Circe

This is the story of the famous witch Circe, banished to the remote island of Aiaia, where she turns men into pigs, brews dangerous potions and can turn her enemies into hideous monsters. Well, this is how she is portrayed in Homer’s “Odyssey”. This book is a modern and feminist retelling of a character mentioned only in passing in Greek mythology. The author Madeline Miller describes Circe as a female whose story has been told as a cautionary tale of society giving women even a little bit of power. In this book, she is given a full voice as a complex character with empathy and kindness.

The book is a page turner full of beautiful nature, great heroes, gods and goddesses and already promised, monsters. The philosophical conversations and self-reflections of the famous heroes and the character development of Circe, the first witch in Western literature was very enjoyable.

No previous knowledge of Greek mythology is needed to enjoy this book. Intelligently written and with vivid characters, it flows in chronological order, which makes it easy to follow, has plenty of adventure, as well as something to dwell on later.