Circe

Hardcover, 393 pages

English language

Published April 10, 2018 by Little, Brown and Company.

ISBN:
978-0-316-55634-7
Copied ISBN!
OCLC Number:
1029608347
Goodreads:
35959740

View on OpenLibrary

View on Inventaire

4 stars (24 reviews)

The daring, dazzling, and highly anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestseller The Song Of Achilles that briliantly reimagines the life of Circe, formidable sorceress of the Odyssey.

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 obviously 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 …

7 editions

Stunning!

5 stars

I didn't know quite what to expect when I started this book, but the narrator, Perdita Weeks, drew me into the unfolding story of a nymph who cannot find her place with her divine family. She breaks a rule, and the gods banish her to an island alone. There she must become everything for herself. The story is touching, at times violent, and ultimately heartwarming. Along the way we meet Hermes, Odysseus, Telemachus, and Penelope, as well as others. 

Weeks is a masterful narrator, bringing all the vulnerability and power to create complexity and depth in Circe. This is critical as we see the story through Circe's point of view. And what a point of view! She grew up the daughter of Helios, the sun God, whom she reverenced though he barely noticed her. It is only when she is banished that she learns who she is and what she …

Review of 'Circe' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

I was looking forward to reading this as I'd seen several good reviews from bookstore staff and elsewhere and I enjoy Greek myths. I was greatly disappointed to say the least. It simply did not hold my interest and I put it down repeatedly. The writing is pedestrian and even the story isn't all that interesting. Finally about two-thirds of the way through the story it got somewhat interesting but that's not enough to recommend it. The ending was as lackluster as the beginning.

avatar for jkobyp

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Simoto

rated it

4 stars
avatar for exidor

rated it

4 stars
avatar for debby_joyblue

rated it

4 stars
avatar for masyukun

rated it

4 stars
avatar for macr

rated it

3 stars
avatar for tracynicholrose

rated it

5 stars
avatar for memonick

rated it

5 stars
avatar for TheKnightGarden

rated it

4 stars
avatar for SpaceCamel

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Susanna

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Simotena

rated it

4 stars
avatar for hippocraticrat

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Unfreeze4257

rated it

5 stars
avatar for fjordic

rated it

4 stars
avatar for greynotgrey

rated it

5 stars
avatar for LizAndra

rated it

5 stars

Subjects

  • Circe (Mythological character)--Fiction.
  • Mythology, Greek--Fiction.
  • Goddesses--Fiction.
  • Magic--Fiction.