You live with ancient queens of myth and you're so much a part of each other it was like a second soul inside your skin. I’ve come across other references to this site then, but Circe was the first book that ever made me reminisce about it. Telegonus leaves for Ithaca, but returns quickly because Odysseus is dead. It’s honestly been quite a few years since I’ve found a book I loved as much as this one, so my feeling can be summed up as follows: 1) I’m sad it’s over, 2) I can’t believe I waited so long to read this, and 3) I need to go buy a copy of Madeline Miller’s previous novel, The Song of Achilles. However, Telegonus longs for adventure, and he accepts instead. He has an herb that prevents Circe from harming him. With unforgettably vivid characters, mesmerizing language and page-turning suspense, Circe is a triumph of storytelling, an intoxicating epic of family rivalry, palace intrigue, love and loss, as well as a celebration of indomitable female strength in a man's world. Madeline Miller was born in Boston and attended Brown University where she earned her BA and MA in Classics. I loved this book. :). With Circe, Madeline Miller kept the characters and the setting, and instead shifted the focus, placing it solely on Circe. It is such a vivid and wonderful story that brings together so many bits and pieces of Greek mythology and somehow turns them into a cohesive book that is well worth your time. The book ends with Circe making a potion to bring forth her true self. :) Thanks for dropping by! Buy Circe: The International No. But Trygon ultimately doesn't extract the price and simply tells her to return it when she's done. I hadn’t thought about the puppet shows for years, and had forgotten the name of the troupe, but it must have been the Cole Marionettes (see Mr. Cole’s obituary, which mentions the Jason and the Golden Fleece show: https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1986-10-21-8603190250-story.html). Yes, do it! Anw, I love reading your reviews, it’s always well written. The puppet shows were an eagerly anticipated annual event at our elementary school, but the only one I remember is the Golden Fleece. Those of you with a background in mythology will see many, many elements from classic Greek mythology (especially The Odyssey) popping up in this book. Telegonus grows up, but longs to visit his father. Circe falls in love with Glaucos, a mortal fisherman. Oooh! I loved what a complete character Circe is. Next, Medea (Aeëtes's daughter) and Jason, arrive at Aiaia, asking to be cleansed. You call birds to sing at your windows, fall asleep in patches of magical herbs with hair dripping all around you like a shawl and sit by the hearth with a lioness, cheeks glowing with the flames' light. I absolutely rave about this book as well! Medea kills the new wife and murders her children. It tells the story of the daughter of the sun god Helios and a beautiful nymph, Perse. And WHYYYYY did I wait too long to read this! Thanks for dropping by and thanks for reading! Bruh my girl Circe really snapped. I finished it today and absolutely love it. For the last ten years she has been teaching and tutoring Latin, Greek and Shakespeare to high school students. I cried by the time it ends. But Circe is a strange child - not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Created by TeachingBooks. Thanks for dropping by! Circe finally relents and helps him gather protections for the journey. But if you’re like me, maybe you’ll just end up wanting it regardless. In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. When you get the chance to read, come check our review and tell us your thoughts as well!! GOODNESS. She lives in Narbeth, PA with her husband and two children. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Fleshed-out and lively, it’s a pleasure to read, especially if you’re someone who loves mythological tales. Confinement, loneliness, and independence are all timeless themes discussed in Circe, a novel by Madeline Miller. please sign up Published April 10th 2018 by Little, Brown and Company. Focusing in on the lesser goddess Circe, Miller paints an epic portrait of a sorceress who tries to understand humankind. They treat her unkindly, except for Aeëtes, but he is granted a kingdom and leaves. By the second half of the book, Circe has been alive for over a thousand years. Circe turns Scylla into a sea monster. She has also studied at the Yale School of Drama, specialising in adapting classical tales to a modern