Circe (spoiler free review) by Madeline Miller

𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥: (I get a commission when you use the links)

𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬:

𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐓𝐁𝐑 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬:

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐌𝐞:

𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠?
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[noteuser]

Man that really sucks that you didn’t like it. Btw I’m a guy and I loved the book. I was really excited for you to read it. It’s one of my favorite books ever. And the prose is jaw dropping, and I didn’t even realize one could write like that. Also when you said you were expecting a mature retelling of Greek mythology with good prose, I was surprised because to me, that’s exactly what it was. It didn’t feel YA at all to me. I see what you’re saying about jumping between characters too much, but I thought it was masterful, because it really gave the impression of an imortal life, where people come and go through the centuries. It made it feel like you were right there up close and personal with the Gods themselves. And the way she writes their presence is amazing it felt like a 700 page book in a good way to me. Also the scattered pacing really made it feel like time begins to lose all meaning when you’re immortal, which was very immersive for me. So I liked that 1000 years could pass by in a paragraph and then we get a chapter in just a couple days. It made me feel like I was actually reading an account from someone who’s immortal lol

[angelaroberts-]

I loved Circe. To me, the point of the story was her isolation and the rejection of her family and her anger at her situation. I am no expert on greek myths, so maybe thats why I wasn't bothered about that part. I don't know. But I felt her rejection and isolation and anger.

[gummylens]

Did we read the same book? 😅

Guy here. Not a feminist at all. But the mythological realism was a feat! Theres a desperate message about bullies and political power play. It is couched in a female-driven/YA format, but I found the themes relatable.

Odysseus is not shown as a moral exemplar at all in the book.

Penelope says, "My husband lies with every breath, and that includes to you, to me, and to himself." (Might be an unexact quote)

He slits the throat of someone for being loud. Orders his female slaves to be killed for things they didnt have a say in. Taunts his kid for being guileless.

Telemachus straight up says that it was a bad life causing others misery led out of selfish pride.

"Moaning about how she's stuck on an island" --> No, it's about being scarred by se*ual assault, becoming a mother, forgiving (some) enemies, being exiled, and choosing mortality.

Leftism and feminism are not the way, but I still found her characters to be stylistic and memorable.

Maybe the style was not your cup of tea, but hey, let's keep the record straight about key details. 👌

[Gombakka]

I love what I am reading so far, still at 130 pages. Not a fan of Greek mythology here, but I felt her. I felt her when she was cornered all the while she was only giving love and trying to correct her mistakes.

[sarahgonzalez]

Our reading tastes are really similar but I loved Circe! Felt like a fasts paced mythology fairytale.

[Sam-lxg]

This is a beautiful moving book, and it’s a shame if anyone is put off reading it by this silly inaccurate rant.

[ЕлисаветаДобрева]

Circe isn't... treated like a hook for other characters? We get in depth perspective of her life from her point of view with themes of growing as a person and feeling out of place. I never got that any other character was more important than Circe. She has many relationships with various character throughout the book sure, but that is necessary and important.

[tamerlaaane]

i am dooone. Okay so i just finished listening to Matts review of Circe and i want to give you my unedited thoughts, right now. So yeah, i liked the review. Matt is THE guy for entertaining rants. 10/10 would watch again

[ladyfarseer]

Can we get that list of fantasy centred around strong women pleeease!?

[Anueb_]

Listening to what you said about Odyseus...have we read the same book? As I understood, he was portrayed as an absolut monster at the end!

[clee]

Okayyyy ... I'll take the engagement bait and respond haha

I think you're pretty skilled at crafting an entertaining rant about books you don't like. I happen to be one of the readers who really enjoyed the book. And I'll try to explain a bit about why I did.

I will say though, it took me until I was about a third of the way through the book before I feel like I started to appreciate what I believe Miller does with her writing. I, like you, thought it was odd how much of the book is made up of short moments of Circe encountering puny mortal humans that don't really affect her character trajectory in the short term. I thought it was oddly episodic in a way. But I think this storytelling method and pacing is important to emphasize Circe's immortal nature and it highlights the way, cumulatively, these events do actually change Circe in the long run.

And I think that's one of the main themes of the book — it's about Circe growing and learning to reconcile each of her mistakes and experiences to ultimately synthesize them into wisdom so she can learn to stand up for herself and her son and take more informed steps going forward. Unlike many other gods in Circe's universe who are defined by one characteristic or just one moment, Circe proves to be changeable.

She learns to look back on her first few awkward and naive experiences with young love and heartbreak and uses it to inform her encounter with Medea. Later, she is lonely and wants to be charming and caring but is embittered by men who eventually take advantage of her. She eventually meets up with Odysseus and finds some kind of kinship with him. Circe grows more when she becomes a mother — something that prompts her to mature beyond Odysseus because, although they were once quite similar, Odysseus remains quite broken in several ways and his untrusting nature ultimately kills him. In the end, she learns to come to terms with how she has changed and this culminates through her confrontation with her father and Athena who are static gods in this retelling as well as Scylla, an embodiment of her younger self.

I wonder if you didn't enjoy this book very much because you refer to this book as a fantasy and I don't view this book as much of a fantasy book. It's not really written like one IMHO. Also, if you were looking for a book that distills much of a character's hurdles and struggles into the form of a primary antagonist who is actively looking to foil the protagonist, you're not gonna find such things in this book. I also think this book isn't for readers who want a character's growth and maturity to culminate in sequences of "leveling up" or gaining more power or more abilities. Instead, I think this book is better geared for readers who generally read books like Our Hideous Progeny or Hamnet, retellings that are more thematic rather than plot-based.

Anyways, I hope you find many more books that are more to your taste during this upcoming year. Even though I disagree with your assessment, I thought your video was funny and I'm glad you could turn this unfortunate reading experience into content.

[miketerzakis]

Wow, I don't think I've ever disagreed with an opinion more. Circe was a masterpiece for me. I love the fantasy/mythology blend and revisiting old myths and Madeline did a masterful job of making a story about a woman who's stuck on an island for 90% of the book interesting.

[weregretohio]

Outdoing Maas on the pain scale seems pretty impressive.

[taylor-kenny]

I definitely enjoyed reading the battles in the Goodreads comments under your review 😂🍿

[fantasyfanatic]

I was fairly confident it wasn’t going to be your thing but I didn’t think that you would hate it that much! 😅 I read it a couple months ago and enjoyed it quite a bit personally, but hey, to each their own. 😀

[trinforeman]

One of my favorite books, but I love hearing differing opinions. To me, the writing it top notch. But I'm one of those who thinks Sanderson's writing is trash 😂 To each their own.

[greyowlaudio]

Huh, just like everyone, I'd heard a lot of good things about this book. Now I'm wondering if a big part of the praise it received was specifically because it was structured like a YA novel and that sells well... Anyway, I agree that the cover art is well-done!

[BAZIYAR.STRATEGY]

don't worry matt the first binding sequel is on the way

[samm]

12:45 Matt saying he’s just disappointed is giving me flashbacks to my dad. 😂😂😂

[whatMickreads]

Our reading tastes are strangely aligned 😂 I STRUGGLED through this book last year and idk why I didn't just DNF! Could not believe the amount of hype this book got