book review circe by madeline miller

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December’s Book Club Pick: Turning Circe Into a Good Witch

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By Claire Messud

• May 28, 2018

CIRCE By Madeline Miller 400 pp. Little, Brown & Company. $27.

I recall with intense pleasure my discovery in childhood of the Greek myths and Homer’s “Iliad,” in various editions, from an early acquaintance with d’Aulaire’s to Roger Lancelyn Green’s versions and, at the French school I attended for several years, a collection memorably entitled “Mythes et Légendes du Monde Grecque et Barbare.” Homer proper came later, in high school, affording both similar and distinct pleasures. In all versions, the concision and openness of the accounts were essential: Somehow authoritative rather than vague, they allowed an exhilarating freedom of imagination.

As familiar as those from the Bible, these stories saturate our literary history, in renditions and translations, allusions and transformations. Mary Renault stands as the 20th-century exemplar of the fully imagined retelling, most famously with “The King Must Die,” in which she granted Theseus his voice and conjured for readers the minute and vivid details of his upbringing and heroic deeds. More recently, Madeline Miller, a classicist and teacher, published “The Song of Achilles”: Widely acclaimed and translated, it received the Orange Prize for fiction in 2012. In that novel, Miller took on the story of Achilles from the perspective of Patroclus, his intimate and, in Miller’s version, his lover. Her fresh and contemporary understanding of this ancient story from the “Iliad” thrilled many and unnerved others. In this newspaper, Daniel Mendelsohn described the book as having “the head of a young adult novel, the body of the ‘Iliad’ and the hindquarters of Barbara Cartland” — ironically a fitting contemporary monster for the task of bringing the “Iliad” to a new readership.

Like its predecessor, Miller’s new book, “Circe,” illuminates known stories from a new perspective. Those familiar with the “Odyssey” will of course recall the wanderer’s visit to her island Aiaia — she’s perhaps best known as the witch who turns the sailors into pigs, and yet who ultimately invites Odysseus to be her lover and to abide with her, along with his men, for a year. Others will recall that Circe — Medea’s aunt, the sister of her father, Aeetes — cleansed Medea and Jason of their crimes, as they fled Colchis with the Golden Fleece and murdered Medea’s brother. She features, too, in the story of the Minotaur: Pasiphae, wife of King Minos and mother of Phaedra, Ariadne and the Minotaur (fathered, of course, by a sacred bull), is Circe’s sister. In all of these stories, Circe is at once important and liminal, just as she is a figure of uncertain powers, a minor immortal, the daughter of Helios, god of the sun and a Titan, and Perse, a lowly naiad.

Miller, writing once again in the first person (“The Song of Achilles” was narrated by Patroclus), gives voice to Circe as a multifaceted and evolving character. Her unhappy youth is explained, as the eldest and least cherished of Perse’s children by Helios, mocked for her unlovely voice (she will learn later, from Hermes, that “you sound like a mortal”). Secretly kind to Prometheus after he is condemned for giving fire to the humans, she is exiled to Aiaia not for this transgression but for her use of witchcraft to turn the mortal Glaucos, with whom she is in love, into a god; and, when Glaucos spurns her for the beautiful but feckless nymph Scylla, for transforming her into the sea monster who will plague sailors for generations.

According to Miller’s version, Circe is initially chiefly unhappy and immature, given to thoughtless lashing out that she lives to regret. When she cleanses Jason and Medea of their crimes, it is not because she is herself amoral but because she doesn’t know what those crimes are: When the pair ask her for “ katharsis,” “It was forbidden for me to question them.” Later, when she transforms sailors into pigs, her apparent malice is revealed in fact to be self-defense born of her isolation and mistreatment at the hands of sexual predators. When she deals with good men, like Daedalus, for whom she feels compassion (“he, too, knew what it was to make monsters”), she is filled with benevolent emotion; and even when her arguably evil brother Aeetes comes to Aiaia in search of Medea, she records feeling “a pleasure in me so old and sharp it felt like pain,” and recalls innocently that “as a child, he had liked to lean his head upon my shoulder and watch the sea gulls dip to catch their fish. His laugh had been bright as morning sun.”

Eventually, Circe will bear a child by Odysseus, a boy named Telegonus (although some versions of the myth have her bearing several boys); and Miller grants her, at this juncture, a profoundly human complex of emotions, from despair at the infant’s constant screaming to a profound and unconditional maternal ardor: “When he finally slept … a love so sharp it seemed my flesh lay open. I made a list of all the things I would do for him. Scald off my skin. Tear out my eyes. Walk my feet to bones, if only he would be happy and well.” Motherhood, then, is what renders Circe fully recognizable, postpartum depression and all.

As this passage makes clear, Miller has determined, in her characterization of this most powerful witch, to bring her as close as possible to the human — from the timbre of her voice to her intense maternal instincts. The brutal insouciance of her fellow immortals — whether her sharp-tongued mother, Perse; or chilly Hermes; or righteous Athena enraged — proves increasingly alien to this thoughtful and compassionate woman who learns to love unselfishly. It is an unexpected and jolly, if bittersweet, development, and one rather closer to Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid” than to traditional Greek myth.

“Circe” is very pleasurable to read, combining lively versions of familiar tales (like the birth of the Minotaur or the arrival of Odysseus and his men on Circe’s island) and snippets of other, related standards (a glance at Daedalus and Icarus; a nod to the ultimate fate of Medea after she and Jason leave Aiaia) with a highly psychologized, redemptive and ultimately exculpatory account of the protagonist herself. That said, Daniel Mendelsohn’s assessment of Miller’s earlier book pertains, perhaps even more so in this instance: It’s a hybrid entity, inserting strains of popular romance and specifically human emotion into the lives of the gods. Idiosyncrasies in the prose reflect this uneasy mixture: Circe sometimes speaks with syntactic inversions that recall Victorian translations from Greek (“frail she was, but crafty, with a mind like a spike-toothed eel”; “a year of peaceful days he had stayed with me”; “young he was, but not a fool”), and at other moments, in a surprising contemporary vernacular (“Meanwhile every petty and useless god would go on sucking down the bright air until the stars went dark”) occasionally punctuated by overly familiar phrases (that laugh, above, “bright as morning sun”; or this odd deployment of cliché: “My blood ran cold to see his greenness”).

In spite of these occasional infelicities and awkwardnesses, “Circe” will surely delight readers new to the witch’s stories as it will many who remember her role in the Greek myths of their childhood: Like a good children’s book, it engrosses and races along at a clip, eliciting excitement and emotion along the way. The novel’s feminist slant also appeals, offering — like revisions of Medea including Rachel Cusk’s 2015 adaptation of the play or David Vann’s 2017 novel “Bright Air Black” — a reclamation of one of myth’s reviled women. Purists may be less enchanted, bemused by Miller’s sentimental leanings and her determination to make Circe into an ultimately likable, or at least forgivable, character. This narrative choice seems a taming, and hence a diminishment, of the character’s transgressive divine excess.

Claire Messud is the author, most recently, of “The Burning Girl.”

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clock This article was published more than  6 years ago

The original nasty woman is a goddess for our times

The archaeological evidence is sketchy, but the first pussy hat was probably knitted by Circe. Among nasty women, the witch of Aeaea has held a place of prominence since Homer first sang of her wiles. For most of us, that was a long time ago — 700 B.C. or freshman English — but popular interest in “The Odyssey” picked up last fall when Emily Wilson published the first English translation by a woman. Wilson, a classicist at the University of Pennsylvania, described Circe as “the goddess who speaks in human tongues” and reminded us that what makes this enchantress particularly dangerous is that she is as beautiful as she is powerful.

That combination of qualities has excited male desire and dread at least since Athena sprang from the head of Zeus. On papyrus or Twitter , from Olympus to Hollywood , we have a roster of handy slurs and strategies to keep women caught between Scylla and Charybdis: either frigid or slutty, unnaturally masculine or preternaturally sexless, Lady Macbeth or Mother Mary.

Now, into that ancient battle — reinvigorated in our own era by the #MeToo movement — comes an absorbing new novel by Madeline Miller called “ Circe .” In his 1726 translation of “The Odyssey,” Alexander Pope claimed that Circe possessed an “adamantine heart,” but Miller finds the goddess’s affections wounded, complicated and capable of extraordinary sympathy. And to anyone who thinks that women can be shamed into silence, this witch has just one thing to say: “That’ll do, pig.”

Miller is something of a literary sorceress herself. As a 39-year-old Latin teacher, she created an international sensation in 2011 with her debut novel, a stirring reimagining of “The Iliad” called “The Song of Achilles.” It’s a pleasure to see that same transformative power directed at Circe, the woman who waylaid Odysseus and his men as they sailed home to Ithaca.

The first English translation of ‘The Odyssey’ by a woman was worth the wait

“When I was born, the name for what I was did not exist,” Circe begins at the start of a story that will carry us across millennia. Although she writes in prose, Miller hews to the poetic timber of the epic, with a rich, imaginative style commensurate to the realm of immortal beings sparked with mortal sass. Circe’s father, Helios, lives in a palace of “polished obsidian . . . the stone floors smoothed by centuries of divine feet.” She describes a royal court just beyond the edge of physical possibility: “The whole world was made of gold. The light came from everywhere at once, his yellow skin, his lambent eyes, the bronze flashing of his hair. His flesh was hot as a brazier, and I pressed as close as he would let me, like a lizard to noonday rocks.”

In this fully re-created childhood, Miller finds the roots of Circe’s later personality and isolation. Mocked by her far more majestic family, Circe is a kind of Titanic Jane Eyre, sensitive and miserable, but nursing an iron will. (She also develops an acerbic sense of humor: Her father, she tells us, is “a harp with only one string, and the note it played was himself.”) Although her relatives disparage her, Circe cultivates the occult arts that will one day shock them. “I had begun to know what fear was,” she tells us. “What could make a god afraid? I knew that answer too. A power greater than their own.”

‘The Song of Achilles,’ by Madeline Miller

While working within the constraints of the “The Odyssey” and other ancient myths, Miller finds plenty of room to weave her own surprising story of a passionate young woman banished to lavish solitude. “To be utterly alone,” Circe scoffs. “What worse punishment could there be, my family thought, than to be deprived of their divine presence?” But her bravado is short-lived. “The still air crawled across my skin and shadows reached out their hands. I stared into the darkness, straining to hear past the beat of my own blood.” In that extremity, Circe discovers the labor and, eventually, the power of witchcraft.

A protagonist, even a fascinating one, stuck alone in the middle of nowhere poses special narrative challenges, but Miller keeps her novel filled with perils and romance. She’s just as successful recounting far-off adventures — such as the horror of the Minotaur — as she is reenacting adventures on the island. In the novel’s most unnerving encounter, young Medea stops by mid-honeymoon fresh from chopping up her brother. Chastened by bitter experience, Circe offers her niece wise counsel, but you know how well that turns out.

Which is one of the most amazing qualities of this novel: We know how everything here turns out — we’ve known it for thousands of years — and yet in Miller’s lush reimagining, the story feels harrowing and unexpected. The feminist light she shines on these events never distorts their original shape; it only illuminates details we hadn’t noticed before.

That theme develops long before Odysseus and his men arrive, as the novel explores the prevalence and presumption of rape. Again and again, sailors land upon Circe’s shore and violate her hospitality so grotesquely that she’s forced to develop her infamous potions and spells. “The truth is,” she says ruefully, “men make terrible pigs.” Considering the treatment she has received, we can’t blame her for concluding, “There were no pious men anymore, there had not been for a long time.”

Of course, her grim appraisal is a perfect introduction for Odysseus. He doesn’t arrive on Aeaea until more than halfway through the novel, but then Miller plays their verbal sparring with a delightful mix of wit and lust. The affection that eventually develops between them is intriguingly complex and mature — such a smart revision of the misogynist fantasy passed down from antiquity:

“Later, years later, I would hear a song made of our meeting,” Circe tells us. “I was not surprised by the portrait of myself: the proud witch undone before the hero’s sword, kneeling and begging for mercy. Humbling women seems to me a chief pastime of poets. As if there can be no story unless we crawl and weep.”

