Novel set in Ancient Greece – Circe by Madeline Miller
Historical story of Circe, mythological goddess of magic
Whatever you know or don’t know about Greek myths and gods, this book will expand your mind and surprise you in many different ways. According to the legends, Circe was the goddess of magic or is sometimes called a nymph, enchantress or sorceress. She is a daughter of the god Helios and is renowned for her vast knowledge of potions and herbs.
BookTrail Travel to the locations in Circe
Not only does this book have a gloriously glittering cover, the insides are a mix of magic, mythology and modern day feminist tales.
BookTrail Travel to the locations in Circe
#Bookreview
Susan @thebooktrailer
This is a good example of a book that I thought might not be for me, but which, I’m glad to say, proved me wrong.
I know little about the Greek myths and have never felt the need to learn a great deal about them. However, the cover of this book attracted me and word of mouth ensured it got onto my TBR pile. Then one day I just fancied reading something different. Not crime fiction, not romance and certainly not modern day. So, Circe started to shine ever brighter.
It’s hard to describe just why I loved this book. Full of myths, legends, Ancient Greek symbols and cultural nuances, this was a world I had never entered before. But it was the grown up version of Narnia. Full of surprises and magic, littered with gods, beasts and monsters, this is a tale for everyone.
The scope of the novel – from the story of Circe herself to the wider Greek world of mythology – is brave and works extremely well. Circe is a witch or nymph according to who you listen to, who finds friendship more with outsiders than with her own family. In her search for a sense of belonging and love, she makes mistakes like any human and that’s where the story really takes off. Circe, you see could be human with her flaws and weaknesses. She’s a goddess but I found myself relating to her in many ways for she has hopes and dreams like everyone of us mere mortals.
She uses her powers to gain revenge on those who have wronged her. No spreading rumours for her however, for she uses her powers of magic to turns people into animals as well as other using other tricks to remain supreme. I was cheering for her, but then her journey is not a happy one and begs the question do we ever feel satisfied from revenge? This is just one of the questions I found myself wondering as I read.
I’d hoped to find out about Circe and I certainly did – not just find out but start to like her, understand her and relate to her in some ways. This book however went even further to showcase the other Greek legends such as the Minotaur and Icarus.
There are some hard hitting and bloody scenes in this – but they’re never over done or gratuitous in anyway.
A book I put aside for a while thinking this wasn’t for me. I was very happy to be proven wrong and have since bought it for a few birthday presents!
BookTrail Travel to the locations in Circe
Postcard details: Access The BookTrail’s Map of Locations and travel guide here
More books set in Greece here
BookTrail Boarding Pass: Circe
Twitter: @MillerMadeline Web: //madelinemiller.com/
