Thanks to this book for making me want to read The Iliad and The Odyssey, which is 100% not a realistic goal for me right now...

Circe has been on my TBR for an embarrassingly long time, and while I would like to blame Song of Achilles for emotionally scarring me, I don't know why I waited so long. Madeline Miller is a master at creating beautifully written and impactful stories that send me right back into my Percy Jackson phase (yet another very not realistic goal at the moment).
Admittedly, I don't know much about Circe's story, but this book made me want to pursue more rare Greek myths again. This story quite literally follows Circe's life - from her childhood to her first love; her exile to her interactions with various other famous heroes. Because I read this for my enjoyment and not to learn lessons from it, I will admit that I found it a bit slow at times (which is why I didn't give it a complete 5 stars...despite ranking it as a "masterpiece" on my shelf), but I understand the necessity of the pacing. I also think that I chose a very inconvenient time to read this, so I partially blame myself for being super busy.
This book has a very wide cast, but there are a few characters that are the main "cast." First of all, I need to learn to look in the back of the book for character lists in Greek mythology books...they're very helpful. I really enjoyed seeing Circe's growth as a character from who she was as a young immortal to who she becomes by the end. Her struggles were portrayed realistically and I just really liked her character. I loved the dynamics between Telemachus and Telegonus, and I also liked seeing how Penelope, Circe, and Odysseus's stories all merged together.
Madeline Miller has constructed a beautifully written story about a woman often forgotten in epic poetry as she struggles to navigate a world that sets out against her from the very beginning. I implore every Greek mythology nerd to read Circe.

4/5
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