There will be plenty of weeping later in this novel, although it’s likely to be your own. In the story that dawns from Miller’s rosy fingers, the fate that awaits Circe is at once divine and mortal, impossibly strange and yet entirely human.

Ron Charles is the editor of Book World and host of TotallyHipVideoBookReview.com .

On April 18 at 7 p.m., Madeline Miller will be at Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. politics-prose.com .

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Why the literature of antiquity still matters, by Michael Dirda

By Madeline Miller

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Awards & Accolades

Our Verdict

Kirkus Reviews' Best Books Of 2018

New York Times Bestseller

by Madeline Miller ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 10, 2018

Miller makes Homer pertinent to women facing 21st-century monsters.

A retelling of ancient Greek lore gives exhilarating voice to a witch.

“Monsters are a boon for gods. Imagine all the prayers.” So says Circe, a sly, petulant, and finally commanding voice that narrates the entirety of Miller’s dazzling second novel. The writer returns to Homer, the wellspring that led her to an Orange Prize for The Song of Achilles (2012). This time, she dips into The Odyssey for the legend of Circe, a nymph who turns Odysseus’ crew of men into pigs. The novel, with its distinctive feminist tang, starts with the sentence: “When I was born, the name for what I was did not exist.” Readers will relish following the puzzle of this unpromising daughter of the sun god Helios and his wife, Perse, who had negligible use for their child. It takes banishment to the island Aeaea for Circe to sense her calling as a sorceress: “I will not be like a bird bred in a cage, I thought, too dull to fly even when the door stands open. I stepped into those woods and my life began.” This lonely, scorned figure learns herbs and potions, surrounds herself with lions, and, in a heart-stopping chapter, outwits the monster Scylla to propel Daedalus and his boat to safety. She makes lovers of Hermes and then two mortal men. She midwifes the birth of the Minotaur on Crete and performs her own C-section. And as she grows in power, she muses that “not even Odysseus could talk his way past [her] witchcraft. He had talked his way past the witch instead.” Circe’s fascination with mortals becomes the book’s marrow and delivers its thrilling ending. All the while, the supernatural sits intriguingly alongside “the tonic of ordinary things.” A few passages coil toward melodrama, and one inelegant line after a rape seems jarringly modern, but the spell holds fast. Expect Miller’s readership to mushroom like one of Circe’s spells.

Pub Date: April 10, 2018

ISBN: 978-0-316-55634-7

Page Count: 400

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018

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THE MOST FUN WE EVER HAD

by Claire Lombardo ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 25, 2019

Characters flip between bottomless self-regard and pitiless self-loathing while, as late as the second-to-last chapter, yet...

Four Chicago sisters anchor a sharp, sly family story of feminine guile and guilt.

Newcomer Lombardo brews all seven deadly sins into a fun and brimming tale of an unapologetically bougie couple and their unruly daughters. In the opening scene, Liza Sorenson, daughter No. 3, flirts with a groomsman at her sister’s wedding. “There’s four of you?” he asked. “What’s that like?” Her retort: “It’s a vast hormonal hellscape. A marathon of instability and hair products.” Thus begins a story bristling with a particular kind of female intel. When Wendy, the oldest, sets her sights on a mate, she “made sure she left her mark throughout his house—soy milk in the fridge, box of tampons under the sink, surreptitious spritzes of her Bulgari musk on the sheets.” Turbulent Wendy is the novel’s best character, exuding a delectable bratty-ness. The parents—Marilyn, all pluck and busy optimism, and David, a genial family doctor—strike their offspring as impossibly happy. Lombardo levels this vision by interspersing chapters of the Sorenson parents’ early lean times with chapters about their daughters’ wobbly forays into adulthood. The central story unfurls over a single event-choked year, begun by Wendy, who unlatches a closed adoption and springs on her family the boy her stuffy married sister, Violet, gave away 15 years earlier. (The sisters improbably kept David and Marilyn clueless with a phony study-abroad scheme.) Into this churn, Lombardo adds cancer, infidelity, a heart attack, another unplanned pregnancy, a stillbirth, and an office crush for David. Meanwhile, youngest daughter Grace perpetrates a whopper, and “every day the lie was growing like mold, furring her judgment.” The writing here is silky, if occasionally overwrought. Still, the deft touches—a neighborhood fundraiser for a Little Free Library, a Twilight character as erotic touchstone—delight. The class calibrations are divine even as the utter apolitical whiteness of the Sorenson world becomes hard to fathom.

Pub Date: June 25, 2019

ISBN: 978-0-385-54425-2

Page Count: 544

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: March 3, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2019

LITERARY FICTION | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP

WE WERE THE LUCKY ONES

by Georgia Hunter ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 14, 2017

Too beholden to sentimentality and cliché, this novel fails to establish a uniquely realized perspective.

Hunter’s debut novel tracks the experiences of her family members during the Holocaust.

Sol and Nechuma Kurc, wealthy, cultured Jews in Radom, Poland, are successful shop owners; they and their grown children live a comfortable lifestyle. But that lifestyle is no protection against the onslaught of the Holocaust, which eventually scatters the members of the Kurc family among several continents. Genek, the oldest son, is exiled with his wife to a Siberian gulag. Halina, youngest of all the children, works to protect her family alongside her resistance-fighter husband. Addy, middle child, a composer and engineer before the war breaks out, leaves Europe on one of the last passenger ships, ending up thousands of miles away. Then, too, there are Mila and Felicia, Jakob and Bella, each with their own share of struggles—pain endured, horrors witnessed. Hunter conducted extensive research after learning that her grandfather (Addy in the book) survived the Holocaust. The research shows: her novel is thorough and precise in its details. It’s less precise in its language, however, which frequently relies on cliché. “ You’ll get only one shot at this ,” Halina thinks, enacting a plan to save her husband. “ Don’t botch it .” Later, Genek, confronting a routine bit of paperwork, must decide whether or not to hide his Jewishness. “ That form is a deal breaker ,” he tells himself. “ It’s life and death .” And: “They are low, it seems, on good fortune. And something tells him they’ll need it.” Worse than these stale phrases, though, are the moments when Hunter’s writing is entirely inadequate for the subject matter at hand. Genek, describing the gulag, calls the nearest town “a total shitscape.” This is a low point for Hunter’s writing; elsewhere in the novel, it’s stronger. Still, the characters remain flat and unknowable, while the novel itself is predictable. At this point, more than half a century’s worth of fiction and film has been inspired by the Holocaust—a weighty and imposing tradition. Hunter, it seems, hasn’t been able to break free from her dependence on it.

Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2017

ISBN: 978-0-399-56308-9

Page Count: 416

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: Nov. 21, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2016

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Circe by Madeline Miller review – Greek classic thrums with contemporary relevance

M adeline Miller’s 2011 retelling of the Iliad , The Song of Achilles , recast the epic as a love story between Achilles and Patroclus, taking us into the emotional heart of some of the most moving and memorable passages in the poem. The book was a surprise hit, winning Miller – then a Latin and Greek teacher – the Orange prizecorrect and a place on the bestseller lists. What she was doing was nothing new – writers have been reimagining Homer’s work since the Aeneid – but the contemporary tone and modern sensibility did something extraordinary to the well-known tale. The best historical fiction balances the past and present in the text, so that it both celebrates and collapses the distance between then and now. In The Song of Achilles , Miller rendered that ancient war thrillingly, grippingly present; her vision of the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus was one of steaming, timeless sensuality.

Miller begins Circe in the court of Helios: the sun god and her heroine’s father. “His palace was a neighbour to Oceanos’, buried in the earth’s rock, and its walls were made of obsidian.” From the start, we are made aware of Circe’s inferior status – “Circe is dull as a rock,” says her father. She is named after her yellow eyes – circe means hawk – and for the “thin sound” of her crying, which we later learn is because she has been born with the voice of a mortal, not a god. Circe witnesses the punishment of Prometheus and this kindles a deep sympathetic interest in humans. Soon after, she meets Glaucos, a fisherman, and they become lovers. Wishing to keep him from his own mortality, she makes the first use of pharmaka – the magical herbs that activate her sorcery. Glaucos becomes a god, “towering like a sea-surge”, green-haired and trident-wielding. He swiftly grows tired of the unprepossessing Circe and transfers his attentions to Scylla, a beautiful sea-nymph. Circe, enraged, turns her witchcraft upon the nymph, and is exiled to a beautiful, unpeopled island.

It is here, on Aiaia, that Odysseus finds her, happily surrounded by tame wolves and lions and swine – the latter are earlier visitors that she has bewitched after an unwise sea captain attempts to rape her. As with her previous novel, the great skill here is the way Miller gives voice to a previously muted perspective in the classics, forging a great romance from the scraps left to us by the ancients. If The Song of Achilles recovered a half-buried homosexual love story from the Iliad, Circe gives us a feminist slant on the Odyssey . “Humbling women seems to be a chief pastime of poets,” Circe says at one point. “As if there can be no story unless we crawl and weep.” It’s fitting that Circe is published just a year after the first major female translation of the Odyssey , by Emily Wilson . Wilson said in her introduction to that translation “the question of who matters is actually central to what the text is about”.

In Miller’s vision Circe, who is passed over in a few dozen lines in the Greek original, matters deeply. Hilary Mantel has spoken repeatedly of the problems that arise when modern ethical mores are placed in the mouths of historical figures. In her Reith Lectures, she says: “This is a persistent difficulty for women writers, who want to write about women in the past, but can’t resist retrospectively empowering them.” Miller flouts Mantel’s interdiction winningly, joyously, and in a way that is powerfully affecting.

The Song of Achilles may have been a bestseller, but its critical reception was decidedly mixed. Fusty – and almost always male – critics lamented the historical inaccuracies, the liberties taken with the text, the cliches. They missed the point that Miller was seeking to popularise stories that were first popular three millennia ago, employing the tools of the novelist to reveal new internal landscapes in these familiar tales. In her Circe , Miller has made a collage out of a variety of source materials – from Ovid to Homer to another lost epic, the Telegony – but the guiding instinct here is to re-present the classics from the perspective of the women involved in them, and to do so in a way that makes these age-old texts thrum with contemporary relevance. If you read this book expecting a masterpiece to rival the originals, you’ll be disappointed; Circe is, instead, a romp, an airy delight, a novel to be gobbled greedily in a single sitting.

• Madeline Miller
• The Observer

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Circe by Madeline Miller

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“Circe” spans several centuries, offering a deep dive into the life of its eponymous character. It begins with Circe’s childhood in the halls of Helios, her father, where she struggles to find her place among gods and nymphs. She discovers her penchant for witchcraft, a talent that leads to her exile on the island of Aiaia. This isolation becomes both a punishment and a sanctuary, allowing Circe to hone her magical skills and interact with various figures from Greek mythology, including Odysseus, the Minotaur, and Athena. The novel is not just a series of events but a profound exploration of Circe’s evolution from a naive nymph to a powerful sorceress, grappling with her immortality and her desire to understand the mortal world.

Main Characters

• Circe : Initially a timid and overlooked nymph, Circe grows into a formidable witch. Her journey is marked by moments of vulnerability, strength, and deep introspection.
• Odysseus : A clever and complex character, Odysseus’ interaction with Circe adds layers to both their stories.
• Telemachus : Odysseus’ son, who visits Circe and develops a unique bond with her.
• Athena : The goddess who often stands as Circe’s antagonist, representing the capricious and often cruel nature of the gods.

In-Depth Analysis

Miller’s writing is a standout feature, with its lyrical quality and deep emotional resonance. The novel excels in its portrayal of Circe as a multifaceted character, exploring themes of power, isolation, and identity. It also delves into the pettiness and politics of the gods, contrasting it with Circe’s growing affinity for humanity.

• Character Development : Circe’s evolution is the heart of the story. Miller skillfully depicts her transformation, making her a relatable and compelling protagonist.
• Lyrical Prose : The writing style is evocative and poetic, enhancing the mythological setting and the emotional depth of the narrative.
• Pacing : Some readers might find the middle part of the book a bit slow, as it delves deeply into character exploration.