audience. In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. She then has a vision of herself as a mortal, growing old with Telemachus. I actually read half of it as an ebook and half of it on hard copy (I had a hard copy but forgot to bring it and didn’t want to stop reading. The most difficult part of reading Circe for me was that it took forever because whenever a mention of any character came up, I was always tempted to look them up on Wikipedia to see what parts of their story originate from where. :). Hope you love it if you get a chance to read it! She drinks the potion. Miller’s irresistible novel gives voice to Circe, the crooked witch we all know—or think we know—from The Odyssey. If you love the fantasy genre, this is the season for you! Do you think reading it in electronic format is OK? Funny you should ask! Circe is exiled to the empty island of Aiaia for her use of witchcraft, and there she hones her knowledge of herbs and magic. OH.MY. Under Miller’s imaginative gaze, these classic stories are endowed with a newfound energy. Free UK p&p over £10, online orders only. I’d really encourage you to give it a shot though if you’re looking for an entertaining, yet meaningful and complex story. Listen to the Recording (03:26) Share. I listened to the audio last summer and found the story lively – it moves at such an absorbing pace, from start to finish. WHY? In Homer’s in The Odyssey, Odysseus encounters her on the island of Aeaea where she is villainously doling out dangerous potions and turning men into pigs. This is a beautiful book; it is flawless and intelligent. Oh, I’m sad to hear you didn’t like A Song of Achilles. Madeline Miller is the author of the novel, Circe (coming April 2018), and The Song of Achilles, which was a … A while back, I took a trip to Greece and visited one of the locations that appears briefly in the book, the remains of Minos’s Palace at Knossos in Crete. I honestly don’t understand how anyone can NOT love mythology, it’s so fascinating and fun and dramatic. It’s a re-telling the story of Circe, a character originated circa 8th century B.C. Odysseus misunderstood his intentions and fought him instead, scratching himself on the Trygon's tail. But Circe is a strange child - not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power - the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves. One day, Odysseus and his men arrive. I bet you’ll love it! Yeah, I was surprised how evenly paced it was considering how much of the book hinges on understanding her internal thought processes. Jason (Argonaut), Odysseus, Penelope (wife of Odysseus), Glaucus, Prometheus (mythology), Jason (Argonaut), Odysseus, Penelope (wife of Odysseus), Glaucus, Prometheus (mythology), Athena (Greek goddess), Circe, Telemachus, Medea of Colchis, Daedalus, Aeëtes, Minos, Scylla, Hermes, Minotaur, Helius (mythology), Icarus (mythology), Ariadne (mythology), Telegonus, Pasiphae, Perse (mythology), Perses of Colchis, Madeline Miller was born in Boston and grew up in New York City and Philadelphia. Nicely written review. If this summary was useful to you, please consider supporting this site by leaving a tip ($1, $2, or $4) or joining the Patreon! But Circe is a strange child—not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. For a year, he stays as he mends his ship. While in her original incarnation she’s mostly an obstacle to be overcome, in Miller’s reinvented tale, she’s given a new life, as well as a meaningful and imaginative story deeply rooted in a myriad of mythological tales. I’ll think I’ll read the book. Circe is a 2018 novel by American novelist and classicist Madeline Miller. Miller’s mythological retelling is so dazzlingly alive. She attended Brown University, where she earned her BA and MA in Classics. Other sailors go to Aiaia when they hear of the island of Nymphs. That’s so awesome they did a Golden Fleece show, it sounds like that would be so much fun! An 8-part miniseries adaptation of the book has been greenlit for HBO Max. by Homer. What a tale Circe was and what a satisfying ending too. I was lucky enough to hear Madeline Miller talk about it at an author event – especially hearing her read sections aloud, based on the Ancient Greek oral traditions of storytelling. Story Map Multi-Leveled Lesson. The Song of Achilles was awarded the Orange Prize for Fiction and has been translated into twenty-five languages. I actually bought this book back in September or somewhere around there and I still can’t believe I let it sit there for so long, haha. my favorite