I will admit that I have been on a little of a mythology high, so naturally I gravitated towards Circe by Madeline Miller as my next read.
In the beginning I struggled a little bit to get into the writing style, but once it picked up I was hooked. This is a beautiful retelling of Circe’s story and while it deviates from some of the classical stories, I though the author did a phenomenal job in bringing Circe to life.
In this story, Circe is neither a good witch nor a bad witch..honestly, she is both at different times and for different reasons. The book is an ode to women empowerment and uses the goddesses story to demonstrate how women have to often claw their way through life to gain every little bit of power and respect they deserve.
The story also has an existential undertone as Circe falls in love with humanity and grapples with what it means to be mortal and the finality of such an existence. In the end she comes to see mortality as a blessing for change is their only constant, while divinity is unchanging and often unyielding.
I highly recommend this novel, especially if you are like me and love to read about mythology and the ancient heroes. After this read, I am looking forward to The Song of Achilles, which I’ve heard is even better.