Literary Devices

• Symbolism : Circe’s witchcraft symbolizes her independence and self-discovery.
• Foreshadowing : The novel uses subtle hints to foretell key events, particularly in the interactions between gods and mortals.

Relation to Broader Issues

“Circe” speaks to the universal themes of identity, power dynamics, and the nature of humanity. It also touches on gender roles and the struggle for autonomy, particularly resonant in the #MeToo era.

“Circe” will appeal to fans of Greek mythology, character-driven narratives, and feminist literature. It stands out for its fresh take on a mythological figure often relegated to the margins of these stories. Readers who enjoyed “The Song of Achilles,” also by Miller, or “The Silence of the Girls” by Pat Barker, will likely find this novel captivating.

Potential Audiences

• Fans of Greek mythology and retellings.
• Readers interested in feminist narratives.
• Those who appreciate character-driven stories and lyrical prose.

Thematic Analysis

The novel deeply explores themes like female empowerment, the nature of divinity versus humanity, and the search for identity. Circe’s journey is a powerful representation of breaking free from societal constraints and finding one’s voice.

Stylistic Elements

Miller’s prose is rich and poetic, bringing a modern sensibility to ancient myths. Her use of vivid imagery and careful pacing adds depth to the narrative and characters.

Comparison with Other Works

“Circe” can be compared to “The Song of Achilles” in its retelling of Greek myths with a humanistic perspective. It also shares thematic similarities with works like “The Penelopiad” by Margaret Atwood, offering a feminist perspective on classical stories.

Potential Test Questions with Answers

• It represents her transformation from an ignored nymph to a powerful witch, allowing her to explore her abilities and independence.
• She portrays him as complex and flawed, focusing on his cunning and moral ambiguities.

Awards and Recognitions

“Circe” was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2019 and received critical acclaim for its innovative approach to myth retelling.

Bibliographic Information

• Title : Circe
• Author : Madeline Miller
• Publication Date : 2018
• Publisher : Little, Brown and Company
• ISBN : 978-0316556347

BISAC Categories:

• Historical – Ancient
• Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology
• War & Military

Summaries of Awards and Other Reviews

• Mythopoeic Fantasy Award Nominee for Adult Literature (2019)
• ALA Alex Award (2019) ,
• Tähtifantasia Award Nominee (2022)
• Women’s Prize for Fiction Nominee (2019)
• The Kitschies for Red Tentacle (Best Novel) (2019) ,
• Goodreads Choice Award for Fantasy (2018)
• Book of the Month Book of the Year Award (2018) ,
• RUSA CODES Reading List Nominee for Historical Fiction (2019)

#1  New York Times  Bestseller — named one of the Best Books of the Year by NPR, the  Washington Post ,  People ,  Time , Amazon,  Entertainment Weekly ,  Bustle, Newsweek, the A.V. Club, Christian Science Monitor, Refinery 29, Buzzfeed, Paste, Audible, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Thrillist, NYPL, Self, Real Simple, Goodreads, Boston Globe, Electric Literature, BookPage, the Guardian, Book Riot, Seattle Times, and Business Insider.

Purchasing Links

Is this book a series.

“Circe” is a standalone novel. However, Madeline Miller’s other work, “The Song of Achilles,” explores similar themes in a different mythological context.

About Madeline Miller

Madeline Miller is an American novelist and classics scholar. Her debut novel, “The Song of Achilles,” also received critical acclaim and awards. Miller is known for her ability to reimagine ancient myths with contemporary relevance and emotional depth.

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Reviews of Circe by Madeline Miller

Summary | Excerpt | Reading Guide | Reviews | Beyond the book | Read-Alikes | Genres & Themes | Author Bio

by Madeline Miller

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• Historical Fiction
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• Adult-YA Crossover Fiction
• Strong Women
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• Top 20 Best Books of 2018

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About this Book

• Reading Guide

Book Summary

Winner of the 2018 BookBrowse Fiction Award The daring, dazzling and highly anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestseller The Song of Achilles .

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. 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. Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus. But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love. 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. NPR's Weekend Edition "Books To Look Forward To In 2018" Esquire's "The 27 Most Anticipated Books of 2018" Boston Globe's "25 books we can't wait to read in 2018" The Millions "The Most Anticipated: The Great 2018 Book Preview" Cosmopolitan's "33 Books to Get Excited About in 2018"

CHAPTER ONE

WHEN I WAS BORN, the name for what I was did not exist. They called me nymph, assuming I would be like my mother and aunts and thousand cousins. Least of the lesser goddesses, our powers were so modest they could scarcely ensure our eternities. We spoke to fish and nurtured flowers, coaxed drops from the clouds or salt from the waves. That word, nymph , paced out the length and breadth of our futures. In our language, it means not just goddess, but bride . My mother was one of them, a naiad, guardian of fountains and streams. She caught my father's eye when he came to visit the halls of her own father, Oceanos. Helios and Oceanos were often at each other's tables in those days. They were cousins, and equal in age, though they did not look it. My father glowed bright as just-forged bronze, while Oceanos had been born with rheumy eyes and a white beard to his lap. Yet they were both Titans, and preferred each other's company to those new-squeaking gods upon ...

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

• Circe struggles to find a place for herself as a woman in a man's world. What parts of her experience resonate with modern day challenges that women face?
• A central theme of Homer's Odyssey is a longing for "nostos"—homecoming. In what way does that theme resonate with Circe's story?
• How does Circe's encounter with Prometheus change her? How does it continue to affect her actions?
• Throughout the novel Circe draws distinctions between gods and mortals.  How does Glaucus change when he becomes a god?
• Circe wonders if parents can ever see their children clearly. She notes that so often when looking at our children "we see only the mirror of our own faults." What parts of herself does she see when she looks at Telegonus...
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Reader reviews, bookbrowse review.

Much of Circe is an exploration into what it means to be female in a world of men and monsters. While it is usually tenuous to compare an author's latest novel to previous work, it does feel as if Miller wrote Circe as a conscious inversion of her prize-winning debut The Song of Achilles in nearly every aspect. The pool of inspiration may be the same – primarily Homer's epics – but whereas Achilles was very much a book about mortal men coming to grips with their own version of masculinity, Circe is about a divine woman trying to consolidate her myriad feminine identities as daughter, sister, lover, mother, witch, and goddess. Graceful and majestic in equal measures, Circe is sure to leave an indelible impression on readers both new and returning to Miller's singular reworkings of Greek myths... continued

Full Review (791 words) This review is available to non-members for a limited time. For full access, become a member today .

(Reviewed by Dean Muscat ).

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Beyond the Book

Nymphs in greek mythology.

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Circe by Madeline Miller review: a fresh take on ancient mythical tale

A complex, compelling portrait of one of the most intriguing women in western literature.

The daughter of a sea nymph and the Titan sun god Helios, Circe is doomed to immortality

Circe doesn't take up much space in Homer's Odyssey – the visit to her island takes up just 15 pages in Emily Wilson's 2017 translation – but the sorceress who turns men into pigs makes an indelible impact. Since her story was first told several thousand years ago, she's inspired countless artists and writers from Ovid to John William Waterhouse. In her new novel Circe , Madeline Miller, who won the Orange Prize for The Song of Achilles in 2012, offers a refreshingly complex and utterly compelling portrait of one of the most intriguing women in western literature.

Miller, who has an MA in classics from Brown University, draws on a wide range of ancient Greek and Latin sources to tell Circe’s story. Like its classical source material, the novel is episodic, but this structure perfectly conveys one of the novel’s central themes. Circe is immortal, which means that any relationships she may form with humans, from Daedalus to Odysseus, can only be temporary. They will always age and die, and she will have to move on without them, beautiful, powerful and alone.

The daughter of a sea nymph and the Titan sun god Helios, Circe begins her life in the halls of her father. When she was born, she tells us, “the name for what I was did not exist”. Is she a nymph? A goddess? The truth, as it turns out, is something entirely new. Despised by her divine family, Circe discovers her powers of sorcery when she turns a human fisherman into a god. When he spurns her for another nymph, Scylla, Circe transforms her rival into a horrific sea monster who becomes the sourge of all sailors – an act that will haunt Circe for the rest of her life. Circe is exiled to a lonely island, where she spends centuries honing her craft.

But she’s not totally isolated. She visits Crete, where her cruel sister Pasiphae gives birth to a monster that will become legend, and where Circe bonds with the inventor Daedalus. They work together to contain the Minotaur, combining Daedalus’s human skill and her sorcery. Miller’s depiction of what it feels like to work magic is extraordinarily vivid and convincing – after Daedalus gives Circe a beautiful loom, she is struck by the similarities between working with textiles and with spells: “the simplicity and skill at once…your hands must be busy, and your mind sharp and free”.

Unflinching horror

Circe must return to her island, where she is visited by her intense niece Medea and her husband Jason, an encounter which reminds her of her own loneliness. Not long afterwards we discover what turned her into the seemingly capricious sorceress of Book 10 of the Odyssey , who turns visiting sailors into swine. This is dark magic born of cruelty, described in scenes of unflinching horror, and for a while Circe's pain threatens to consume her. Then along comes wily Odysseus, and everything changes yet again. But where can your story end, when you're going to live forever?

This is, of course, a ripping yarn, and in other hands Circe could have been an ancient Greek equivalent of Marion Zimmer Bradley's sprawling 1983 bestseller The Mists of Avalon , which tells the story of Arthur through the eyes of Morgan le Fey. Which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. But what elevates Circe is Miller's luminous prose, which is both enormously readable and evocative, and the way in which she depicts the gulf between gods and mortals.

The Titans and Olympians in the novel feel both disturbingly alien and utterly convincing. Miller writes of divinity as a quality that can be felt, expressed and, in the case of Circe, sometimes resented. Crucially, Circe never feels like a modern woman. She is the product of an ancient and immortal world, who begins by feeling repulsed by humans and gradually comes to realise that mortals can grow and change while her fellow immortals are doomed to find variety only in manipulation and destruction. Circe can be part of that cycle of cruel and pointless conflict, or she can choose to break it. In this unforgettable novel, Miller makes us care about that magical, mythical choice.

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By Madeline Miller

Book review, full book summary and synopsis for Circe by Madeline Miller, an elegant and delightful retelling of Greek mythological tales.

Circe is the daughter of Helios, God of the Sun, and Perse, an Oceanid nymph. Despite her divinity, she is less beautiful and lacks the skills of her siblings, so she is largely shunned and ridiculed among the godly.

When she falls in love with a mortal who, of course, is fated to age and die, she is desperate enough to experiment with a different and illicit type of power -- potions and witchcraft, and with it she discovers her own ability to bend the world to her will.

(The Full Plot Summary is also available, below)

Full Plot Summary

Circe is born a God, the daughter of a Titan and a water nymph. However, she lacks the powers of her siblings and is less beautiful. They treat her unkindly, except for Aeëtes , but he is granted a kingdom and leaves.

Circe falls in love with Glaucos , a mortal fisherman. In hopes of making Glaucos immortal, Circe learns about illicit Pharmaka , herbs endowed with power that only grow where Gods have fallen. She transforms Glaucos into a Sea-God, but he soon becomes enamored with the beautiful but malicious Scylla . Circe turns Scylla into a sea monster.

Circe is exiled to the empty island of Aiaia for her use of witchcraft, and there she hones her knowledge of herbs and magic. One day, Daedalus , a famed mortal craftsman, arrives at Aiaia, requesting help for Pasiphaë , Circe's sister. In Knossos, Pasiphaë gives birth to a Minotaur. Circe uses magic to manage its hunger, and Daedalus builds it a labyrinthine cage. Daedalus is forced to help because they have his son, Icarus. Daedalus later tries to build wings to help his son escape Knossos, but Icarus flies too close to the sun and dies. Daedalus later dies from old age.

Next, Medea (Aeëtes's daughter) and Jason , arrive at Aiaia, asking to be cleansed. Medea has murdered her own brother and used magic to help Jason acquire a golden fleece. Circe warns Medea that Jason's feeling for Medea will wane now that she is no longer useful to him, and Medea angrily departs.

