„You have always been the worst of my children“, he said. „Be sure you do not dishonour me.“
„I have a better idea. I will do as I please, and when you count your children, leave me out.“

Circe by Madeline Miller

*spoiler free review*

Greek Mythology and I, thats a story that didn’t go too well in the past. Not that I was not interested, I love mythological tales in itself (although I was more drawn to the nordic gods of my german ancestors in general). But with greek mythology there always was this very prominent stance of misogyny embedded. Women were not just lesser somehow (as if that wouldn’t have been enough already), but also there for being scolded and punished, raped and played with, and that just soured my experience. And yes, I know that tales represent the societal norms they come from and should be read with your historical glasses on, but still I read for my pleasure and that often did not serve me any. But then came Circe. I didn’t really know what to expect from a greek mythology retelling such as this, but I definitely was intrigued just by the character in the first place. When I read the Odissey I was intrigued with this powerful witch character that managed to capture Odysseus and his men. And this was supposed to be our main character here in this tale. How exciting!

The story is about Circe’s life, born as the daughter of the nymph Perse and the sun god Helios, one of the titans, the old goods. She grows up in the palace of her father, surrounded by her sister, brothers, uncles, cousins, grandparents and so on. Very early on Circe feels that she is not like her kin, and that their jests and jokes that do not consider the harm to others they do, are just simply cruel to her. To one day be free, she has to discover her own innate powers that lie within and her own standing in the world. A task that is easier said than done as she is facing the most powerful beings there are.

I instantly fell in love with our main character Circe. Her truthfulness that borders on naivete, her strong moral ideas and her longing for being loved for who she is make her an apporachable and simply loveable character. Miller also managed to do something I always very much appreciate: She made the characters very complex and the opposite of one-dimensional. Therefore I could see somethin likeable in a lot of me, even if I didn’t agree at all with their behaviours.

The Character development is strong and kind of the main trope here. And not a rushed transformation either, which would have spoiled the whole experience. In this regard it is also a deeply feministic book and kind of a coming of age story, even though a coming of age that spans over a few hundred years (well, it is about gods after all). It is lovely to follow Circe from being the unloved child to becoming more and more herself and discovering her power and stance in the world.

The pacing of the plot is slow, but I like it like that. This is also why the character development seems so genuine. It also mirrors the many years of Circe’s life, and how dragging they can seem, even to a god.

Miller did a brilliant job at capturing the unique flair of the world of gods. With language and syntax, as well as her narrative style she mirrors the strangeness and otherworldly appearance of the Olympian and titan gods. I read this book with one of my book clubs and I know that this style is not for everyone. I would even say, that almost half of the people did not favor it (at least the ones i have spoken to), the other half on the other hand really loved it. I definitely fall in the latter category, I couldn’t have enjoyed myself more. This is a new favourite of mine and a 5 star read for sure! If you don’t want to miss me diving more into greek mythology retellings, you can enter your mail adress down below so you will be notified when a new blogpost is up 🙂

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 stars, a new favourite!

Trigger warning: physical violence; sexual violence and abuse; depiction of physical mutilation, torture and blood; suicidal ideation