This is what it means to swim in the tide, to walk the earth and feel it touch your feet. This is what it means to be alive.

Circe by Madeline Miller

I love books that are based on elements of mythology. It is really great to see an author take a tale and turn it into something more. Madeline Miller did a great job of taking the goddess Circe and creating a complex life for her, full of guilt, doubt, fear, and loneliness.

Synopsis: Circe, daughter of the sun god Helios and the sea nymph Perse, grows up in the halls of the sun. She is ignored and pushed aside by her family for her screechy voice and her mortal face.

As she grows, her emotions become conflicted, jealous, and angry. She unleashes powers that she didn’t know were inside of her and morphs those around her into other beings.

Banished for her powers, Circe is sent to live out her days on the island of Aeaea. It is here that she is able to find her true self through her experiences alone and those with travelers.

Review: I loved this book. Although it took me a while to read because of everything else going on in my life, I never felt like I was lost in the story. It was a perfect book to set down and pick back up. Even when I could only read for a few minutes, Miller was able to capture my attention and take me back to the halls of gods and goddesses.

The story in this book felt very lyrical to read. Miller’s writing style and approach to this tale was smooth and flowed nicely. She didn’t fixate on certain events and leave other events to perish in our minds. Instead, the truth of the story, the real meat and heart of Circe, was visible and given enough attention to.

There was something about the way this tale unfolded that made it feel as though I was sitting in Circe’s halls listening to her recount the story of her life. It was peaceful, despite the horrors and pain thrown in, and a real joy to read.

If you are at all a fan of mythology, The Odyssey, or just good writing, you should consider reading Circe. It is a read that transports you and fills your mind with the tales of old.

Happy reading!