Later, Alke , the daughter of a lesser river lord, is sent to serve Circe, now known as the Witch of Aiaia, as a punishment. Soon, others adopt the idea and send their troublesome daughters there, too. One day, sailors show up. Circe offers them food, but the captain attacks her so turns them into pigs. Other sailors go to Aiaia when they hear of the island of Nymphs. At first Circe attempts to suss out if they are honest men, but Circe eventually assumes they are all dishonest and turns them all into pigs.

One day, Odysseus and his men arrive. He has an herb that prevents Circe from harming him. She finds him charming, sleeps with him and promises not to harm him. For a year, he stays as he mends his ship. Circe knows he is married, but she yearns for him to stay. Before he leaves, Circe sends him to a prophet and warns about the obstacles in his trip home (Scylla, etc.).

But Circe is pregnant and her mortal son, Telegonus , is soon born. Athena wants the child dead and offers her eternal blessings in exchange, but Circe refuses. Instead, Circe uses powerful magic to protect the island. Telegonus grows up, but longs to visit his father. Circe finally relents and helps him gather protections for the journey. She agrees to suffer eternal pain to acquire a deadly weapon, the tail of Trygon , a sea god. But Trygon ultimately doesn't extract the price and simply tells her to return it when she's done.

Telegonus leaves for Ithaca, but returns quickly because Odysseus is dead. Odysseus misunderstood his intentions and fought him instead, scratching himself on the Trygon's tail. Circe realizes that Athena wanted Telegonus dead to prevent this. Telegonus has also brought Telemachus (Odysseus’s other son) and Penelope (Odysseus’s wife) to the island. Penelope is worried Athena will claim Telemachus in Odysseus's absence and hopes for Circe's protection. Circe uses her magic to protect them, but Athena makes her demands. She wants Telemachus to leave and start an empire, but he has no desire for glory and power. However, Telegonus longs for adventure, and he accepts instead.

With Telegonus gone, Circe calls for her father, demanding that he talk to Zeus and release her from exile. She threatens to tell Zeus the Titans' secrets and start a war. Free to leave, Circe and Telemachus go to turn Scylla into stone, and Circe confides in Telemachus all her secrets. (Telemachus fills her in on what ended up happening with Medea — Jason married another. Medea kills the new wife and murders her children. A golden chariot whisks her home.) Penelope becomes an expert on herbs and becomes the Witch of Aiaia instead.

The book ends with Circe making a potion to bring forth her true self. She then has a vision of herself as a mortal, growing old with Telemachus. She drinks the potion.

For more detail, see the full Section-by-Section Summary .

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Book Review

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.

It’s a re-telling the story of Circe, a character originated circa 8th century B.C. by Homer. 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.

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.

The Palace at Knossos in Crete

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. 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.

I’ve come across other references to this site then, but Circe was the first book that ever made me reminisce about it. Reading Circe, I could imagine that crumbling Minoan archaeological site, thousands upon thousands of years old, as a living, breathing palace, gleaming with splendor and marveling that I’d once walked those walkways as well.

Miller’s mythological retelling is so dazzlingly alive . She uses Circe’s story to bring in a whole host of other mythologies, ranging from the Titanomachy (“battle of the Titans”) to the Gift of Fire, various other parts of the Odyssey and so on. The events of these stories all overlap, one washing over the next, intertwining in a delightful and inventive manner. Under Miller’s imaginative gaze, these classic stories are endowed with a newfound energy. Fleshed-out and lively, it’s a pleasure to read, especially if you’re someone who loves mythological tales.

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. This inevitably led me down deep, and I mean deep , rabbit holes of endless Wikipedia entries and other sources filled with mythological esoterica. (But honestly, I’d consider that a feature, not a bug, when it comes to reading).

Ulysses at the Palace of Circe by Wilhelm Schubert van Ehrenberg (1667)

Themes and Character Development

By the second half of the book, Circe has been alive for over a thousand years. She becomes more reflective about her experiences during various interludes, and certainly when Circe’s story takes a darker turn. At those junctions, Miller is thoughtful and introspective. In the book’s more somber moments, Miller explores Circe’s loneliness, alienation, and how her perceptions may have been warped by her experiences or misunderstandings.

Through the relationship of the gods, Titans, Olympians, lesser gods, mortals and so forth, the book contemplates the meaning of having power, how power is derived and how power effects how people relate to each other. Furthermore, using a range of classic Greek Myths to tell a story provides the perfect foundation and a wide berth to delve into fundamental questions about morals and goodness and pragmatism and ambition and balancing it all with the need to survive and protect yourself.

I loved what a complete character Circe is. She is complex, imperfect and is consistently drawn in a way that grounds her in reality, despite her divine origins.

Read it or Skip it?

I loved this book. I loved this book so much, it actually surprises me how strongly I feel about it. If you like mythology, Circe is a must read, no caveats. 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. It is all at once thoughtful and entertaining and elegantly written. I was delighted by it.

If you aren’t as into mythology, I still think the story is very worthwhile, though you may have to exercise a bit more patience as you get grounded in all the characters and their stories. I’d really encourage you to give it a shot though if you’re looking for an entertaining, yet meaningful and complex story.

Circe won me over about 20 pages in, and it only got better from there. 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 .

Have you read this and what did you think? See Circe on Amazon .

Book Excerpt

Read the first pages of Circe

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See Everything We Know About the 'Circe' Adaptation

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Been meaning to read this. Do you think reading it in electronic format is OK? Some books lose something when read on a device.

Funny you should ask! 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. 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.)

Anyway, my point is, it’s definitely readible as an ebook, I did just fine with it. But if you’re like me, maybe you’ll just end up wanting it regardless. Mostly my advice is to read it ASAP because it’s really good. :)

Perfect. Thanks!

Thanks for reminding me about this! I’ve added both Miller books to my TBR. We’re great fans of Greek mythology around here: I was hooked during my childhood, when the marionette puppeteers who used to make the rounds of the schools put on a “Golden Fleece” show; and my kids grew up watching the 1950s “Jason and the Argonauts” movie, when it was finally released on video, just as I had been raised on it, back when it was released to broadcast TV (I still love those ancient special effects).

Oh, I’m excited on your behalf, I think you’re going to love it! I honestly don’t understand how anyone can NOT love mythology, it’s so fascinating and fun and dramatic. That’s so awesome they did a Golden Fleece show, it sounds like that would be so much fun! Thanks for your thoughts and happy happy reading! Hope you’re having a great weekend!

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 ). The puppet shows were an eagerly anticipated annual event at our elementary school, but the only one I remember is the Golden Fleece. Greek mythology rocks! :)

Oooh! I’ve been hearing nothing but good things about this book! It’s waiting on my shelf … I think it’ll make a good July read?

Yes, do it! 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. Hope you love it!

I adored Circe, and The Song of Achilles!

I’m really excited for the Song of Achilles, though I’m a little scared my expectations are way too high now, haha. :)

This has been on my TBR list for awhile. I hope I can get to it soon. Thanks for your thoughts.

So many books, so little time, such a familiar feelings, haha. This one is really good though. Hope you love it if you get a chance to read it!

Yeah this book is amazing.

Right?! The best part about book blogging is getting to chat with others about how awesome a book is when you find one you love… thanks for dropping by!

So glad you read this book!!! Honestly one of our favorites!!! You have to read A Song of Achilles, because like Circe it draws you into Ancient Greece like nothing before! When you get the chance to read, come check our review and tell us your thoughts as well!!

Thanks for dropping by! I’ll give your review a read later today, thanks for the heads up!

Glad to see you enjoyed this book so much! I listened to the audio last summer and found the story lively – it moves at such an absorbing pace, from start to finish.

Yeah, I was surprised how evenly paced it was considering how much of the book hinges on understanding her internal thought processes. I feel like it’s hard to write that stuff in a way that doesn’t make the book drag. I think it worked well in Circe because she does a fantastic job of “showing” you how her perspective on things is shaped, etc. instead of just doing a bunch of internal monologues. Thanks for dropping by!

I finished it today and absolutely love it. your review is beautiful

Thank you for the kind comment! Glad to connect with people who loved this book as well! :) Cheers!

This book was fantastic. Appreciate the review.

Thanks for dropping by and thanks for reading!

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. Can’t wait to read this one.

Oh, I’m sad to hear you didn’t like A Song of Achilles. 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!

Oh it’s not that I didn’t like it, it’s just that the first half of the book was a nit difficult for me. I didn’t quite like how the story was told, but the second half was amazing. I cried by the time it ends. Anw, I love reading your reviews, it’s always well written.

This book does deserve a glowing review! Loved it too!

I honestly can’t believe I didn’t read it sooner! Thanks for dropping by!

I wrote about Circe in my dissertation so it seems incredible I still haven’t read it!! Fingers crossed I get round to it soon!!

I bet you’ll love it! Thanks for reading!

I absolutely rave about this book as well! 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. Your review sums up everything I enjoyed about Circe, I particularly like what you said about the book exploring power and morals in general. It’s amazing how easy it is to relate to the characters, even though they are divine beings living thousands of years ago! 😊

Oh that’s awesome, I’m jealous I would’ve loved to hear that. I’m so glad other people loved this book too! :) Thanks for dropping by!

Nicely written review. I’ll think I’ll read the book.

Thank you! Hope you like it if you get a chance to read it!

I liked Circe :) just wished she had gone deeper into the stories of the other gods!

I’ve just finished this book and the tears are still drying on my cheeks. I was so moved by her relationships with mortals, while the gods were cold and almost lifeless – as the author intended. There are so many themes to explore here. I borrowed a friend’s copy but might have to buy my own so I can revisit this intriguing and complex take on Circe – and spend some more time exploring the many threads of mythology that weave their way through the tale as you clearly have done. Thanks for the great review.

I just finished the audio version of Madelne Miller’s “Circe” narrated by Perdita Weeks. It was an astoundng experience to hear Circe’s story in Circe’s voice.

Review: Circe by Madeline Miller

Some of my favorite classes in both high school and college centered on Greek mythology. The ancient Greek myths are full of legendary storytelling with a huge influence on Western storytelling. But it’s been a while since I’ve re-read any of the stories, until Circe by Madeline Miller came along.

Circe is best known as as turning Odysseus’ men into pigs in Homer’s  The Odyssey.  In that story after he challenges her, she takes him as a lover, allowing him and his men to stay with her and aiding them when they depart. Her story reportedly inspired writers such as Ovid, James Joyce, Eudora Welty and Margaret Atwood.

Miller says in an interview with The New York Times that since epics have traditionally been male, she wanted a female perspective. Circe had previously been seen as the “embodiment of male anxiety about female power.” Miller reimagines Circe’s story and gives her a full arc that changes the perspective. And you might have a new favorite goddess after reading this retelling of a classic story.

The novel starts out with the birth of Circe, she is the daughter of Helios the god of sun and the mightiest of Titans. But since Circe is not powerful like her father or as ‘beautiful’ as her nymph mother, she’s cast aside and the subject of ridicule by her relatives. I felt for her at the beginning as she was bullied at every turn. When she eventually finds her own power — witchcraft — instead of being welcomed by her family, she is instead feared. Zeus eventually banishes her to the deserted island of Aiaia. This is where the story really takes off.

Mythical island of Aiaia

Circe fine-turns her powers while on Aiaia and even though it seems like she’s destined for a lonely life that is not the case. There are appearance by Hermes, the messenger of the Gods, Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus and Circe’s niece, the murderous Medea. Circe gets stronger with both her powers and mentally with every encounter.

Of course, it’s all leading up to Odysseus. Miller takes a different approach with Odysseus and he’s much more complicated in this novel and not as heroic. Still, Circe does fall for him. But not in the way that is portrayed in The Odyssey , the helpless goddess witch falling in love with the ‘strong’ man. I enjoy the scene where Circe paints her perspective:

[blockquote align=”none” author=””]”I was not surprised by the portrait of myself,” Circe says. “The proud witch undone before the hero’s sword, kneeling and begging for mercy. Humbling women seems to me a chief pastime for poets. As if there can be no story unless we crawl and weep.” [/blockquote]

After Odysseus and his men eventually leave, there’s still quite a bit of the novel left. I definitely was surprised at some new developments in the book, however, I’m going to keep this review spoiler free. But I will say, it’s such a satisfying conclusion.

