daring, dazzling, and highly anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestseller The Song Of Achilles that briliantly reimagines the life of Circe, formidable sorceress of the Odyssey.

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child--not obviously powerful like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power--the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves. Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts, and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur; Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus; the murderous Medea; and, of course, wily Odysseus. But there is danger, too, for a woman who …

11 editions

Wonderful slow read that works much better for me than its source material does

5 stars

I never found this book a page turner, but I loved it from start to finish. Miller's writing is beautiful, and the character she turns Circe into is a wonderfully biting commentator on the affairs of gods and men alike. What she does with this story feels at once very true to the Homeric tradition--in that everything she adds is woven into the mesh of stories that previously existed--and a clearly intentional addressing of the most frustrating things about the old stories. She isn't kind to the macho man heroes of old, but does make them much more interesting, believable characters. In particular the "here's what happened after" she does to the Odyssey deals with everything I find frustrating about that story in a very effective way.

4.5 rounded down

4 stars

This was a lovely, amazing book with a story that gave me that cozy feeling. I honestly think I would have given it a full 5 stars if I had read this before Song of Achilles, but the story in that one was a little more compelling for me so it dulled this one a little in comparison. Absolutely one that I would love to read again and will be getting a physical copy to hold onto as well.

Bien, pero no es para tanto

4 stars

3,5 estrellas. Si te gusta la mitología, encontrarás interesante está forma de volver a contar acontecimientos desde el punto de vista interno de Circe, un personaje femenino. Engancha, sobre todo la primera parte, pero luego pierde fuerza y se vuelve un poco aburrido para acabar con un buen final. PEEEERO: Ojo con las expectativas. No busques un replanteamiento feminista de los mitos griegos. Aunque probablemente sea la aproximación que más lo hace hasta la fecha, pero porque partimos de algo de una época con un sesgo completamente machista, y ya sólo que la prota sea una mujer cambia todo. Pero de ahí a situarlo como revisión feminista (he visto que hay gente que lo trata así)... creo que el problema puede ser el verse atada a lo ya contado (aunque no tengo yo mucha idea mitológica), porque la verdad creo que podría haber sido mucho más valiente despegándose del canon.

avatar for robbie

rated it

4 stars

Subjects

  • Circe (Mythological character)--Fiction.
  • Mythology, Greek--Fiction.
  • Goddesses--Fiction.
  • Magic--Fiction.