Circe

 Madeline Miller

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Genre: Fantasy

Circe is a story that reimagines the life of the Greek goddess Circe. The book is narrated in the first-person narration style and shows how Circe feels about being different from the gods around her. She is not as powerful, beautiful, or even as charismatic as the rest of them. She feels lonely and does not belong with them. This makes Circe lead an isolated lifestyle and indulge in witchcraft. Feeling so different from the other gods makes Circe have more sympathy for the mortals. 

Following the character, readers will find themselves going on lots of adventures and subplots that involve so many themes, like isolation, motherhood, loss, and gender injustice, to name a few. What Circe delivered for me is the author’s writing. Having read The Song of Achilles by the author, I was expecting a beautifully written novel. And here, Miller has undoubtedly delivered. 

Although I didn’t love it as much as I loved The Song of Achilles, I still think Circe is a fascinating read and, most importantly, a relevant one for our times. The author has successfully turned this goddess and given her a mortal voice, making her very close to the readers and with relatable problems that every human can connect with. 

The story is not long, but intentionally slow a bit. I think the author wanted readers to see the growth and the changes the main character goes through. This novel is more of a literary fantasy than those epic, action-packed fantasy stories. So have your expectations in check before grabbing the book, and you won’t be disappointed.