The character of Circe

I really like Miller’s depiction of Circe. She’s a powerful goddess witch but she’s also kind, intelligent, clever and not without empathy. Some of the best parts of the book is when Circe finds her inner strength and bypasses any notion that women must be delicate. Let’s not forget that women aren’t viewed as equals to men in many of the Greek mythology stories and in some stories are blamed for the downfall of men (Helen of Troy, Pandora). But not with this version of Circe. She completely comes into her own.

A big theme of the book is a woman trying to find her place in a man’s world. There’s also a focus on the abuse of power as she learns how dangerous it can be. There’s also regret and facing one’s choices in life and the road it takes one on. I think too that human compassion, which is interesting since this story is about a goddess, is also a defining theme.

Circe is a beautifully written, epic story that is perfect for book clubs.

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BOOK REVIEW: Circe by Madeline Miller

Hi everyone. Welcome back to Bibliophilia Book Reviews. Today I will review Circe by Madeline Miller. At a later date, I will also review The Song of Achilles , by the same author. Like all my reviews, this one too has spoilers.

Circe by Madeline Miller was first published on April 10 th , 2018, and it has become a critically acclaimed novel since then, winning, for example, the 2018 Book of the Year Award allotted by the Book of the Month subscription book box service and the 2019 Book of the Year Award for Adult Fiction in the Indies Choice Book Awards of that year. It was also selected as Book of the Year by media outlets such as Buzzfeed , Refinery29 , The Daily Telegraph , Guardian , Time Magazine , Washington Post , among others. Additionally, it was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2019, which the author had previously won for her debut novel The Song of Achilles in 2012. Moreover, the book received an exorbitant number of reviews praising it for its lyrical writing style, for making Greek mythology (more specifically, Homer’s The Iliad , with The Song of Achilles , and The Odyssey , with Circe ) more accessible to modern readers, for giving a feminist voice to one of the most enigmatic and intriguing figures of both Greek mythology and Western literature but who, at the same time, has been a victim of a narrative told by men, for giving her both a complex and sympathetic nature that has made modern readers identify with her more easily, despite having been born a goddess, in her various roles as witch, mother, wife, and lover…

Truth be told, it’s an impressive list of accolades. And I was a little hesitant to buy the book and read it when I first started seeing it everywhere. Both The Iliad and The Odyssey are books that I read in college, and to this day, The Iliad is my favorite book of all time. It is the book that made me fall in love with reading. So, needless to say, I’m an avid reader of Greek mythology. Books like Bulfinch’s Mythology , Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes by Edith Hamilton, both Mythos and Heroes by Stephen Fry as well as Troy , countless copies of Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey, Helen of Troy by Margaret George, the recently released A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes (see my review here ), The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker (see my review here) and of course both The Song of Achilles and Circe by Madeline Miller are all on my bookshelves. My reluctance to buy Circe when I was still debating whether to get it or not, however, was due to the fact that I didn’t know if it would live up to the hype. Nonetheless, I was still willing to give it a chance.

“Humbling women seems to me a chief pastime of poets. As if there can be no story unless we crawl and weep.”

And I really liked it. In The Odyssey , Circe only appears in one book (chapter) of the poem. However, that was enough for her to leave her mark both in Greek mythology and Western literature even though she would also become one of the most misunderstood deities of the Greek pantheon because of her role as a sorceress and the image of a witch that transforms sailors into pigs that she gains just to force/convince Odysseus to stay with her and become her lover. But like most women in history and, in this case, mythology, there is more to Circe’s art of witchcraft and her ability to metamorphosize humans into pigs. Unfortunately, none of that is explained in Homer’s epic poem. Thus, she has been severely maligned by history and those that wrote it; like most women, she has not been given a chance to tell her own story. And that is what Madeline Miller has set out to do, and, boy, what a voice she has given her!

In Miller’s book, Circe is the daughter of the Titan Helios and the nymph Perse. But from a very early age, Circe knows that she is a pariah in her father’s house (palace) and is not wanted. She is deemed strange and different from all the other gods and goddesses, both Titans and Olympians alike. This, however, makes her dangerous to others and she is never fully accepted by those around her. Thus Madeline Miller puts forth the theme of the novel: that of a woman struggling to find a place for herself in a man’s (or gods’) world (something that many modern women can relate to) and, by extension, a longing of homecoming—a theme borrowed from The Odyssey , which chronicles Odysseus’ journey back home after the fall of Troy. Circe’s own journey and search for a home, a place where she can both belong to and be herself, however, begins ironically when she meets another Titan, her uncle Prometheus, who has been punished by Zeus for having given the gift of fire to mortals. And it is during this encounter that Circe first hears about mortals and can’t help but compare them to the gods and goddesses she has known all of her life. It is from this encounter with her uncle also that humans will thereafter be forever linked to Circe’s life, Odysseus chief among them.

“But in a solitary life, there are rare moments when another soul dips near yours, as stars once a year brush the earth. Such a constellation was he to me.”

The first mortal Circe meets is Glaucos, whom she irrevocably falls in love with. Her love for him is such that she does everything in her power to turn him into a god, and she achieves this with the help of some flowers and herbs. She is, however, the first of her kind to ever accomplish this feat. And because nymphs have never been known to do this, no matter how much they’ve wanted to transform the objects of their affections into immortals, we know now that Circe is not a nymph despite having been born from one because she was able to transform Glaucos into a god.

Glaucos, however, changes completely once he is immortal and spurns Circe for her nemesis Scylla. And out of spite and jealousy, Circe transforms her into a six-headed monster. Circe, however, regrets her actions almost immediately and confesses her crime to her father. Helios, on the other hand, doesn’t believe her but when she shows him how she did it, she is deemed a danger to the gods and is exiled to Aiaia.

Aiaia, however, turns out to be the home Circe has always yearned for… and it is here that she hones the art of her witchcraft both by taming the animals of the island, for example, and making them into her companions and by tending her garden. But however beautiful her new home is, Circe is still lonely. And to abate the feeling, she welcomes both gods and mortals to her island, among them the messenger god Hermes, Daedalus, Jason and Medea, and Odysseus, who arrives at her doorstep to ask her to change his crew back into humans after she transforms them into pigs for trying to steal from her. 

“Only that: we are here. 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.”

            All of these “visitors” to Circe’s island and her interactions with them, however, are important for her own transformation from a goddess to a mortal, a decision she makes at the end of the novel in order to both live and die during her husband’s lifetime. What is interesting about this is that her own transformation is both the complete opposite of how the novel began, where she transforms Glaucos into a god, and is the culmination of her own powers and gift, the gift of transformation, thus bringing the novel to a full circle. That was very well done. I gave this novel an A New Favorite rating.

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Book Reviews

Circe by Madeline Miller: Book Review

Title: Circe Author: Madeline Miller Trigger Warning: Rape (Not graphic or gratuitous but unquestionable) Genre: Historical Fiction , Mythology , Fantasy , Historical Fantasy Audience: Adult Format: Paperback

My Synopsis:

Circe is the oldest child of the Greek god Helios and the sea nymph Perse. Everyone, including Circe herself, believes that she and her siblings lack divine power. She spends her childhood creeping around the edges of godly feasts and trying to avoid the torments that her younger brother and sister devise for her. When her mother gives birth to another son, Circe bonds with him. Aeëtes eventually leads her to believe that maybe they aren’t quite as helpless as they appear. When Circe accomplishes a couple of dramatic transformations via magic, the other gods realize she and her siblings are witches. Circe bears the brunt of the gods’ punishment and they exile her to the island of Aiaia for all eternity.

I’ve read so many glowing reviews of this book but copies are never available at my library. I finally bought my own book to see what all the fuss is about and I’m so glad I did.

Circe is every woman who has been treated as “less than” because of her gender. As a child, she accepts that everyone overlooks her. She’s not as beautiful as the other nymphs, so why would anyone pay attention to her? She’s starved for attention though, and makes some terrible decisions. But those decisions lead her to discover that she has magic. Her exile gives her room to discover more about her powers and hone them. Watching her grow into her divinity and carve her own space in the world felt empowering to me.

But Circe also has more heart than other gods. Mortals fascinate her, even as a child. When some try to worship her, she rejects their adoration. While other gods view mortals as play things or simply don’t really notice them at all, she’s eager to learn more about their world and how their minds work. In addition, other gods never even realize that they’re capable of making mistakes. Circe not only acknowledges her errors but tries to make amends. A static life seems boring, but growing and changing and trying to improve? That’s the life Circe lives.

I also enjoyed reading about Greek heroes as regular people. Sure, they’re wilier and and stronger than most but at the end of the day, they’re just humans. Daedalus’s suffering began long before he tried to fly. Odysseus is impatient and quick-tempered and regrets some of his decisions in the war, although he would repeat them if he had to. I liked seeing them on a mortal scale.

I highly recommend this. In some ways, it’s a fairly quiet book; but I found Circe’s transformation from an unassuming girl to a powerful force both engrossing and satisfying.

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• Cleopatra’s Daughter by Michelle Moran
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Buy Circe from Malaprop’s Bookstore in Asheville, NC.

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Hmm, good point. The Greek pantheon was never portrayed chronologically (I think), so I guess that gives Miller artistic liberty to shift things around. And you know, I first heard of Circe when there were rumors that Circe would be a sorceress in the Harry Potter books and all the fans were like: she’ll probably be Voldemort’s right-hand person.

I read this one on audiobook, and it was fabulous! The feminist underpinnings were quite something — I remembered all those times when Circe was portrayed as this evil sorceress — and the book made me realize that may not have been the case.

It’s been so long since I’ve read The Odyssey, I had Circe and Calypso all mixed up. I don’t know if I even knew she was associated with Daedalus at all. Unless that was just for this book and not really canon Greek mythology?

I absolutely loved this one, too. Lovely review, Jan:)

I had sampled this book a few months back and definitely found it captivating. Didn’t get a chance to get back to it – I hope I can, at some point. Glad to hear that you loved it and recommend it.

I love mythology and this is definitely one that is on my TBR list. Enjoyed your review!

I first didn’t want to read it because it’s a period of history I’m not really interested about, but hey, it’s getting harder and harder to resist, lol ! It’s on my TBR, great review 🙂

I’ve been meaning to read this one for a while! Thanks for the review.

This has been on my radar for quite some time and I hope to get to it this year, probably on audio. I’m glad to see that you enjoyed it!

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The daring, dazzling and highly anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestseller The Song of Achilles

About the book.

"An epic spanning thousands of years that's also a keep-you-up-all-night page turner." - Ann Patchett

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. 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.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.

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.

Circe is currently being adapted for television series by HBO Max .

Find Circe at your local bookstore, or online: Bookshop   Amazon   Barnes and Noble   IndieBound

Love for Circe

#1 New York Times Bestseller

#1 Indie Bestseller

Publisher's Weekly *Starred* Review

Kirkus *Starred* Review

Library Journal *Starred* Review 

NPR ’s “Weekend Edition Saturday” :  Books to Look Forward to in 2018

Esquire : The 27 Most Anticipated Books of 2018

Boston Globe : 25 Books We Can’t Wait to Read in 2018

The Millions : The Most Anticipated: The Great 2018 Book Preview

Cosmopolitan : 33 Books to Get Excited About in 2018

Vox : Five New Books to Purchase This Spring

The Guardian (UK) : Unmissable Culture of 2018

Southern Living : Best New Books Coming in Spring 2018

Book Riot : Most Anticipated Books of 2018

TOR : The Books We’re Looking Forward to in 2018

Reviews for Circe

“A bold and subversive retelling of the goddess’s story that manages to be both epic and intimate in its scope, recasting the most infamous female figure from the Odyssey as a hero in her own right.” ― The New York Times,   Click here for full profile .

“Miller's lush, gold-lit novel — told from the perspective of the witch whose name in Greek has echoes of a hawk and a weaver's shuttle — paints another picture: of a fierce goddess who, yes, turns men into pigs, but only because they deserve it. . . The character of Circe only occupies a few dozen lines of [The Odyssey ], but Miller extracts worlds of meaning from Homer's short phrases.”  ― NPR.org,   Click here for full review .

