Post by Kelly on Dec 27, 2018 20:01:21 GMT
Circe - Madeline Miller (Goodreads Page)
I first saw this book advertised on Facebook many moons ago. It had certainly interested me then for several reasons-- I usually teach the Odyssey to my English classes, and also because I LOVE mythology and myth retellings. It had been a long while since I actually read anything for entertainment. About a month ago, I saw another advertisement for a book subscription box called Book of the Month and I decided to enroll in that plan in the hopes to actually get myself back into reading. You can select from a list of books to read for each month with your subscription credits (I cannot recall the exact price at the moment). If you want more, you have to pay a small extra fee to include them. If you want a different book altogether, you have to at least select a book that's on that month's list before you can "check out." Slightly annoying if none of the books seem interesting to you (I skipped my first month for this reason. They also provide in-depth user reviews and synopsis and some taglines/keywords to help you decide). I found Circe and instantly wanted to read it, but it was from the list several months ago and to get it, I also had to select an additional book that was on that month's list. So I did. Overall, you DO end up spending less than what you would pay for BRAND NEW and hardback books. You get more for your money, and I am under the impression that they have exclusive access to new releases. While Book of the Month DOES have fantasy genre books, it seems as though that is not their more developed genre. (They have more drama, literary, romance, mystery/thriller). Anyway, enough about Book of the Month.
As far as myth retelling goes, one of my favorite things is how authors usually use their descriptions (and typically, I am not one for more drawn Tolkien-esque descriptions. I prefer broader brushstrokes) AND how author characterize their god(desse)s/mythic characters. Circe is instantly painted in a sympathetic light, nothing like the conniving enchantress who are initially acquainted with in the Odyssey and that's okay. I was rather pleasantly surprised to see that her story with Odysseus was actually only a FRACTION of the whole novel. She plays her part with assisting Odysseus in his journey and harboring him for a year (that is more of Oydsseus's doing than her own). I was definitely happy to see a more consensual side to Odysseus's stay. While Circe is famous today for her exploits with Odysseus (and the novel makes a reference to this with a small prophecy given to her in the beginning), she certainly has other events that keep her busy.
I say "events" for a reason. I won't call them "adventures" because she is actually confined most of the novel to the island of Aiaia in exile (interestingly enough for using her newfound witchcraft for turning Scylla into a sea monster out of jealousy). Because of this, the whole pacing of the novel seems rather slow at first. Circe is very naive in the beginning and slowly finds herself and her confidence, develops her powers and knowledge throughout (sometimes, too slowly in my opinion). As a result of her exile, it often seems as though she is waiting for the action of the novel to come to her, rather than her seizing the day and scouting out her own adventure (which gives the novel a rather slow pace). Before we even meet Odysseus, we of course get to enjoy the creation of Scylla (Charybdis is mentioned as well but I'm a little miffed that she's dismissed as a whirlpool rather than another cursed nymph like Scylla). We also visit Crete to witness the birth of the minotaur. Daedalus has a dalliance with Circe (which actually feels very appropriate) and we see a glimpse of baby Icarus. We meet Ariadne and later hear of her fate with Theseus. For some reason, our author decided to have Artemis kill Ariadne before Dionysus came to wed her. I am really not sure of this decision and have been really questioning it (especially since this book is labeled as "feminist" on the Book of the Month page--more on this later).
We also see Medea and Jason. Prometheus makes an appearance at the very beginning before being subjected to his eternal punishment. Hermes has his own (if fleeting) affair with Circe. We even meet post-Odyssey Telemachus and Penelope, which was actually very nice in my opinion. However, if I had one bone to pick with this novel, it would be it's label as a "feminist" book. While there are certainly feminist elements to this novel, I would not call them strong enough to label the book as feminist. I have a slight annoyance with how the nymphs, goddesses are subjected to the whims of their male counterparts, but I could understand this decision given the time period. (trigger warning: there is a rape scene for those who have sensitivities.) However, I would not label this novel as feminist simply because of its portrayal of every female character. There are two exceptions: Circe and Penelope. These two women are detailed as sympathetic, strong, good women. Circe has her own weaknesses and Penelope has a moment of "weakness" where she intentionally keeps a secret from Circe, but overall. these are characters you want to succeed.
