Circe

It was again a full house to discuss Circe by Madeline Miller! This book, published in 2018 and widely acclaimed, is a retelling of Greek mythology from the perspective of the witch Circe. The novel beautifully chronicles Circe’s journey of self-discovery and her encounters with famous figures from Greek myths like the Minotaur, Medea, Daedalus, and Odysseus.

The story is old, but Miller’s approach is fresh and engaging. We follow Circe as a naive lesser nymph, longing to be accepted and loved, to becoming a powerful witch. A great thing about the book is how Miller made Circe relatable: despite being a goddess, an immortal, and a witch, Circe is at her core a woman who has lived too long under the heels of power-hungry men, in a society that values beauty over strength. In our discussions, we explored her transformation, the differences between Miller’s retelling and the original mythology, and the themes of family, love and motherhood. Everybody had slightly different perspectives, which made this evening very enriching for all.

We had a great time talking about Circe!