“This summer’s must-read novel. . . Circe is poised to become the literary sensation of the summer, as much for the quality of its writing as its timeliness.” ― Sunday Times 

“Circe back as superwoman. . . Bestowing modern feminist mores on classical texts may seem unwise, but its marvelous to see this Circe emerge through the haze, sympathetic and ringing true to 21st-century motivations. . . Blisteringly modern.” ― The Times

“Luminous. . . Deft and compassionate. . . A compelling and engagingly feminist piece of ancient fantasy. . . Readers who know the source stories already will delight in the craft of Miller’s quietly revisionist amendments to these well-worn tales. . . But Circe is also a brilliantly strange work of mythic science fiction, as effortlessly expressive within the palaces of gods as it is about the world below. . . This is both a fabulous novel and a fascinating retelling; the best compliment, perhaps, that any myth could hope for.” ― Daily Telegraph

“Think a novel based on Greek mythology isn’t for you? Just wait. Miller’s spell builds slowly, but by the last page you’ll be in awe. In prose of dreamlike simplicity, she reimagines the myth of Circe, the sun god’s unloved daughter who went on to invent witchcraft and enchant Homer’s Odysseus. The ancient stories and characters are reshaped by truths that modern women can finally speak about sisterhood and sexism, rape and rage, and most exquisitely, motherhood.” ― People 

“Absorbing. . . One of the most amazing qualities of this novel [is]: We know how everything here turns out — we’ve known it for thousands of years — and yet in Miller’s lush reimagining, the story feels harrowing and unexpected. The feminist light she shines on these events never distorts their original shape; it only illuminates details we hadn’t noticed before. . . In the story that dawns from Miller’s rosy fingers, the fate that awaits Circe is at once divine and mortal, impossibility strange and yet entirely human.” ― Washington Post,   Click here for full review .

“Spellbinding. . . in Miller’s conception, Circe is the hero of her own epic. . . Miller has created a daring feminist take on a classic narrative; although the setting is a mystical world of gods, monsters, and nymphs, the protagonist at its heart is like any of us. A free woman, the author seems to be saying, must be willing to forsake the trappings of birthright and rank in order to claim her destiny, whether thousands of years ago or today.” ― O Magazine

“ Circe brilliantly recasts a Greek goddess in a modern light. . . Miller, with her academic bona fides and born instinct for storytelling, seamlessly grafts modern concepts of selfhood and independence to her mystical reveries of smoke and silver, nectar and bones.” ― Entertainment Weekly

“Miller gives voice to a previously muted perspective in the classics, forging a great romance from the scraps left to us by the ancients. . . Circe is, instead, a romp, an airy delight, a novel to be gobbled greedily in a single sitting.” ― The Guardian

“[Miller] transforms [ Circe ] into a thrilling feminist parable.” ― Newsday

“Vivid, transporting. . . [explores] fascinating questions about gender and power.” ― Entertainment Weekly

“Greek mythology is in expert hands in Madeline Miller’s second novel. Miller weaves powerful imagery and emotion into a rich tapestry, depicting the agonies and ecstasies of the mighty forces and figures of the classical world. . . an epic page turner.” ― Christian Science Monitor

“But ultimately it’s as a character that Circe stands apart. . . Through her elegant, psychologically acute prose, Miller gives us a rich female character who inhabits the spaces in between.” ― Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“This mesmerizing novel is a moving tale of a woman finding herself and struggling with family loyalties.”  ― Real Simple

“A stunning epic of a book.”  ― Bustle

“An especially gorgeous novel.” ― Redbook

“Madeline Miller's re-imagining of the witch Circe from  The Odyssey  makes for an intriguing, feminist adventure novel that is perfectly suited for the #TimesUp moment. Circe is also a smart read that has much to say about the long-term consequences of war and a culture that values violence and conquest over compassion and learning.” ― Dallas News

“Madeline Miller’s Circe — the gorgeous and gimlet-eyed follow-up to her Orange Prize-winning first novel, The Song of Achilles .” ― Boston Globe

“It’s so vivid, it’s so layered, you could get lost in it. Whether or not you think you like Greek Mythology it’s just great story telling.”  ― WBUR’s “Here & Now”

“Miller follows her impressive debut ( The Song of Achilles ) with a spirited novel about Circe’s evolution from insignificant nymph to formidable witch best known for turning Odysseus’s sailors into swine. . . Weaving together Homer’s tale with other sources, Miller crafts a classic story of female empowerment. She paints an uncompromising portrait of a superheroine who learns to wield divine power while coming to understand what it means to be mortal.” — Publishers Weekly, *Starred Review*

“In her stirring follow-up to the Orange Prize-winning The Song of Achilles (2011), Miller beautifully voices the experiences of the legendary sorceress Circe. . . This immersive blend of literary fiction and mythological fantasy demonstrates that the Greek myths are still very relevant today.” — Booklist

“A retelling of ancient Greek lore gives exhilarating voice to a witch. . . [Circe is] a sly, petulant, and finally commanding voice that narrates the entirety of Miller's dazzling second novel. . . Readers will relish following the puzzle of this unpromising daughter of the sun god Helios and his wife, Perse, who had negligible use for their child. . . Expect Miller's readership to mushroom like one of Circe's spells. Miller makes Homer pertinent to women facing 21st-century monsters.” — Kirkus, *Starred Review*

“This beautifully written and absorbing tale of gods and mortals will delight Miller’s many fans and have them reaching for Edith Hamilton’s  Mythology .” — Library Journal, *Starred Review*

“ Circe  is the utterly captivating, exquisitely written, story of an ordinary, and extraordinary, woman's life.” — Eimear McBride, author of  A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing

“Rapture. Utter rapture. Exquisite, live-wire prose; a wave of a story, surging and ebbing and surging afresh; and above all, Circe herself — once inscrutable, now indelible. Miller has shaken the dust from Homer’s tapestry, blasted it with air and light, and exposed glorious new colors, new textures. A magnificent novel. A privilege to read.” — A.J  Finn , bestselling author of  The Woman in the Window

"Madeline Miller, master storyteller, conjures Circe glowing and alive — and makes the Gods, nymphs and heroes of ancient Greece walk forth in all their armored splendor. Richly detailed and written with such breathtaking command of story, you will be held enchanted. A breathtaking novel." — Helen Simonson, author of The Summer Before the War  and  Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

“With lyric beauty of language and melancholy evocative of Keats’ “Ode on a Grecian Urn,” Circe asks all the big questions of existence while framing them in the life story of the famous goddess who had the magic of transformations. A veritable Who’s Who of the gods of Olympus and the heroes of ancient Greece, Circe knows them all and we see them through her perceptive eyes. This is as close as you will ever come to entering the world of mythology as a participant. Stunning, touching, and unique.” — Margaret George, author of  The Confessions of Young Nero

"Written with power and grace, this enchanting, startling, gripping story casts a spell as strong and magical as any created by the sorceress Circe." — Mary Doria Russell, author of  Epitaph

" Circe bears its own transformative magic, a power enabled by Miller's keen eye for beauty, adventure, and reinvention. Through the charms of a misfit heroine, the world of gods becomes stunningly alive, and the world of our own humanity — its questions, loves, and bonds — is illuminated. This book is an immense gift to anyone who reads to find their own bravery and quest." — Affinity Konar, author of  Mischling

Explore the World of Circe

The cast of characters from Circe

Photo Essay

By Madeline Miller

Watch the videos for Circe

April 23, 2024

News and Notions From the Bennington College Community

Book Review: “Circe” by Madeline Miller

Teju Cole, in describing the way a curtain hangs in one of the many German hotel rooms he has inhabited, describes the creases in the fabric as “the divine enfolded in skin.” He sees, in the simplicity of the fabric, an enriching power of the self rooted in the body—the way it bends and creases, at rest and motion simultaneously, expands, contracts, inhales, exhales. A self-supporting system in an imbroglio of entangled systems stitched together to create a curtain, a swath of cloth, cut from other cloth, made from other threads and folds, bendable, luminescent. A creator of light and shadow alike. It blocks the all-mighty glow of an imposing sun; it enshrines the human spatially in a cocoon.

He finds, then, in this fabric, the power humans have over themselves; a seemingly divine power that, when pushed from the inside out, swells into being. The ordinariness of the human, the specificity of the lives they live, the vitality of their self-hood, the richness of their efforts, are endowed by themselves with power.

Madeline Miller’s book Circe bears conceptual similarities; in the nuances of its mythos it enfolds the electric, kinetic capabilities of our humanity in the self-made, effortful portrait of Circe, a witch who—through the tenacity of her own desires—swells into a power of her own construction.

In the book, Miller gives an epic retelling of Circe’s mythical legacy; sprung from the shadow of the space outside the page, she pieces several stories together—Odysseus’s journey and death, the tale of Telemachus, the Trojan War, amongst others.

Circe, daughter of the Titan Helios, banished to the island Aiaia for turning a nymph—Scylla—into a hulking monster, struggles with the loneliness of exile, the cruelties of men, the fears of motherhood, and the immeasurable journey of growing old and strong in her own skin (mostly while she is alone, as the world unfolds around her). To summarize the book would be to reconnect the stories which hold Circe as a unifying thread (the plight of Medea, the odyssey of Odysseus, the birth of the Minotaur and its labyrinth, all stack atop each other as moments testing the power, resolve, and affection of a witch growing into the vibrancies of her power).

Despite the fact that the book is structured in this long-winding, seemingly patchwork sense, rooted in the interiority of a character locked in perpetual stasis reaching outward into the world through the people she encounters, Miller colors the text with a vibrant, electric, and archaic voice, rich in the translatory power of the ancient myth, but rooted in the familiarity of the human.

For instance, when her son—Telegonus, son of Odysseus—asks her permission to leave the island, Circe is upset. Athena has placed a threat upon her and her son, vowing to take him for her own in an act of revenge against Odysseus. In an attempt to keep the goddess at bay, Circe cloaks the island in magic; a spell to hide the island, another to keep Athena away, a dual concoction tied to Circe’s own person and life force, an extension of herself in divine form, an exhausting effort, especially in its early creation, as the unruly baby Telegonus challenged her will. Now, her only son, who for sixteen years has been by her side and poses as a sliver of the man she fell in love with within the years past, seeks not only to leave her side but to step head-first into death. “For sixteen years,” Circe fumes, “I had been holding up the sky, and he had not noticed. I should have forced him to go with me, to pick those plants that saved his life. I should have made him understand all I had carried in silence, all that I had done for his safekeeping” (Miller 272).

Here, Miller places Circe at the center of a web. Around her rests her son and his ambitions, the spell protecting them both from an all-powerful threat, the effort of that magic, the toil of working and stitching the spell together from the earth to make the enchantment—an entangled thread being pulled loose from Circe’s fingers. This tension, however, is not inhibitory; rather, it allows Circe to grow into herself further—she eventually allows Telegonus to go, outfitting him with an all-powerful weapon—the tail of Trygon, whose venom kills even gods upon contact—which she acquired by facing Trygon himself, prepared to bear eternal pain for the sake of her son (she comes out unharmed).

This network defines the intensity of Circe’s journey. She is poised against a heap of conflict that rests outside her agency (i.e. the threat of Athena, the notion of eternal pain to save her son,) and enshrouds herself in a power born from the vitality of her own personhood. It is not an outside entity from whom Circe derives her power, nor an abstract divinity; she weaves spells from the toil of work, cultivating the earth, communing with it to produce a reaction through a kind of symbiosis. It moves, from the inside of her body outwards, in congruence with the earth, not in a binary dynamic, but a shared, collective. Likewise, in the face of certain pain, she steps forward to accept its weight from Trygon for her son, a sacrifice that she did not have to make, because the notion of the act itself was enough to sway him. In other words, Circe, by the fortitude of her own resolve, creates her own power, and uses it to denature the forces around her that meddle in the vitality of her life and love. No one can harm Telegonus; how could they, against a figure, a mother, engulfed by the vitality of love, found within herself, and given manifestation in the physical earth through magic?

