Circé

by Madeline Miller

Circé is a novel that describes the life of the mythical figure best known for her appearance in the Odyssey. It is one of several books to come out in recent years that reimagines mythical personages through the lens of modern feminism.

These books are: “The Song of Achilles,” also by Miller (2011,) “Ithaca” by Claire North (2022,) and “Ariadne” by Jennifer Saint (2021.)

Circe is born into her father’s kingdom, one of the thousands of nymphs – her cousins. They are so numerous and similar that remembering any one as distinct from the others is impossible. Instead, it is what is done to them that is memorable. They are as objects to be acted upon. And so begins Circe’s life.

She is the plaything and servant of her father, uncles, and siblings.

But Circe’s growing knowledge of magic and her willingness to transcend the rules that structure her life allow her to develop not only a personality but to become a figure respected even by the gods.

The reader follows Circe’s life through her encounters with Prometheus, Glaucos, Syclla, Hermes, Dedalus, the Minotaur of Crete, Ulysses, Athena, Penelope, Telemachus, and Telegonus. In the end, these names become more than compound sounds remembered from episodes of Wishbone or a chance reading of the Odyssey.

Circe by Miller is like butter spread over a piece of stale bread. The ‘bread,’ the structure is already there, with limited nutritional value. It represents what everyone already knows about Circe. Miller’s contribution is the ‘butter.’ That which is filling, wholesome, and delicious.

Reading Circe was enjoyable. She certainly puts a different light on the characters I already knew. And she did well to bring taste to ‘a piece of stale bread.’ But many scenes, especially in the Kingdom of Helios feel empty. There are stretches of the book that are boring and slow. It’s only later on that it picks up enough steam that the reader is pulled back in.

Anyone interested in classical themes or feminism would do well to read Circe.

Did you read Circé? What did you think? Why do you think there is a renewed interest in classical Greek stories lately?