To name a few opposing examples. You have Perse (Circe's mother) who instantly is disinterested in Circe the moment she is born (knowing she will not be destined for greatness). Circe has a sister Pasiphae (the one who is minotaur's mother), and all throughout, Pasiphae relishes in tormenting Circe, insulting her intelligence, and prides herself on her own vanity. When Pasiphae sends for Circe to assist in the minotaur's birth, she treats her the same as she did when they were children but there is a moment when Pasiphae lets down her guard and shares her vulnerability and isolation with Circe. This moment is quickly disposed of and our protagonist writes of Pasiphae's trauma with all of her experience with Pasiphae's cruelty.
Before Scylla was turned, she was depicted as yet another vain, ambitious sea nymph, always resorting to backhanded insults. Selene never makes a physical appearance (she is the moon and Circe's aunt), but Circe frequently thinks about her as she rides her chariot at night, and is always shown as totally indifferent no matter what is going on. Ariadne was a breath of fresh air for her goodness but her fate turns to one that contrasts her origin story. For some reason, the author feels a need to kill her off with Artemis (a goddess we don't actually meet). When Circe asks why Artemis wanted to do this, no answer is given. Medea is independent and tries to stake out her own destiny/course with Jason. As predicted, she gives into her cruelty and definitely has her own share of evil deeds. Circe's home is shared with other nymphs at some point (who are sent to her as a form of punishment by their fathers). None are ever really noteworthy enough for Circe to pay attention to as they all annoy her and she demands that they all stay out of her sight. Athena is one of the main goddesses we actually get to see. She is as one-dimensional as most gods are and is pretty wrathful and just serves as another antagonist for Circe to contend with in the end, until Athena decides there is no need for such conflict.
All in all, I did enjoy this book. The descriptions and dialogue were beautiful, as you would expect from any mythological rendition. I enjoyed most of the changes to the mythology to build a better Circe. I also very much enjoyed the ending and though it rather satisfying and fitting. My own complaint with the novel is that I do not view is as very feminist simply for its portrayal of most female characters.
I first saw this book advertised on Facebook many moons ago. It had certainly interested me then for several reasons-- I usually teach the Odyssey to my English classes, and also because I LOVE mythology and myth retellings. It had been a long while since I actually read anything for entertainment. About a month ago, I saw another advertisement for a book subscription box called Book of the Month and I decided to enroll in that plan in the hopes to actually get myself back into reading. You can select from a list of books to read for each month with your subscription credits (I cannot recall the exact price at the moment). If you want more, you have to pay a small extra fee to include them. If you want a different book altogether, you have to at least select a book that's on that month's list before you can "check out." Slightly annoying if none of the books seem interesting to you (I skipped my first month for this reason. They also provide in-depth user reviews and synopsis and some taglines/keywords to help you decide). I found Circe and instantly wanted to read it, but it was from the list several months ago and to get it, I also had to select an additional book that was on that month's list. So I did. Overall, you DO end up spending less than what you would pay for BRAND NEW and hardback books. You get more for your money, and I am under the impression that they have exclusive access to new releases. While Book of the Month DOES have fantasy genre books, it seems as though that is not their more developed genre. (They have more drama, literary, romance, mystery/thriller). Anyway, enough about Book of the Month.
As far as myth retelling goes, one of my favorite things is how authors usually use their descriptions (and typically, I am not one for more drawn Tolkien-esque descriptions. I prefer broader brushstrokes) AND how author characterize their god(desse)s/mythic characters. Circe is instantly painted in a sympathetic light, nothing like the conniving enchantress who are initially acquainted with in the Odyssey and that's okay. I was rather pleasantly surprised to see that her story with Odysseus was actually only a FRACTION of the whole novel. She plays her part with assisting Odysseus in his journey and harboring him for a year (that is more of Oydsseus's doing than her own). I was definitely happy to see a more consensual side to Odysseus's stay. While Circe is famous today for her exploits with Odysseus (and the novel makes a reference to this with a small prophecy given to her in the beginning), she certainly has other events that keep her busy.
