Circe is a book about... finding yourself. So many books, so little time, such a familiar feelings, haha. One day, Daedalus, a famed mortal craftsman, arrives at Aiaia, requesting help for Pasiphaë, Circe's sister. 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. 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 … I’m so glad other people loved this book too! For the last ten years she has been teaching and tutoring Latin, Greek and Shakespeare to high school students. 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. . She finds him charming, sleeps with him and promises not to harm him. She attended Brown University, where she earned her BA and MA in Classics. Glad to see you enjoyed this book so much! Ulysses at the Palace of Circe by Wilhelm Schubert van Ehrenberg (1667). If this summary was useful to you, please consider supporting this site by leaving a tip ($1, $2, or $4) or joining the Patreon! In Homer’s in The Odyssey, Odysseus encounters her on the island of Aeaea where she is villainously doling out dangerous potions and turning men into pigs. It was about a hour out from where we were staying, so we had to rent a car, and it was a whole mess, but I desperately wanted to see it. (But honestly, I’d consider that a feature, not a bug, when it comes to reading). I’ll give your review a read later today, thanks for the heads up! Listen to the Audio (00:20) Share. Funny you should ask! It’s amazing how easy it is to relate to the characters, even though they are divine beings living thousands of years ago! by Homer. Daedalus later tries to build wings to help his son escape Knossos, but Icarus flies too close to the sun and dies. :). See Everything We Know About the 'Circe' Adaptation, Books Like The Four Winds: 8 Great Books to Read Next, 50 Best Uplifting, Feel-Good Books to Read, 50 Best Books About Libraries or Librarians, 15 Best Websites for Free Audiobooks Online (Updated for 2021), Every 2021 Book to Movie & TV Series Adaptation. your review is beautiful. Madeline Miller is the author of the novel, Circe (coming April 2018), and The Song of Achilles, which was a … Medea kills the new wife and murders her children. I do not have a single criticism for this fantastic piece of writing. Free to leave, Circe and Telemachus go to turn Scylla into stone, and Circe confides in Telemachus all her secrets. I think it worked well in Circe because she does a fantastic job of “showing” you how her perspective on things is shaped, etc. Thanks for dropping by! If I write them down, I’m sure my goodreads page will be closed  So after the bippp tone I’m coming back! With Circe, Madeline Miller kept the characters and the setting, and instead shifted the focus, placing it solely on Circe. I was lucky enough to hear Madeline Miller talk about it at an author event – especially hearing her read sections aloud, based on the Ancient Greek oral traditions of storytelling. A golden chariot whisks her home.) Do you ever just get mad because you’re spending your life paying rent and wishing you could take a break from the linear flow of time when you could have been a goddess living in an enchanted island that is only seen every ten years and is unreachable by men? Published April 10th 2018 by Little, Brown and Company. 1 Bestseller - Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2019 01 by Miller, Madeline (ISBN: 9781408890080) from Amazon's Book Store. The most difficult part of reading Circe for me was that it took forever because whenever a mention of any character came up, I was always tempted to look them up on Wikipedia to see what parts of their story originate from where. :). I liked Circe :) just wished she had gone deeper into the stories of the other gods! Under Miller’s imaginative gaze, these classic stories are endowed with a newfound energy. While you wait for the TV adaptation, now’s a great time to explore similar books like Circe. The Song of Achilles was awarded the Orange Prize for Fiction and has been translated into twenty-five languages. Through the relationship of the gods, Titans, Olympians, lesser gods, mortals and so forth, the book contemplates the meaning of having power, how power is derived and how power effects how people relate to each other. Hope you like it if you get a chance to read it! Next, Medea (Aeëtes's daughter) and Jason, arrive at Aiaia, asking to be cleansed. Madeline Miller was born in Boston and grew up in New York City and Philadelphia. That’s so awesome they did a Golden Fleece show, it sounds like that would be so much fun! Mostly my advice is to read it ASAP because it’s really good. Telegonus has also brought Telemachus (Odysseus’s other son) and Penelope (Odysseus’s wife). I loved this book so much, it actually surprises me how strongly I feel about it. This one is really good though. Circe is born a God, the daughter of a Titan and a water nymph. While in her original incarnation she’s mostly an obstacle to be overcome, in Miller’s reinvented tale, she’s given a new life, as well as a meaningful and imaginative story deeply rooted in a myriad of mythological tales. For the last ten years she has been teaching and tutoring Latin, Greek and Shakespeare to high school students. Focusing in on the lesser goddess Circe, Miller paints an epic portrait of a sorceress who tries to understand humankind. See Circe on Amazon. I hope I can get to it soon. If you aren’t as into mythology, I still think the story is very worthwhile, though you may have to exercise a bit more patience as you get grounded in all the characters and their stories. They treat her unkindly, except for Aeëtes, but he is granted a kingdom and leaves. In hopes of making Glaucos immortal, Circe learns about illicit Pharmaka, herbs endowed with power that only grow where Gods have fallen. GOODNESS. In the book’s more somber moments, Miller explores Circe’s loneliness, alienation, and how her perceptions may have been warped by her experiences or misunderstandings. Released on April 18, 2018, Circe retells the story of Circe, a villainous character from The Odyssey. Honestly one of our favorites!!! The best part about book blogging is getting to chat with others about how awesome a book is when you find one you love… thanks for dropping by! But Circe is a strange child—not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. It is all at once thoughtful and entertaining and elegantly written. Thanks for your thoughts. I actually bought this book back in September or somewhere around there and I still can’t believe I let it sit there for so long, haha. Some books lose something when read on a device. