Circe by Madeline Miller

"Day upon patient day, you must throw out your errors and begin again. So why did I not mind? Why did none of us mind? I cannot speak for my brothers and sister, but my answer is easy. For a hundred generations, I had walked the world drowsy and dull, idle and at my ease. I left no prints, I did no deeds. Even those who had loved me a little did not care to stay. Then I learned that I could bend the world to my will, as a bow is bent for an arrow. I would have done that toil a thousand times to keep such power in my hands. I thought: this is how Zeus felt when he first lifted the thunderbolt."

Circe, daughter of Helios and a rather pompous nymph, Perse, was born and raised in the Titans' Halls, among other rather pompous nymphs, naiads, small deities and Titans. During her slow eternity she discovers her inherent powers of witchcraft and is exiled on the island Aiaia (even though I am Greek, I still had to google how to pronounce that name), where she hones her abilities and meets various characters of ancient Greek mythology such as Prometheus, Ariadne and the Minotaur, Daedalus, Jason and Medea and of course Odysseus. 

Circe is a character known from Homer's Odyssey as the malevolent witch who turned Odysseus' men to pigs. Well, she did, but apparently she had a very good reason to, which was omitted in Homer's masterpiece. As Madeline Miller mentioned in an interview, she is a misunderstood character whose incentives run much deeper and so the author more than does Circe justice in this novel.

Circe is presented as a goddess with the voice of a mortal and a mild and meek temperament, something which has subjected her to bullying and neglect, from her own family no less. She has struggled to find her place among the other deities, acceptance among those who "love" her, reason in a misogynist, callous world and contentment in her lonely exile, only to be disillusioned in the most cruel ways again and again. But Circe's greatest gift isn't witchcraft, it's perseverance, and so we witness her character rising from her despondency and developing into a strong and wise goddess.

This is a gem of a book which explores a rich tapestry of themes; immortality and death, love and loneliness, cruelty, humanity and sexism. I cannot exalt this novel enough, the lyrical prose, the beautiful imagery that stimulates the senses, the evocative and quotable writing, the fact that every other sentence is a bright pearl of wisdom. Madeline Miller has truly bewitched my heart.

My ratings:

Plot: 3/5

Conclusion: 5/5

Characters: 5/5

Movie Potential: 5/5

'Who should play them in the movie' :

Emma Decody as Circe

Do you agree with my casting? 

Please leave your own suggestions below in the comments.