Hardcover, 393 pages
English language
Published April 10, 2018 by Little, Brown and Company.
The daring, dazzling, and highly anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestseller The Song Of Achilles that briliantly reimagines the life of Circe, formidable sorceress of the Odyssey.
In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child--not obviously powerful like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power--the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves. Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts, and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur; Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus; the murderous Medea; and, of course, wily Odysseus. But there is danger, too, for a woman who …
The daring, dazzling, and highly anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestseller The Song Of Achilles that briliantly reimagines the life of Circe, formidable sorceress of the Odyssey.
In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child--not obviously powerful like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power--the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves. Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts, and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur; Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus; the murderous Medea; and, of course, wily Odysseus. But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from or with the mortals she has come to love. With unforgettably vivid characters, mesmerizing language, and page-turning suspense, Circe is a triumph of storytelling, an intoxicating epic of family rivalry, palace intrigue, love, and loss, as well as a celebration of indomitable female strength in a man's world.
This was a lovely, amazing book with a story that gave me that cozy feeling. I honestly think I would have given it a full 5 stars if I had read this before Song of Achilles, but the story in that one was a little more compelling for me so it dulled this one a little in comparison. Absolutely one that I would love to read again and will be getting a physical copy to hold onto as well.
I really enjoyed this book.
I picked it up to read during a week holiday in Greece, I thought it would be fun to learn about some Greek mythology while I was there.
It was - but this book was fun so far beyond just learning about ancient mythology, this was a well-drawn portrait of a deep and complex evolving character.
This book doesn't just tell us about Circe, it takes us along with her on her journey.
It was generally good, although not as great as I expected it to be. It tended to drone on a bit in places.
But good for those who want a quick overview of some parts of Greek mythology, especially about Odysseus.
3,5 estrellas. Si te gusta la mitología, encontrarás interesante está forma de volver a contar acontecimientos desde el punto de vista interno de Circe, un personaje femenino. Engancha, sobre todo la primera parte, pero luego pierde fuerza y se vuelve un poco aburrido para acabar con un buen final. PEEEERO: Ojo con las expectativas. No busques un replanteamiento feminista de los mitos griegos. Aunque probablemente sea la aproximación que más lo hace hasta la fecha, pero porque partimos de algo de una época con un sesgo completamente machista, y ya sólo que la prota sea una mujer cambia todo. Pero de ahí a situarlo como revisión feminista (he visto que hay gente que lo trata así)... creo que el problema puede ser el verse atada a lo ya contado (aunque no tengo yo mucha idea mitológica), porque la verdad creo que podría haber sido mucho más valiente despegándose del canon.
... but it was still really good! (obviously all ya standard trigger warnings for greek mythology that i probably should have considered before reading it but yk)
Heck yes!
After Song of Achilles, this one disappointed me. It felt like a collection of short stories and oh my, so many characters and names to remember.