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. (The Detailed Plot Summary is also available, below). Despite her divinity, she is less beautiful and lacks the skills of her siblings, so she is largely shunned and ridiculed among the godly. She becomes more reflective about her experiences during various interludes, and certainly when Circe’s story takes a darker turn. Those of you with a background in mythology will see many, many elements from classic Greek mythology (especially The Odyssey) popping up in this book. For the last ten years she has been teaching and tutoring Latin, Greek and Shakespeare to high school students. Athena wants the child dead and offers her eternal blessings in exchange, but Circe refuses. The events of these stories all overlap, one washing over the next, intertwining in a delightful and inventive manner. Nicely written review. We’re great fans of Greek mythology around here: I was hooked during my childhood, when the marionette puppeteers who used to make the rounds of the schools put on a “Golden Fleece” show; and my kids grew up watching the 1950s “Jason and the Argonauts” movie, when it was finally released on video, just as I had been raised on it, back when it was released to broadcast TV (I still love those ancient special effects). She attended Brown University, where she earned her BA and MA in Classics. Audio Name Pronunciation with Madeline Miller. The book ends with Circe making a potion to bring forth her true self. Confinement, loneliness, and independence are all timeless themes discussed in Circe, a novel by Madeline Miller. Everything We Know About the 'Circe' Adaptation, https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1986-10-21-8603190250-story.html. ), Do you ever just get mad because you’re spending your life paying rent and wishing you could take a break from the linear flow of time when you could have been a goddess living in an enchanted island that is only seen every ten years and is unreachable by men? I loved this book. When she falls in love with a mortal who, of course, is fated to age and die, she is desperate enough to experiment with a different and illicit type of power -- potions and witchcraft, and with it she discovers her own ability to bend the world to her will. At first Circe attempts to suss out if they are honest men, but Circe eventually assumes they are all dishonest and turns them all into pigs. Your email address will not be published. Greek mythology rocks! See the archives. I’m really curious about it — I haven’t read it yet so unfortunately I have no insight to provide on a comparison between the two, but I hope you do like Circe, and thanks for reading the review! Appreciate the review. Buy Circe: The International No. She attended Brown University, where she earned her BA and MA in Classics. Her degrees include a BA and MA in classics from Brown, and her first novel, The Song of Achilles, won the 2012 Orange Prize for Fiction.Her 2018 novel, Circe—critically acclaimed and a fixture on the New York Times best-seller list that year—is a sort of Odyssey from the side. Oooh! Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she disco. I honestly can’t believe I didn’t read it sooner! Glad to connect with people who loved this book as well! Check out some of these awesome books like … Thanks for dropping by! Circe is Madeline Miller’s follow up novel to her critically acclaimed first novel The Song of Achilles. Circe knows he is married, but she yearns for him to stay. Story Map Multi-Leveled Lesson. This inevitably led me down deep, and I mean deep, rabbit holes of endless Wikipedia entries and other sources filled with mythological esoterica. Anw, I love reading your reviews, it’s always well written. Circe Madeline Miller. Do you think reading it in electronic format is OK? Miller writes about maturity and strength while providing a fair bit of escapism, letting readers delve into a fantastical Ancient Greek world where uncertainty is still nothing new. Telegonus leaves for Ithaca, but returns quickly because Odysseus is dead. You have to read A Song of Achilles, because like Circe it draws you into Ancient Greece like nothing before! You live with. BIPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP(Right now I’m calling myself so nasty names! I didn’t quite like how the story was told, but the second half was amazing. Right?! Fingers crossed I get round to it soon!! It’s waiting on my shelf … I think it’ll make a good July read? To see what your friends thought of this book, It’s a re-telling the story of Circe, a character originated circa 8th century B.C. I am a big fan of Madeline Miller: her two books are absolutely fantastic. But god, it stands out so far from just that. I listened to the audio last summer and found the story lively – it moves at such an absorbing pace, from start to finish. Award-winning writer Madeline Miller’s newest novel, Circe, tells the story of a sorceress who was once the onetime lover of the wily Odysseus.The heart of the novel is, nonetheless, that of a woman’s yearning for self-discovery, purpose, and … Thanks for reminding me about this! An 8-part miniseries adaptation of the book has been greenlit for HBO Max. I honestly don’t understand how anyone can NOT love mythology, it’s so fascinating and fun and dramatic. It’s honestly been quite a few years since I’ve found a book I loved as much as this one, so my feeling can be summed up as follows: 1) I’m sad it’s over, 2) I can’t believe I waited so long to read this, and 3) I need to go buy a copy of Madeline Miller’s previous novel, The Song of Achilles. Circe, Miller's second novel, was released on April 10, 2018.