update meme I have ever posted, Greek Mythology: A Captivating Guide to the Ancient Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, and Monsters. This book was fantastic. Thanks for reading! While you wait for the TV adaptation, now’s a great time to explore similar books like Circe. Ulysses at the Palace of Circe by Wilhelm Schubert van Ehrenberg (1667). This has been on my TBR list for awhile. instead of just doing a bunch of internal monologues. With Telegonus gone, Circe calls for her father, demanding that he talk to Zeus and release her from exile. The Song of Achilles is her first novel and was the winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction 2012. So glad you read this book!!! For the last ten years she has been teaching and tutoring Latin, Greek and Shakespeare to high school students. Madeline Miller was born in Boston and grew up in New York City and Philadelphia. Glad to see you enjoyed this book so much! Thanks for reminding me about this! It is all at once thoughtful and entertaining and elegantly written. Circe uses her magic to protect them, but Athena makes her demands. Circe, by Madeline Miller, came out early last year, and I’ve been keen to find time for it, so it seemed like a good book to kick off the spring season. She agrees to suffer eternal pain to acquire a deadly weapon, the tail of Trygon, a sea god. However, she lacks the powers of her siblings and is less beautiful. Mostly my advice is to read it ASAP because it’s really good. She finds him charming, sleeps with him and promises not to harm him. Hope you’re having a great weekend! Thank you for the kind comment! She attended Brown University, where she earned her BA and MA in Classics. 48 talking about this. Circe realizes that Athena wanted Telegonus dead to prevent this. Created by TeachingBooks. Some books lose something when read on a device. Instead, Circe uses powerful magic to protect the island. With Circe, Madeline Miller kept the characters and the setting, and instead shifted the focus, placing it solely on Circe. (But honestly, I’d consider that a feature, not a bug, when it comes to reading). Circe is the daughter of Helios, God of the Sun, and Perse, an Oceanid nymph. Glad to connect with people who loved this book as well! Appreciate the review. Madeline Miller manages to make Circe both human and goddess, touchable and untouchable. I’ve been hearing nothing but good things about this book! Of course, by the end I loved it so much I went out and bought a first edition signed copy, haha, so now I actually have two. She transforms Glaucos into a Sea-God, but he soon becomes enamored with the beautiful but malicious Scylla. See Circe on Amazon. Can’t wait to read this one. Meet-the-Author Recording with Madeline Miller about Circe. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she disco. This one is really good though. I hope I can get to it soon. Circe warns Medea that Jason's feeling for Medea will wane now that she is no longer usefulness, and Medea angrily departs. You sing hymns, burn incenses, and make fragrant oils. Circe is Madeline Miller’s follow up novel to her critically acclaimed first novel The Song of Achilles. But god, it stands out so far from just that. I’m really curious about it — I haven’t read it yet so unfortunately I have no insight to provide on a comparison between the two, but I hope you do like Circe, and thanks for reading the review! :) Cheers! Later, Alke, the daughter of a lesser river lord, is sent to serve Circe, now known as the Witch of Aiaia, as a punishment. Thanks for your review, I’ve been meaning to read this book and whilst I’m not a huge fan of her previous book, I have to admit she has a beautiful writing and a melancholy that I like. She wants Telemachus to leave and start an empire, but he has no desire for glory and power. Soon, others adopt the idea and send their troublesome daughters there, too. Audio Name Pronunciation with Madeline Miller. It was about a hour out from where we were staying, so we had to rent a car, and it was a whole mess, but I desperately wanted to see it. Medea has murdered her own brother and used magic to help Jason acquire a golden fleece. Oh that’s awesome, I’m jealous I would’ve loved to hear that. Removing this book will also remove your associated ratings, reviews, and reading sessions. Listen to the Audio (00:20) Share. :). Your email address will not be published. See the archives. Telegonus has also brought Telemachus (Odysseus’s other son) and Penelope (Odysseus’s wife).