Circe

Madeline Miller once again has made me fall in love with the tales of Greek Mythology. Unlike The Song of Achilles, Circe was more about Circe’s own journey and self-growth. Throughout the book, I was able to meet many Greek legends from gods to monsters. Although I did really enjoy the book overall, I wish I read it for different reasons. When I started the book, because of the blurb, I assumed Circe would be about Circe’s relationship with Odysseus. Little did I know he was just a character that led to greater things in her life and was less about romance. I was thrilled when he was introduced but that excitement quickly went away after realising he was not very relevant in the sense of romance. Because I was expecting the storyline to revolve around Circe and Odysseus the first hundred pages were quite mundane. It was as if I was turning the pages in the hopes of meeting Odysseus. If I knew the book was about Circe herself, I believe I would have been able to enjoy the book even more. What I loved most about this book was Circe. She was introduced as weak, whiny and annoying, but through her exile to her experience with motherhood she came to be wise and brave. Circe was a bit of a hopeless romantic at times and always was willing to give, she protected her child under any circumstances and made her exile into one of the best things that had happened to her. It was refreshing to read about a goddess who wasn’t destined for anything and simply just paved her own way in life. The other thing I really enjoyed reading was Circe’s relationship with Penelope and Telemachus. I grew quite fond of Penelope and Circe’s interactions and was happy to see two strong women understand each other. I will admit I was hesitant when romance was implied between Telemachus and Circe, Telemachus being her son’s brother, but after I got to know him better I knew he would give her what she deserves. The ending of Circe left me with hope for Circe and Telemachus’ future and it left me thinking of the importance of mortality. Show more Show less