Jocelyn’s Comments (group member since Oct 08, 2020)

Jocelyn’s comments from the YHS Class of 2023 group.

Circe
Circe by Madeline Miller tells the story of Circe, a witch and minor goddess from ancient Greek mythology. Often in retellings of the old tales (and in the originals themselves), Circe would be portrayed as a villainous figure; placed in the story as a witch to be defeated, turning men into pigs and thwarting the valiant hero on their quest. In her pivot towards a narrative that gives agency towards the villain herself, Miller created a new way of looking at these events; one in which a woman is narrating the story in which she previously starred as an obstacle for a man to overcome. Unsurprisingly, this changes the dynamic of the tale entirely. That’s not to say Circe doesn’t do monstrous things, because she does. It is the fact that Miller writes about more than just what could make her a villain that makes this novel so good. In Circe, Miller tells the story of a world that may be familiar to many women: a world that is not kind to women, and a world in which women are not kind back. In her novel, Circe is a fully fleshed-out person, who, despite her status as a goddess, is representative of humanity, in all its weaknesses and strengths. In a sense, this novel is a character study both of Circe and of mankind. Along with its fantasy and magical elements, this story is full of the same contradictions seen in mankind - viciousness alongside love, of ugliness alongside beauty. To relegate Circe as a novel about finding oneself and what it means to be human does it a deep disservice, yet that is what it is. Against the backdrop of many great tales and heroes, such as Daedelus and Icarus, the Minotaur, and Odysseus, the story is wholly Circe’s. It follows her on her journey from a young goddess who finds herself powerless in the face of the cruelty held by both godly figures and man, to a woman who respects herself, and has found her power and place in the world.
Besides the character study, the story has many elements I love. How it makes the reader ask themselves questions - what it is to be a woman, what it is to have power, what it is to love, what it is to be human - is perhaps my favorite aspect. The fact that Circe makes me consider these topics on top of having story elements I have found myself drawn to in the past made this novel a very enjoyable read for me - I’d have to rate it 8.5/10 stars. The other aspects I greatly enjoyed include having characters previously thought of as villains getting narrative agency and redemption; morally grey and complex characters; sentences that border between wonderfully lyrical and ostentatious; the brutality of antiquity; and captivating imagery, both of setting and of the character’s feelings.
As much as I found this book beautiful both in its word choice and its themes of women empowerment and mortality, I can see how someone might not like it. At times, it’s slow, overdramatic, and wandering. It’s also young adult fiction, which is not normally my cup of tea, and may not be yours. Either way, I think Circe is definitely worth a read for those who also find themselves prone to appreciating some of the above features.