However, she is such a perserverant and heroic character. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from or with the mortals she has come to love. The plot of Circe is so harrowing and filled with drama and pain, it was difficult to read at times. Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts, and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.īut there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. You can follow Madeline Miller on social media: Instagram Facebook Twitter Goodreads. 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. Madeline Miller’s view on Greek mythology. But Circe is a strange child-neither powerful like her father nor viciously alluring like her mother.

Circe really started out with lying by her father’s feet begging for acceptance to telling him off that he need not count her as his daughter. Circe’s character arc is obviously exceptional, but also the minor characters have impressive arcs. In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. The whole novel is strongly character-driven, which brings out the story even more beautifully.

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