RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR WITH CIRCE

Circe
by Madeline Miller
Little, Brown and Company | April 10, 2018

    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 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 the mortals she has come to love.

Not only is this the first book of 2020, but I also missed the New Years' countdown because I was too busy reading this book. My 2020 reading challenge is off to a fantastic start. I only planned to read 3 books this year, and I think I'll be 2/3 complete by the end of this month, that is, if the person finally returns The Queen of Nothing to the library. 

In High School, I studied Latin for four years! I might have done poorly on the AP exam and retained almost nothing related to the language, but I can recognize a couple of Latin phrases when people do incantations or summon things in films. But most importantly, I have more knowledge of ancient civilizations than most people my age. I'm not claiming to be an expert, but I might end up one after my Classics (forced to take) class this semester. 

When Miller wrote, "Mycenean barges, Phoenecian traders, Egyptian galleys Hittites and Aethiopians and Hesperians," I shrieked with glee. Like The Song of Achilles, Miller elicits this sense of pride from me: pride that my education has enriched me with knowledge. I thought I knew all I needed to know about Greek mythology and every actor's story, by Miller reinvents the wheel, sort of. She stays true to the lore, but her writing breathes a whole new life to the story we all know. She gives humanity to these characters: she tells their stories, aspirations, feelings, fears, etc. We only one side of the story from history books and lessons, but Miller makes the story three-dimensional and complex. 

I absolutely adored the character Circe. I was able to sympathize with her from the very first page. She is an outsider who wants to be accepted, she is different, and she is compassionate. This book completely changed how I viewed her. I thought she was yet another higher being that hated mortals and liked to torture them. As if Greek mythology doesn't have enough already! *coughs Zeus, Hera, Apollo, Hermes, Athena, Poseidon, Zeus* She has gone through many misfortunes, but she grew from that and fought those who tried to hurt her. She is resilient, strong, brave, and powerful. 

I tend to shy away from Historical Fiction because it can be bland, but Miller is not afraid of spice and flavors. I cannot praise her enough. She is a fantastic writer, the Arachne of writers. She weaves vivid pictures full of details, seeking to shine a light on a specific incident. She tells the life of Circe, but I was never bored; well, there was that one part of the story, but I forgot which part. She mentions many gods, monsters, and individuals, but I was never lost or confused. An expert weaver.