"Circe" by Madeline Miller

Publisher:New York : Little, Brown and Company, 2018.

Edition:First edition.

ISBN: 9780316556347 

Characteristics: 393 pages

In "Circe" (pronounced 'Keer-Kay') Madeline Miller gives ask a look at the life of Circe, and what caused her banishment, how she adapted and lived the rest of her life. Many people know the basics of her tale from the Odyssey by Homer, but she is just one small part of that epic.

In the Odyssey she is painted as a very badass witch. She is taking out her revenge of how she's been treated in the world, who liked her solitude and gets her thrills by enslaving the crews of ship who visit her island and turning them into pigs.

In this book she a totally different picture is painted. Her actions are explained as she is the victim of Helios - her father - and other members of the Olympian divinity who were essentially needing a scapegoat (or so it seemed to me). And even though she was banished to the island of Aiaia she adapted well and lived a full life. It gives plausible explanations of how she learned to use her power, and showed her obsession with turning wayward sailors into pigs was a means of self defence, as she was a woman living alone, and the sailors had plans for solitary women.

In this book we also learn of her involvement with the birth of the Minotaur, her relations with her brother and two sisters as well as her relations with other members of the Olympians - all very strained to say the least.

Now, not being a authority on Greek history, and literature I can’t say how many liberties Ms. Miller took with her story, but I found it to be a very engrossing story that was well worth reading. She has another book “The Song of Achilles” which I’m hoping to read in the near future as it has been recommended to me as a fantastic novel.

I was first introduced to Madeline Miller's work via the podcast "Let's Talk About Myths, Baby" by Liv Albert, and I would definitely recommend it to anybody who is interested in Greek and Roman mythology. The myths are told from a refreshing feminist perspective, and Ms. Albert doesn't pull any punches (especially when talking about Zeus).