Jess’s Reviews > Circe > Status Update

Miller has a particular writing tic that worked perfectly nicely with her lyrical prose to begin with, but she's overusing it to a degree that it's now set my teeth on edge. 'Two days, it was'. 'Tall, he was.' MA'AM, YOU ARE NOT YODA. I NEED YOU TO GET A GRIP. ANNOYED, I WAS.

Telegonus: OMFG ALL YOU EVER TALK ABOUT IS HOW I NEED TO FEAR THE GODS BECAUSE THEY KILL EVERYBODY, I DON'T THINK THEY EVEN CARE ABOUT ME. Circe, two minutes later: It is my fault clearly. I painted such a romantic idea of the world, I failed to tell him how dangerous the gods are. 🤔 And then she proceeds to do the same bullshit she's been doing all book and expect different results.

Was trying to figure out where the hell Telegonus got his extremely typical ideas of masculinity when the only person he's ever met in his entire life is Circe, and then I remembered: Circe hates women.

Also I am SO OVER Circe whining about how she's alone, alone, always alone, everybody always leaves her, meanwhile there's a couple of dozen nymphs standing behind her twiddling their thumbs because she's written them off sight unseen as worthless company. I'd cut Miller more slack if I thought the internalised misogyny was intentional and leading somewhere (e.g. as in The Lie Tree) but I'm not so sure it is.

I am... hm. Uncomfortably struck by the way that Miller has chosen to make Circe sympathetic by painting her as a naive good-hearted ugly-duckling in a sea of unsympathetically drawn callous bitches. It's, uh, not the approach I would have expected from a feminist retelling?? (I can see how she's gradually working to complicate these portrayals, but... hmmm. Maybe she'll bring me around. Not sold just now.)

oooh, having some mixed feelings about this one! On the one hand: gorgeous, lush, compelling writing that has me hooked. On the other hand: really disliking Circe's not-like-the-other-goddesses characterisation. It feels simplistic and immature, especially reading it on the heels of Costanza Casati's Clytemnestra, which takes a much more nuanced look at a similarly maligned character. But maybe she'll sell me on it!