Review: Circe

Circe by Madeline Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I surprised by how much I liked this (I only bought it because there was an Amazon deal) - I didn't really like Miller's previous novel Song of Achilles, which won the then Orange in 2012, as I found it too soppy for want of a better word.

This, however, is both unsentimental and compelling. Circe's slow acceptance of herself as someone who does not fit in with the her kin (the Gods) or fit in with those she has a natural sympathy with (the mortals) is beautifully done. The only thing I would say is that the ending is a little a bit too neat - I liked it but I think a braver option would have been to leave things a little less wrapped up.

While you don't need to know the story of Circe to read this (I didn't), you may need to have your phone on hand so you look up certain Greek Gods and Heroes to keep up with who's who. Things gets very confusing when, later in the book, there's two characters with similar names (that to be fair, is explained).

View all my reviews