Circe pours power from within herself, formalizing it in her decisions and her magic, creating a network with the outside world—including its conflicts—that is enriched by her own femininity, her own motherhood. In a world that seeks to strangle her power as a woman, she—in an act of divine resiliency—crafts its antithesis.

As a result, Miller constructs a story that, with its mythical form, is able to bend itself into new angles, that it may prismatically produce new bursts of light. Circe is reworked from a figure of antagonistic sentiment to a nuanced, rich, and complex character, tangible, vibrant, and electrified by the sheerness of her humanity, by her proximity to us as readers. Mythos, here, is a film, a medium, on which Miller has painted a figure of self-making power in the form of Circe.

Her prose behaves in a similar fashion. Miller’s prose is active, spiced with the same effort of Circe’s resolve: “I cupped my own hands in the dark,” Miller writes, “ I did not have a thousand wiles, and I was no fixed star, yet, for the first time I felt something in that space. A hope, a living breath, that might yet grow between” (226). From this void, the ethereal miasma of existence and nonexistence, the eternal “middle ground” within which we intersect and translate ourselves and the world around us, Miller stitches together a narrative bound by other narratives, a story folded within stories, exhuming a rich, resonant voice from between the blank verse of classical texts.

Her prose, at once incantatory and catalogic, capable of erupting with kinetic force to catalyze the story into motion (I tremble at the cosmic, hulking mass of tentacles Scylla spills from her body to halt Circe’s journey to Minos,) and likewise calm, tranquil, a miasma of image and sensation, of plants and vines swimming before her eyes, dirtying her hands, latching beneath the beds of her nails, clinging to nest-like hair. It is more than illustration; the book moves fluidly as a paintbrush, gliding with tenacity before slowing at the minute details that define and enrich the piece itself.

As a result, Miller’s book is rich with a self-creating vibrancy, a woven, viscous tapestry. It is shaped, like clay, from the effort of her own hands, just as Circe creates her own cosmic power, reaching into herself, into the earth, “elbow deep” at times to pull from the “divinity enfolded” in her skin. The book is Miller’s own testament to this work, and is as powerful, spellbinding, and moving as the sacrifices her Circe makes, as the power she makes from the calluses of her well-worn hands. 

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Dylan Walawander is a third-term student studying literature and film. He is a book critic contributing review essays, essays on fiction, and nonfiction works. He is also a website administrator.

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Circe by Madeline Miller | Summary & Review

Circe by Madeline Miller is a pensive and entertaining book. It is Miller’s second novel after debut The Song of Achilles . Vividly lush in description of Greek gods and goddesses, this unique book has a tendency to take us to a world we had never allowed ourselves to imagine. 

Circe by Madeline Miller: Introduction

• Released on: April 10, 2018
• Suitable for Age group: 14 and above. 
• My Rating of Circe :   4.7/5
• Circe Book Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction

Shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2019, Circe by Madeline Miller narrates the alienation, power, and hankering of the Greek goddess, Circe, caught between gods and mortals. Besides being a novel based on ancient Greek mythology, Circe is an amazing story of self-discovery. You can still enjoy the book if you don’t know much about Greek mythology. 

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Table of Contents

1. Circe by Madeline Miller: Book Summary

Madeline Miller’s compelling and engaging book, Circe, reimagines the myth of the sorceress Circe, who doesn’t take up much space in Homer’s Odyssey . Miller has drawn on a wide range of ancient Greek and Latin sources to tell this amazing story. She has beautifully and brilliantly reshaped ancient stories, themes, and characters in a uniquely modern light. The book is enormously readable and evocative.

Let’s probe into the story of Circe by Madeline Miller…

1.1 A Misfit in the House of Gods 

Circe is a daughter of the god of sun, Helios, and the Oceanid nymph, Perse. Neither mighty like her father nor viciously bewitching like her mother, she is an extremely odd child with a human voice grating to the ears of the gods. She is absolutely unlike other gods and, with her hawkish nose and yellow eyes, looks strange among them. Her father is extremely disappointed by her physical appearance. 

To keep her out of the sight of people, Circe’s father banishes her to the underground halls of his palace. Still, many see her and invariably make fun of her. Besides, Circe’s has an impotent and whimpering temperament which further makes her an embarrassment to her family. Since her birth, she is unable to capture the attention of her parents and siblings. She is despised by her divine family and, in fact, a misfit in the house of the gods. 

1.2 Circe’s Alienated Childhood

Circe spends most of her childhood in loneliness. Her siblings always mock her and never allow her to get intimate with them. She suffers the pangs of isolation until Aeetes, her youngest brother, is born. As Aeetes grows up, he becomes Circe’s best companion. We see both of them spending every moment together. But Aeetes has to go away to be the king of his own land and Circe is, unfortunately, alone once again. After that she spends most of her time in despair. 

1.3 Circe’s Solace in Mortal World

Circe’s loneliness and despair compel her to turn to the world of mortals for companionship. This is the turning point in her life. She finds solace in love with a mortal, Glaucos, who, unlike Circe, is destined to die and leave her alone . To save him from death, she desperately starts experimenting with different herbs and potions. 

1.4 The Discovery of Her Hidden Talent

At that time, experimenting with different herbs and potions, Circe discovers her hidden power – the power of witchcraft. The power that has the ability to bend the world to her will. Moreover, she discovers that her powerful black magic can transform humans into monsters or animals and even endanger the gods. A misfit among the gods before, now has become a threat for them.

1.5 Circe’s Exile to a Deserted Island

Circe uses her powers to turn her beloved, Glaucos, into an immortal sea-god. After becoming a sea-god, Glaucos unfortunately falls in love with a nymph, Scylla. Triggered by jealousy, Circe turns beautiful yet malicious Scylla into a six-headed sea monster. For her practice of witchcraft, Zeus, the god of the sky, banishes her from the halls of Helios to the deserted island of Aeaea. Here, she becomes an eternal captive. 

But instead of being afraid of isolation at a deserted island, she begins to hone her witchcraft by drawing strength from the plants and flowers. With the passage of time she becomes more and more powerful. The island of Aeaea becomes her permanent abode where the lions and wolves are her companions. 

1.6 Circe’s Encounter with Odysseus & Other Mythological Figures

At the island of Aeaea, Circe meets some unexpected visitors who are also the famous figures of Greek mythology. These visitors include the craftsman Daedalus, his doomed son Icarus, the monster Minotaur, the murderous Medea and her beloved Jason, and the legendary king of Ithaca, Odysseus. Odysseus becomes her lover and, in hope of ending her loneliness, leaves her with a child.

1.7 Dramatic Tensions in Circe by Madeline Miller

Circe is a lonely woman and there is always a danger for a woman who stands alone. During her journey, she also suffers a lot. Unintentionally, she becomes the cause of anger for both gods and men and sets herself in opposition with one of the most formidable and vengeful Olympians. For her survival, she has to make a choice between the worlds of immortality, which she is born from, and mortality, which she has come to love. She bravely fights for her place in a world between the mortals and the gods. 

1.8 Circe’s Self Discovery

Circe learns so many lessons from her life. Every incident that happens either at the halls of Helios or the deserted island of Aeaea has left her with a valuable lesson. Her long term suffering leads to the discovery of her rightful place in the world. She subsequently stands up to those who had mistreated her in the past. The tough times she faces since her childhood have left her with ultimate strength and boldness. 

Despite being the daughter of a god, she loves mortality. She learns from her life that immortality is not a blessing indeed. Instead, it’s a never-ending curse of committing the same mistakes again and again. 

1.9 Circe Book Ending

The novel ends with Circe’s vision of herself as a mortal. She is resolute in transforming herself with the same spell that began her adventure with witchcraft. Towards the end of the book, Circe enlightens us with the blessing of being mortal in such words:

 “ I thought once that gods are the opposite of death, but I see now they are more dead than anything, for they are unchanging, and can hold nothing in their hands….I have a mortal’s voice, let me have the rest.”

2. Circe by Madeline Miller: Book Review 

Circe book by Madeline Miller is a feminist retelling of Homer’s Odyssey . The novel beautifully reveals the Greek goddess’s quest for self-identity and her constant fight between mortality and divinity. Circe, the sorceress, is a dynamic hero of her own epic. Throughout the story, we see different shades of her character. She is initially submissive, then compassionate and later on, becomes complex and imperfect. Hereafter, she eventually grows into an assertive woman who refuses to be walked all over. Circe learns to trust in herself, her skills and abilities to withstand it all. She also learns the significance of balancing trust and self-protection. She loves mortality and eventually finds her true place in the mortal world. 

Circe’s character is depicted by Madeline Miller in a way that grounds her in reality despite her divine origins. Miller’s prose possesses dreamlike simplicity. Her depiction of what it feels like to work magic is extraordinarily brilliant and convincing. Besides its beautiful story, the novel is rich in language and dynamic in characterization. Miller makes brilliant and powerful use of imagery and emotion in depicting the story of a fierce goddess who only occupied a few dozen lines in Homer’s The Odyssey . This book is a triumph of storytelling and must be an immense gift to all who read to seek their own bravery and quest. 

Circe is also an extremely significant and highly recommended piece of feminist literature. It deals with powerful themes such as gender dynamics, power politics, personal growth, mortality vs immortality, fate, self-determination, freedom, and maturity. The book inspires women to be bold and aspire to be more than what society perceives them.

Add to Cart:   Amazon | Bookshop

2.1 Is Circe only a Good Book for Greek Mythology Lovers?

Circe is especially a gift for people who like Greek mythology, dense intricate plots, and more formal writing. But you can still enjoy the book if you’re not a big fan of Greek mythology. Thanks to Madeline Miller! She has given a glossary of characters at the back of the book that explains everyone’s role in depth. You can have a look at it to get some understanding of Greek gods and goddesses. 

3. About Circe Book Author: Madeline Miller

Madeline Millar is an American novelist. She was born in Boston and grew up in New York and Philadelphia. She has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in classics (Latin and Ancient Greek) from Brown University. For over fifteen years, she has been teaching Latin, Greek, and Shakespeare to high school students. 

Miller has also studied at the University of Chicago’s Committee on Social Thought, and at the Yale School of Drama, specializing in adaptation of classical tales to modern forms. She currently lives in Narberth, PA, where she writes and tutors. She has won the 2012 Orange Prize for Fiction for her first novel, The Song of Achilles.  

You can follow Madeline Miller on social media:

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

4. Circe Vs The Songs of Achilles

Madeline Miller’s debut novel The Song of Achilles takes us on a tour of ancient Greece, and retells the siege of Troy from the point of view of Patroclus, an awkward young prince. The story of this book is profoundly moving, breathtaking and also contemplates the importance of myths in today’s modern world.

Like its predecessor, The Song of Achilles , Miller’s second hit novel, Circe , also takes the same stimulating approach to ancient Greek literature. Miller brings a classic story of female empowerment by weaving together Homer’s tale with other ancient sources. 

Both these books of Madeline Miller narrates a familiar ancient tale from the perspective of previously muted voices of people in Greek mythology. For instance, in her first book, Miller gives voice to Achilles’s lover Patroclus who was a minor character in the Iliad . In her second book, she has given voice to Circe, the witch who turned men into pigs in Homer’s Odyssey . These people were formerly seen only from the outside in the originals.

5. Circe: Awards and Honors

After its publication, Circe by Madeline Miller became a New York Times No. 1 bestseller. It has won the Indies Choice Best Adult Fiction of the Year Award as well as the Indies Choice Best Audiobook of the Year Award . Miller’s Circe has also been shortlisted for the 2019 Women’s Prize for Fiction and won an American Library Association Alex Award as well. Moreover, the book has also won the Goodreads Choice Awards 2018 for Fantasy Fiction.

Circe by Madeline Miller, is a highly recommended book and, indeed, deserves a good place on your bookshelf! I hope you all enjoyed this review!

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Book review: circe by madeline miller, may 19, 2020 petrik leo comments 0 comment.

Circe by Madeline Miller

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series:  Standalone

Genre:  Historical fiction, Mythology, Retelling

Pages : 433 pages (US Kindle edition)

Published: 19th April 2018 by Bloomsbury (UK) & 10th April 2018 by Little, Brown and Company (US)

Madeline Miller is now on my must-read author list. I can’t wait for her next work already.

