Whenever I read Madeline Miller's books, I sit for hours, turning the pages without any concept of time because it's just that good. Never have I ever read hundreds of pages about a woman stuck on a deserted island and stayed hooked on it. I think it's just talented writing, but maybe I'm just biased because I love reading greek mythology books. The plot and character development of the book is nothing short of amazing, and if she puts out a new book, I'll be the first one lining up to read it.
Summary: Circe, daughter of Helios, who for years found herself weaker than her fellow nymphs, discovered that she possessed the power of witchcraft. After she told her father, she gets banished to a remote island for all of eternity. There she sits, helping stranded sailors and working to find purpose in her life.
WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS!
When I read this book, I was amazed at how much Circe changed as a character. She turned from an unconfident disappointment devoid of purpose to a goddess who stands up to Olympians and protects her loved ones. While it was hard to read about some of her traumatizing encounters with the sailors, it really built up her confidence and solidified the theme of female empowerment. It makes us aware of how many problems today were there thousands of years ago, and her actions to protect herself against them.
Another theme prevalent in the story is about war turning men into savages. From Odysseus to his men, they all portrayed animalistic traits, which was quite alarming to witness. I also liked the progressive touch to it — when Odysseus' son was portrayed as unmasculine. While this was a theme in her other book, I think it gives positive commentary about how it's okay to be different in a world full of conformists.
In the end, after everything, I was glad to see her standing up for herself after all, doing the one thing she failed to do all her life. The inclusion of the Greek Gods was done brilliantly, and I was pleasantly surprised to see the intersection of this book and The Song of Achilles. This is 100% one of my all-time favorites.
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