Circe - Madeline Miller

Circe

By Madeline Miller

  • Release Date: 2018-04-10
  • Genre: Historical Fiction
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 4,437 Ratings

Description

This #1 New York Times bestseller is a "bold and subversive retelling of the goddess's story" that brilliantly reimagines the life of Circe, formidable sorceress of The Odyssey (Alexandra Alter, TheNew York Times).

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 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 stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.

With unforgettably vivid characters, mesmerizing language, and page-turning suspense, Circe is a triumph of storytelling, an intoxicating epic of family rivalry, palace intrigue, love and loss, as well as a celebration of indomitable female strength in a man's world.

#1 New York Times Bestseller -- named one of the Best Books of the Year by NPR, the Washington Post, People, Time, Amazon, Entertainment Weekly, Bustle, Newsweek, the A.V. Club, Christian Science Monitor, Refinery 29, Buzzfeed, Paste, Audible, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Thrillist, NYPL, Self, Real Simple, Goodreads, Boston Globe, Electric Literature, BookPage, the Guardian, Book Riot, Seattle Times, and Business Insider.

Reviews

  • So satisfying

    5
    By Lovesdora
    Thank u!
  • A Beautiful Myth

    5
    By ApachFoot
    As a child, we all learned the stories, but the life within Circe and Song of Achilles is a marvelous capture of age old myth.
  • 5 stars

    5
    By Whim1954
    I rarely give a book five stars but Circe is an exception. Beautifully written in which the gods come to “life”. This book had me looking up all the Greek classic gods and goddesses with flashbacks to a college humanities course I had mostly forgotten. Highly recommend to both women and men.
  • Greek mythology

    3
    By baby I am hot
    My friend recommended it for me to introduce me to Greek mythology in the a fun chill way. Despite not being 100% accurate, the book made myself familiar with Greek god names that later became really helpful while viewing museums and learning history in Greece. However, I don’t like the writing style and think it’s slight bit cliche, but this is my personal preference tho.
  • Lovely story

    4
    By colemantori13
    This was my first introduction into Greek mythology and I think this was a very well done and thought out story. Circe’s character was complex which made her very admirable. Very enjoyable read.
  • Amazing book

    5
    By 4Charlee
    I really enjoyed this book. It was part of my book club and I couldn’t put it down. Miller’s writing was fantastic and beautifully written. I look forward to more of her books.
  • Exciting and intriguing story of Circe

    5
    By ebermu30
    I thoroughly enjoyed reading the story. It has lots of Greek mythology and speaks of many different gods and goddesses throughout time. It’s interesting to hear the potential background of Circe, how she came to her powers, how she’s interacted with man, and what happens to her in the end.
  • Dive in!

    5
    By k10ca
    Spectacular. Thank you, Madeline Miller. For my own sake, I wish you were immortal so that you could rethink and tell us the stories of all the Greek gods and Goddesses, all the mortal heavy hitters we know of and love.
  • Great reading

    5
    By 123anel321
    One of the best!
  • Fantastic

    5
    By IanBBBBB
    Absolutely gripping narrative all the way through