I guess I can officially say with no reservation that I’m a fan of Madeline Miller’s books now. Many readers have raved about her books for almost a decade now, compared to them, I definitely can be considered a new fan of Madeline Miller. I finished reading The Song of Achilles almost two months ago, and despite my previous hesitancy—I talked about why in my review of the book—to read that book, it blew me away how good it was. Right upon finishing it, I knew I had to give Circe a read as well, and although I slightly loved The Song of Achilles more, I cannot deny that Circe is another incredible book by Madeline Miller.

“It is a common saying that women are delicate creatures, flowers, eggs, anything that may be crushed in a moment’s carelessness. If I had ever believed it, I no longer did.”

When I was starting The Song of Achilles , I was afraid that my knowledge of Achilles and the Trojan War would diminish my experience on Miller’s take on the story. As it turns out, knowing about Achilles and how his story ended actually deepened my enjoyment of reading that book. When I was going to start Circe , it was the other way around; I knew about Odysseus and his journey, but I admittedly remembered very little about Circe’s tale. In fact, what I remembered about Circe was only that Odysseus met her, and she also turned Odysseus’ men into pigs, that’s it. I was afraid that my lack of knowledge about Circe would actually decrease my enjoyment; there was no need for any worry, after all. Circe is beautiful, empowering, and well-written.

“Humbling women seems to me a chief pastime of poets. As if there can be no story unless we crawl and weep.”

Circe’s characterization is simply wonderful. It was easy for me to find myself invested in her story, and the more I read about Miller’s take on her character, the more I grew to care about her. She’s a kind-hearted and innocent individual who has to learn things the hard way but never let the difficulties, betrayals, and loneliness she faced throughout her life changed her core virtues. Her character’s development was gradually developed. This is also what made Circe such a compelling character to read; she’s powerful, and I’m speaking this not just in terms of her literal power as a witch, but it’s her perseverance, defiance, and strong mentality that I found to be inspiring. The cruel events that have happened to Circe could’ve easily led her to think that all male is evil, but this didn’t happen to her; Circe judged people, regardless of their genders and affiliations, equally through their actions. Good people receive kindness, bad people deserve retribution.

“You have always been the worst of my children,” he said. “Be sure to not dishonor me.” “I have a better idea. I will do as I please, and when you count your children, leave me out.”

Greek mythology—along with Norse and Japanese mythologies—are some of my favorite myths to read about. I loved reading Miller’s Greek retellings. After reading The Song of Achilles , it somehow felt comfortable to me to be reading another standalone story by Miller within these eras. It was great to witness Scylla and its origin; Prometheus and his torture; Daedalus and Icarus; Odysseus’ and his family; the Greek gods behaving as childish as possible, and many more. These, and heroic actions, are all the kinds of things that made Greek mythologies fascinating to read, and Miller continues to nail the executions. The part with the Trygon’s Tail was something that I haven’t heard of; this could be Miller’s own rendition on this story section, and it fits the narrative she tells.

“You cannot know how frightened gods are of pain. There is nothing more foreign to them, and so nothing they ache more deeply to see.”

Both The Song Achilles and Circe has proved that Madeline Miller is a blessing for literature and Greek mythologies. Feel free to consider me a fan of her books now, I heard that her next novel will be about Pandora, and I’m super excited for it. Honestly speaking, though, I loved reading Miller’s beautiful prose so much that I don’t think I’d mind if she decides to retell everything in Greek mythologies with her creativity and writing.

“But in a solitary life, there are rare moments when another soul dips near yours, as stars once a year brush the earth. Such a constellation was he to me.”

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The best things to do this week in San Diego: April 22-26

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Here are some of the best things to do this week in San Diego, from Monday, April 22 to Friday, April 26.

Check back Wednesday for our guide to things to do this weekend, or check out our San Diego guides for more ideas.

Myths and legends story concert: As part of the National Endowment for the Arts’ annual Big Read program, Write Out Loud is hosting a series of events this month celebrating the books, “Circe” by Madeline Miller, and “Mythology” by Edith Hamilton. At this story concert, literary fans can watch professional actors perform excepts from “Circe” and other mythical stories. 7 p.m. Monday. Old Town Theatre, 4040 Twiggs St., San Diego. $5 for students, $22 for seniors and military, $25 for general admission. writeoutloudsd.com/nea-big-read-circe

Sustainable clothing swap: Locals can meet up to trade clothes to help avoid waste. Participants are invited to bring no more than 10 to 15 items of any size that hsould be in clean, wearable condition and free of stains. 6 to 9 p.m. Mission Trails Regional Park Visitor Center; 1 Father Junipero Serra Trail, San Diego. $8. eventbrite.com/e/earth-day-clothing-swap-at-mission-trails-tickets-867636142057?aff=oddtdtcreator

Resident Free Days: On Tuesdays throughout each month, different local museums open their doors for free to local residents. This week’s open venue is the San Diego Automotive Museum. Make sure to bring identification. 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 2080 Pan American Plaza, San Diego. Free. sdautomuseum.org

“Ride”: The Old Globe presents the U.S. premiere of this musical based on the true story of Annie Londonderry, the first woman to ride a bcycle around the world in the 1890s. 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. Through April 28. Old Globe Theatre, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park, San Diego. $29 and up. (619) 234-5623, theoldglobe.org

Piano-Viola duo: Friends of the RB Library present violist travis Maril and pianist Karen Follingstad playing works by Sitt, Vieuxtemps and Elgar. 6 pm Tuesday. Rancho Bernardo Library, 17110 Bernardo Center Drive, San Diego. Donations accepted. friendsoftherblibrary.org

Wine dinner with Giusto Occhipinti: Sicilian winemaker Giusto Occhipinti is making a guest appearance for a special wine dinner at Callie on Tuesday. The Sicilian dinner will be a five-course, family-style meal inspired by Chef Travis. There will also be four wines and a curated cocktail part of this dinner. 5 p.m. Tuesday. 1195 Island Ave., San Diego. (619) 255-9696, calliesd.com

“Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812”: Cygnet Theatre presents the West Coast premiere of this Tony-nominated electropop opera adapted from a portion of Leo Tolstoy’s epic novel “War and Peace.” 7 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; 2 and 7 p.m. Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. 4040 Twiggs St., Old Town San Diego. $58-$73 (619) 337-1525, cygnettheatre.com

“The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate: The Musical”: Lamb’s Players Theatre presents the world premiere of Omri Schein and Daniel Lincoln’s musical adaptation of the 2009 young adult novel about an 11-year-old girl exploring the natural world around her. 2 and 7 p.m. Wednesdays; 7 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 2 and 7 p.m. Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. Through May 5. 1142 Orange Ave., Coronado. $28-$82 . (619) 437-6000 , lambsplayers.org

Carlsbad Flower Fields: Get an up-close glimpse of the colorful ranunculus blossoms at Carlsbad Ranch. The fields can be visited daily through Mother’s Day, along with activities on the ranch, including tractor wagon rides, mining for gem stones and a strawberry shack. There will also be special events throughout the season, such as picnics, sound healing, yoga, live music, wine tasting and floral workshops. Check the online calendar for details. Runs through May 12. Times vary based on registration online. The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch , 5704 Paseo del Norte, Carlsbad. Tickets start at $14. theflowerfields.com

Luxurious wine pairing dinner: The rooftop restaurant and bar Garibaldi will be serving a wine pairing dinner with Northern Italian winemaker Pio Cesare on Wednesday. This ticketed event will highlight some of Pio Cesare’s wines and Mediterranean dishes from Garibaldi. The five-course dinner will include food and wine pairings such as grilled Santa Barbara spot prawns with 2022 Cortese Di Gavi, rack of lamb with 2019 Barbaresco & Barolo, dark chocolate mousse with Barolo Chinato and more. Each event guest will also get a gift to take home. 6 p.m. Wednesday. 901 Bayfront Court Suite 1, San Diego. $90. (619) 436-1081, catchgaribaldi.com

Isaac G. Lee author event: The San Diego Marine combat pilot veteran-turned-writer will be on hand to discuss his debut, a memoir in which he recounts his 20 years serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and his four combat tours of duty in the Middle East. 7:30 p.m. April 24. Warwick’s, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. $18.99. (858) 454-0347, warwicks.com

“The 39 Steps”: New Village Arts presents Patrick Barlow’s fast-paced spoof of the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film about a man caught up in a wide-ranging murder mystery in early 1900s England. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays, Wednesdays and select Saturdays.Through May 12. New Village Arts, 2787 State St., Carlsbad. $28-$48 . (760) 433-3245, newvillagearts.org

Lakeside Rodeo: The Lakeside Rodeo is celebrating its 60th anniversary. Watch competitions in events such as team roping, barrel racing and bull riding. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 1 p.m. Sunday. Tickets start at $15. Lakeside Rodeo Grounds and Arena, 12584 Mapleview St., Lakeside. lakesiderodeo.com/p/lakeside-rodeo-tickets

Medium Festival of Photography: This 12th annual exhibition featuring photography exhibits in both San Diego and Tijuana, as well as a Tijuana art bus tour, artist talks on issues including AI and copyright, the war in Ukraine, Black Art and more. Runs Thursday through April 28 at multiple locations. Full schedule and ticket sales at mediumphoto.org .

“Songs of Hope”: Art of Elan presents a newly commissioned piece for solo harp by Michi Wiancko, the West Coast premiere of Sarah Kirkland Snider’s “O Sweet and Beloved Mother” and Lei Liang “Journey” in honor of La Jolla’s Joani Nelson. 7 p.m. Thursday. Mingei International Museum, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. $15-$35. (619) 678-1709, artofelan.com

Art of Elan: ‘Songs of Hope’ This eclectic concert will feature the Art of Elan-commissioned “Songs of Hope” for solo harp by Michi Wiancko and the West Coast premiere of Sarah Kirkland Snider’s “O Sweet and Beloved Mother.” Artistic Director Kate Hatmaker will play a new solo violin piece by acclaimed San Diego composer Lei Liang, who wrote “Journey” to honor La Jolla’s Joani Nelson, a longtime arts supporter who died in October. 7 p.m. Thursday. Mingei International Museum, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. $15-$35. (619) 678-1709, artofelan.com

Songwriter Sanctuary: This is a monthly songwriter series hosted by Jeff Berkley. This Friday will feature Calman Hart, Bug Guts, and Missy Alcazar. Food and drinks will be available. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., show starts at 7 p.m. Friday. Normal Heights United Church, 4650 Mansfield St., San Diego. $10 suggested donation. lindsaywhitemusic.com/songwriter-sanctuary.html

“Brat”: Bocón theater company presents a new play by Wendy Maples inspired by the true stories of children who grow up in military families, who are known as “military brats.” 7 p.m. April 26 at Trinity Theatre Co., Mission Valley mall, 1640 Camino Del Rio North, Suite 129, San Diego. Admission is free but reservations requested at tickettailor.com/events/bocon .

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April 22, 2024

Hike of the week: The beauty of Balboa Park’s gardens is on full display with this easy walk

A loop through five Balboa Park gardens is accessible and offers big scenic rewards, especially if flowers are in bloom

Hike of the week: Find shade and sandy trails in Anza-Borrego’s Moonlight Canyon

Moonlight Canyon Trail is a roughly 2-mile loop in Agua Caliente County Park that traverses through a shady flat wash, up rocky hillsides and overlooks the desert and Vallecito Mountains.

Entertainment

San Diego Book Crawl returning with new shuttle for tour of local independent bookstores

These are the participating bookstores for the 2024 San Diego Book Crawl, which runs April 27-29. Some are genre-specific, others are more general, and some sell used books and gifts.

April 12, 2024

San Diego flood victims have one more week to apply for a federal assistance loan. Here’s what to know.

April 19 is the deadline to apply for a loan through the Small Business Administration. Local business and disaster recovery centers will also close that day.

How to explore and eat your way through San Diego County on the Orange Line trolley

Ride the Orange Line trolley and find hidden gems or popular places to go out with family and friends, including a collectables store, Jamaican food and a late-night cocktail