• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • By Genre
      • Coming-of-Age
      • Contemporary Fiction
      • Historical Fiction
      • Literary Fiction
      • Mystery-Suspense
      • Nonfiction
      • Other
    • By Title
    • By Author
    • Debuts
    • Multi-Book Posts
    • Audiobooks
  • Musings
  • More
  • Contact
  • About
    • About
    • Book Grades
    • Privacy Policy
    • Review Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

April 26, 2018

CIRCE by Madeline Miller | Review

This post may include Amazon links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Novel Visits Review: Circe by Madeline Miller

Circe by Madeline Miller
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Release Date: April 10, 2018
Length: 385
Amazon

{A Bit of Backstory}

Single Sentence Summary

Circe, a minor Greek goddess, finally discovers her power, but crosses a line that gets her banished to a lonely, remote island where she’s to live for eternity.

From the Publisher

“In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child–not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. 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.”

The Draw
  • I hadn’t really considered Circe until Catherine from The Gilmore Guide to Books raved about it.
  • The book had such a different premise for me that I thought, “Why not?”
  • I enjoyed a class on The Iliad and The Odyssey way back in college.

{My Thoughts}

What Worked For Me

A Classic Tale Reimagined – Taking a classic story and reinventing it with a modern twist is nothing new. We see it time after time, but the usual reimagining places the characters and plot in a contemporary setting as the story plays out. With Circe, Madeline Miller kept the characters and the setting, and instead shifted the focus, placing it solely on Circe. 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. However, if you’ve lived under a rock and never even knew there was such a thing as mythology it won’t matter. Miller gives you everything you need to know and she does it seamlessly.

A Woman with Attitude – If you’re anything like me, you will come to adore Circe, the book and the woman. Born into one of the two most powerful families of gods, Circe adored her father, Helios, but never quite measured up. Where her siblings were gorgeous and powerful from an early age, Circe was plain and seemingly powerless. Tormented by her own family, Circe grew more and more fascinated with mortals. Falling in love with one, brought out her previously unknown powers of witchcraft.

“I was too wild to feel shame. It was true. I would not just uproot the world, but tear it, burn it, do any evil I could to keep Glaucos by my side. But what stayed most in my mind was the look on my grandmother’s face when I’d said that word, pharmaka. It was not a look I know well among the gods.”

This girl had gumption and she used her new power to punish her rival, creating a monster all came to feared. But, she paid a price for going too far. Circe was banished to the small island of Aiaia for eternity. This is where the book Circe really took off for me. On the island, I found it impossible not to admire and root for this woman who year after year, century after century, faced her fears, honed her powers, and learned to stand up for herself.

“She was gone. But I said it anyway, to that great empty room and my son’s dreaming ears: “You do not know what I can do.”

Soap Opera of the Gods – You might think a story of a woman alone on an island could get dull, but you would be wrong. Circe lived a lonely life, but was not without the occasional visitor, many bringing adventure and challenges to her life. Hermes flitted in and out with news and gossip from the worlds of gods and mortals. Her sister, Pasiphae, granted Circe temporary exile to help deal with her little Minotaur problem. Shipwrecked sailors soon discovered the wrath of Circe. And then came Odysseus, perhaps her most well known visitor, bringing to Circe a lasting love she was willing to die for. The level of drama never failed!

That House – I really can’t say any more, but for those who have read Circe: I want that house!

What Didn’t

Absolutely EVERYTHING worked for me in Circe!

{The Final Assessment}

Madeline Miller is definitely a writer to admire. Reinventing the life of a minor goddess into a remarkable woman while remaining faithful to the original mythology can be no small feat. Miller did it in the best way possible, by knowing her star character and sticking to her story. From start to finish Circe was all about Circe, no long tangents, no veering off into some other god’s story. Just Circe: her life, her feelings, her mistakes, her heart, her choices. I haven’t yet read Millers’s debut, Song of Achilles, but I will. I’m already looking forward to that next trip to ancient Greece. If it’s anything like Circe, I’m sure to find the journey immersive, entertaining, exciting, everything! Just incase I haven’t been clear, I loved Circe. She will be one of my top ten books this year. Grade: A

If you liked this book you might also enjoy:
  • The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman – A family of modern day witches copes with the ups and downs of their special talents. (my review)
  • The Power by Naomi Alderman – With an unusual biological change, women gain power over men and the world is never quite the same. (my review)

Disclosure: There are Amazon Associate links included within this post.

Filed Under: By Title, Literary Fiction, Other Tagged With: 2018, Book Review, Circe, Gods, Grade A, Greece, Greek Mythology, Literary Fiction, Mythology, Odyssey




Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sarah's Book Shelves says

    April 26, 2018 at 4:11 am

    So excited to read this! And, like you, I never would have picked it up if Catherine hadn’t raved about it. The premise was not in my wheelhouse at all.

    Reply
    • Susie says

      April 29, 2018 at 9:01 am

      I’m really curious to hear what you’ll think of it. I read it mainly based on Catherine’s review and am so glad I did.

      Reply
  2. renee says

    April 26, 2018 at 4:38 am

    Such a great review Susie! You’ve made me so excited to read this book. I love the idea of a soap opera of the gods and since nothing has really grabbed my attention in the last couple weeks I might just buy this rather than wait on my library copy. Hope you’re doing well!!

    Reply
    • Susie says

      April 29, 2018 at 9:02 am

      I think it’s well worth the cost.

      Reply
  3. Nina D says

    April 26, 2018 at 9:34 am

    Seeing great reviews for Circe. Love your “soap opera of the gods” bit! 😉

    Reply
  4. Annie says

    April 26, 2018 at 10:47 pm

    Ive seen this around but I need to admit that the whole Greek thing is not really appealing to me… but you loved it so much that I might change my mind!!

    Reply
    • Susie says

      April 29, 2018 at 9:03 am

      Annie – I was not attracted to the premise at all, but I couldn’t ignore some of the reviews I saw and I’m so glad I tried it. Let me know if you read it.

      Reply
  5. Cahleen Hudson says

    April 28, 2018 at 12:33 am

    Libby says I have to wait 12 weeks for this book!

    Reply
    • Susie says

      April 29, 2018 at 9:04 am

      Ouch! Libby can be mean that way.

      Reply
  6. Catherine says

    April 29, 2018 at 11:31 am

    Whew, so gad you loved this as much as I did! And I agree, the house sounds amazing.

    All I want to know is: who is Miller going to write about next?! I hope she doesn’t decide she’s had enough of mythology because I could read her take on the gods and goddesses forever.

    Reply
  7. Amy @ Read a Latte says

    May 1, 2018 at 5:58 am

    I initially assumed this wasn’t going to be my cup of tea, but I have only read/heard AMAZING things about this book, and now I’m dying to read it!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Why I Didn't Like Circe by Madeline Miller - Sarah's Book Shelves says:
    June 20, 2018 at 5:29 pm

    […] the multitude of rave reviews, including some from trusted recommendation sources (Gilmore Guide, Novel Visits, Book of the Month, author Ann […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

"A book is a dream you hold in your hand."
—Neil Gaiman
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
susie-about
Welcome to Novel Visits! I’m Susie and reading is my passion. Join me for new novel reviews, musing on all things books, and much more.

SIGN UP FOR NOVEL VISITS UPDATES!




© 2025 • NOVEL VISITS • PRIVACY POLICY