AFTER winning the 2012 Orange Prize for Fiction with her debut novel, The Song of Achilles (inspired by this major character in The Iliad, Homer’s ancient Greek epic poem set during the Trojan War), expectations were high for Madeline Miller’s second book.
Still revisiting the classics, the author this time around has based her second book on a minor character from The Odyssey, Homer’s other major ancient Greek epic poem.
Circe is the daughter of Titans Helios and Oceanus. Though Titans once ruled the earth, they now have an uneasy relationship with Zeus.
From the moment of her birth, Circe has been ignored by her siblings and other occupants of her father’s palace. She’s even made fun of for her sense of compassion – something that Greek gods are not known to possess.
But when it is revealed that she, like her other siblings, is a powerful witch (she turned a nasty nymph into a monster and a mortal into a god), Circe is exiled to an island as a means to appease Zeus.
It is through her eyes we learn the story of the Minotaur and other Greek legends, namely Odysseus, who has been prophesised to arrive at her island.
Miller’s Circe is compelling and relatable. Essentially, she comes into her own when she discovers her true powers.
Miller has painstakingly connected all the characters of the original mythology while taking liberties with some of their stories, only to make her tale flow better.
If you are a fan of Greek mythology, you will definitely enjoy this book.
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