What a powerful story of a woman coming into her own power, making her own choices, and rejecting the toxic family and society she was born into! Circe is the daughter of a Titan and a nymph, the oldest but least loved of four siblings. She has immortality, but seemingly none of the power, beauty or grace of other gods and goddesses. Until she realizes that she can use plants, both earthly and divine, in potions to work some of her will upon the world. She irrevocably changes a mortal into a lesser god, and a nymph into a monster, confesses her actions, and is banished to a remote island for the rest of eternity. Here, where some stories might end, Circe's begins. Her life touches on so many other myths: King Minos and the Minotaur, Jason and Medea, and of course Odysseus. I was completely drawn in by the prose which is lyrical and rich without being distracting, and by the glimpses here and there of the Olympian gods who studied, drew, and daydreamed about as a child. I can see why this book gets so much attention; it deserves it.