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Circe

By: Madeline Miller
Narrated by: Perdita Weeks
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Publisher's summary

"A bold and subversive retelling of the goddess's story," this #1 New York Times bestseller is "both epic and intimate in its scope, recasting the most infamous female figure from the Odyssey as a hero in her own right" (Alexandra Alter, The New York Times).

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.

With unforgettably vivid characters, mesmerizing language, and thrilling 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.

#1 New York Times Bestseller—named one of the Best Books of the Year by NPR, the Washington Post, People, Time, Amazon, Entertainment Weekly, Bustle, Newsweek, the A.V. Club, Christian Science Monitor, Refinery 29, Buzzfeed, Paste, Audible, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Thrillist, NYPL, Self, Real Simple, Goodreads, Boston Globe, Electric Literature, BookPage, the Guardian, Book Riot, Seattle Times, and Business Insider.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2018 Madeline Miller (P)2018 Hachette Audio
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Editorial review


By Laura Sackton

CIRCE USES GREEK MYTHOLOGY TO TEACH US ABOUT BECOMING HUMAN

Three months after reading Circe for the first time, I listened to the audiobook. This is something I often do when I fall in love with a book—I reread it on audio as soon as possible, desperate to fall that much more deeply into its world. Listening to Perdita Weeks's extraordinary performance is when I truly fell in love with Circe. I have listened to it every year since. This is a ritual I cannot imagine my life without.

At heart, Circe is a story about becoming—becoming a woman, becoming a human, become a person who belongs to a place. While living in the halls of her father, she falls in love with a mortal, a fisherman named Glaucos. Devastated by his mortality, she uses for the first time the magic of transformation that will define much of her life. She turns him into a god, but instead of returning her love, he falls for a nymph, Scylla. Circe, in rage and jealousy, turns Scylla into a dreadful monster. For this, and for her use of witchcraft, she is exiled to the island of Aiaia. It is alone on this isolated island that her true work begins. Over centuries, she studies herb lore and witchcraft. She becomes powerful. She tangles with some of the age's greatest heroes, slyest gods, and deadliest monsters—Hermes, Daedalus, the Minotaur, and, of course, Odysseus.

If you love Greek mythology and mythology retellings, Circe should be a must-read, an easy masterpiece. It engages with old, familiar stories in new and exciting ways. It’s beautifully written and richly detailed. Its scope is epic—centuries pass as Circe wrestles with her own demons, now engaging with the world, now retreating from it. There is adventure, magic, and romance; grief and despair and betrayal; wonderful surprises.

But Circe is so much more than a retelling, and even if you've never given the Witch of Aiaia a second thought—even if you've never read The Odyssey and don't plan to—it's worth your time. It is a timeless story about the long, slow work of discovering who you are and what you want—work that takes a lifetime. It is about the impossibility of being a woman in a world made for men. It is about motherhood and friendship and the choices that haunt us. It is a book about the mess and muck of humanity, and there is wisdom and healing in it no matter who you are.

Continue reading Laura's review >

Critic reviews

Winner of the 2019 Indie Choice Award

Shortlisted for the 2019 Women's Prize for Fiction

Named one of the 'Best Books of 2018' by NPR, The Washington Post, Buzzfeed, People, Time, Amazon, Entertainment Weekly, Bustle, Newsweek, the A.V. Club, Christian Science Monitor, Southern Living, and Refinery 29.

"Circe,' [is] a bold and subversive retelling of the goddess's story that manages to be both epic and intimate in its scope, recasting the most infamous female figure from the Odyssey as a hero in her own right."—Alexandra Alter, New York Times

"One of the most amazing qualities of this novel [is]: We know how everything here turns out—we've known it for thousands of years—and yet in Miller's lush reimagining, the story feels harrowing and unexpected. The feminist light she shines on these events never distorts their original shape; it only illuminates details we hadn't noticed before."—Ron Charles, Washington Post

"[Miller] gives voice to Circe as a multifaceted and evolving character...'Circe' is very pleasurable to read, combining lively versions of familiar tales and snippets of other, related standards with a highly psychologized, redemptive and ultimately exculpatory account of the protagonist herself."—Claire Messud, New York Times Book Review

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Editor's Pick

A golden god, and a golden book
"This is the best book I’ve ever listened to. It is about a goddess, Circe, but Madeline Miller’s use of perspective and rich, precise language makes each moment evocative, thrilling, and above all human. It’s about as easy to make gods seem believably human as it is to make humans seem believably god-like, but there is no sign of struggle in Miller’s technique. Her Circe is just as dynamic, with traits—doubt, skill, jealousy, honor, indulgence, nostalgia—that rival the deepest of literature’s great characters. I know that sounds bombastic, but while listening to this I honestly felt like this whole book was gold, like each moment I was taking a bite from a glowing orange. The cover is gold, so that might have contributed to the impression, but I think it was in large part thanks to Perdita Weeks’s flawless performance. The warmth of her voice, constantly challenged by the chaotic tragedies and joys of Greek mythology, imbued the book with its own fascinating and treasured mortality."
Michael D., Audible Editor