Publication Date: April 14, 2020
Print Length: 416 pages
Winner 2019 Indie Choice Award
Best Book of 2018 by NPR, The Washington Post, People, Time, and Amazon
Previous Author Publications:
The Song of Achilles (2012)
SYNOPSIS
While Greek mythology has demonized Circe as a witch who turns men into pigs, Madeline Miller humanizes this Greek goddess as a resourceful foil to the gods who would seek to control her. After Circe is banished to the island Aiaia, she becomes a self-reliant woman who protects her island home from marauding pirates and uses witchcraft to protect those she loves.
In addition to Odysseus who becomes Circe’s lover, Miller weaves in the stories of Prometheus, Daedalus and his son Icarus, Medea, the Minotaur and Athena as she retells the classic stories first told by Homer in The Odyssey. Miller gives these classic tales new life in this page-turning story of an empowered woman who takes control over her life despite the odds against her.
REVIEWS AND AUTHOR INFORMATION
Messud, Claire, “Turning Circe into a good witch,” The New York Times, May 28, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/28/books/review/circe-madeline-miller.html,
Preston, Alex, “Circe by Madeline Miller review – Greek classic thrums with contemporary relevance.” The Guardian, April 8, 2018, https://berkeleyfictionreview.org/2021/12/21/feminism-and-witchcraft-a-review-of-circe-by-madeline-miller/.
Klein, Ezra, “Madeline Miller on myth, nostalgia and how power corrupts.” Vox, April 24, 2020, https://www.vox.com/podcasts/2020/4/24/21233353/madeline-miller-the-ezra-klein-show-circe-the-song-of-achilles-greek-myth..
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
In this retelling of the Greek myths surrounding Circe, in what ways, has Miller recast Circe as a feminist heroine whose challenges are relevant today?
In the Odyssey, Homer told a tale of longing for homecoming. To what extent does Miller expand on this theme? What does home come to mean for Circe and her son at the end of this story?
Throughout this story, Circe compares the differences between the gods and mortals. In what ways are gods and mortals different and in what ways are they the same?
In her efforts to protect her son, Telegonus, Circe sets him up for the tragedy that is fated to occur. How does Circe’s approach to parenting compare to the one adopted by Odysseus? What impact do these different parenting approaches have on their sons?
