Circe
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I didn’t see it coming, but I’m happy to report that this book is all it’s hyped up to be!
For context: I’m not a Greek mythology girly. I’m also not *not* a Greek mythology girly. I liked when it was assigned in school and who amongst us does not love Disney’s Hercules? Upon further research, Hercules is the Roman equivalent of the Greek Heracles but Heracles just doesn’t roll off the tongue, no shade to the Greeks. Still, I never intentionally seek out mythology and the concept of this book didn’t seem super appealing to me.
Lucky for me, my friend Sewell gave me the nudge I needed. She will always and forever be a trusted book source because she recommended Demon Copperhead, which overshadows her flopped recommendation of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow– can’t win ‘em all.
Enough blowing smoke up Sewell’s ass– what makes the book so good? It follows the mythological story of Circe, the daughter of Helios, god of the sun. It stays true to the historical legend while taking creative liberties to expand the story and fill in the gaps. For example, The Odyssey details an encounter with Circe, but there’s plenty of room to fill in her backstory and flesh her out as an independent character. Madeline Miller, the author of Circe, made her vibrant, vulnerable, and worth-reading. I was loosely familiar with the characters (like, I know who Zeus is, duh) but Miller really expanded my knowledge of mythology in an imaginative, fluid way that didn’t feel dry or academic. It was a beautiful blend of ancient lore and contemporary fiction. It takes an already interesting existing paradigm and extrapolates even more interestingly. How many different ways can I convey the same thing?
That being said, some portions dragged on a little and it got predictable towards the end, otherwise it would be a 5-flamer. I still recommend this book because I think it’s ~more about the journey than the destination~ and despite the fact that the ending fell a bit flat (not totally flat– medium flat), it was a very engaging read throughout. Team Circe baby! Circe receives 4 out of 5 flames.
