Book Reviews – Circe

Circe
by Madeline Miller

Madeline Miller is the author of the Orange Prize-winning The Song of Achilles. This time she turns her attention on Circe, the daughter of Helios, god of the sun, and Perse, daughter of Oceanos, god of the oceans. Circe has neither the look nor the voice of divinity and is scorned and rejected by her kin. Increasingly isolated, she turns to mortals for companionship, leading her to discover a power forbidden to the gods, witchcraft. When love drives Circe to cast a dark spell, wrathful Zeus banishes her to the remote island of Aiaia. There she learns to harness her occult craft, drawing strength from nature. But she will not always be alone; many are destined to pass through Circe’s place of exile, entwining their fates with hers – the messenger god, Hermes, the craftsman Daedalus, a ship bearing a golden fleece and wily Odysseus on his epic voyage home. Circe’s independence disturbs the gods, and she must decide whether she wants to remain with the deities she was born with or join the mortals she has come to love. Circe has had rave reviews. Ann Patchett describes it as “an epic spanning thousands of years that’s also a keep-you-up-all-night page turner”.

Matakana Village Books
www.matakanavillagebooks.co.nz