I say "events" for a reason. I won't call them "adventures" because she is actually confined most of the novel to the island of Aiaia in exile (interestingly enough for using her newfound witchcraft for turning Scylla into a sea monster out of jealousy). Because of this, the whole pacing of the novel seems rather slow at first. Circe is very naive in the beginning and slowly finds herself and her confidence, develops her powers and knowledge throughout (sometimes, too slowly in my opinion). As a result of her exile, it often seems as though she is waiting for the action of the novel to come to her, rather than her seizing the day and scouting out her own adventure (which gives the novel a rather slow pace). Before we even meet Odysseus, we of course get to enjoy the creation of Scylla (Charybdis is mentioned as well but I'm a little miffed that she's dismissed as a whirlpool rather than another cursed nymph like Scylla). We also visit Crete to witness the birth of the minotaur. Daedalus has a dalliance with Circe (which actually feels very appropriate) and we see a glimpse of baby Icarus. We meet Ariadne and later hear of her fate with Theseus. For some reason, our author decided to have Artemis kill Ariadne before Dionysus came to wed her. I am really not sure of this decision and have been really questioning it (especially since this book is labeled as "feminist" on the Book of the Month page--more on this later).
We also see Medea and Jason. Prometheus makes an appearance at the very beginning before being subjected to his eternal punishment. Hermes has his own (if fleeting) affair with Circe. We even meet post-Odyssey Telemachus and Penelope, which was actually very nice in my opinion. However, if I had one bone to pick with this novel, it would be it's label as a "feminist" book. While there are certainly feminist elements to this novel, I would not call them strong enough to label the book as feminist. I have a slight annoyance with how the nymphs, goddesses are subjected to the whims of their male counterparts, but I could understand this decision given the time period. (trigger warning: there is a rape scene for those who have sensitivities.) However, I would not label this novel as feminist simply because of its portrayal of every female character. There are two exceptions: Circe and Penelope. These two women are detailed as sympathetic, strong, good women. Circe has her own weaknesses and Penelope has a moment of "weakness" where she intentionally keeps a secret from Circe, but overall. these are characters you want to succeed.
To name a few opposing examples. You have Perse (Circe's mother) who instantly is disinterested in Circe the moment she is born (knowing she will not be destined for greatness). Circe has a sister Pasiphae (the one who is minotaur's mother), and all throughout, Pasiphae relishes in tormenting Circe, insulting her intelligence, and prides herself on her own vanity. When Pasiphae sends for Circe to assist in the minotaur's birth, she treats her the same as she did when they were children but there is a moment when Pasiphae lets down her guard and shares her vulnerability and isolation with Circe. This moment is quickly disposed of and our protagonist writes of Pasiphae's trauma with all of her experience with Pasiphae's cruelty.
Before Scylla was turned, she was depicted as yet another vain, ambitious sea nymph, always resorting to backhanded insults. Selene never makes a physical appearance (she is the moon and Circe's aunt), but Circe frequently thinks about her as she rides her chariot at night, and is always shown as totally indifferent no matter what is going on. Ariadne was a breath of fresh air for her goodness but her fate turns to one that contrasts her origin story. For some reason, the author feels a need to kill her off with Artemis (a goddess we don't actually meet). When Circe asks why Artemis wanted to do this, no answer is given. Medea is independent and tries to stake out her own destiny/course with Jason. As predicted, she gives into her cruelty and definitely has her own share of evil deeds. Circe's home is shared with other nymphs at some point (who are sent to her as a form of punishment by their fathers). None are ever really noteworthy enough for Circe to pay attention to as they all annoy her and she demands that they all stay out of her sight. Athena is one of the main goddesses we actually get to see. She is as one-dimensional as most gods are and is pretty wrathful and just serves as another antagonist for Circe to contend with in the end, until Athena decides there is no need for such conflict.
All in all, I did enjoy this book. The descriptions and dialogue were beautiful, as you would expect from any mythological rendition. I enjoyed most of the changes to the mythology to build a better Circe. I also very much enjoyed the ending and though it rather satisfying and fitting. My own complaint with the novel is that I do not view is as very feminist simply for its portrayal of most female characters.