Circe by Madeline Miller

*Note there is a very small spoiler for the second half of the book, only on where her path goes, not on what actually happens.*

Like my most recent post I was reminded that we are full of multitudes. I started this book back the Christmas before this one. I quite enjoyed it, but I ended up setting it down for quite a while. I finally finished it when I got the audiobook (highly recommend). If you want someone who understands the harshness, loneliness, and beauty of the world like we’ve experienced during the pandemic, Circe has your back.

I have to say, it is not a fast story. It is long, and complex. It is full of character and depth. It has beautiful, lovely, purple prose. For that reason I will say it is not for everyone. It might frustrate you, or leave you just… bored. I loved the audiobook, and think it would be a perfect story for a long weekend afternoon full of crafting. Or perhaps a bit at a time. I often have a hard time not reading in one sitting, but this is a story that sits with you.

Miller makes us run the gambit in emotions through the story. She shows us the fickleness of family, the jealousy and love that comes from siblings. The freedom that comes from finally realizing who you are. The loss of heartbreak, that runs jagged and harsh. How each of these emotions can make you jaded and bitter, and how to find the beauty in the small moments.

Circe’s story was complex and full of the growth of what it means to be human, or nearly so. I had thought that it might be nearly finished when I realized I still had at least 1/3 of a book left. At first I was unsure on how well I, as a single woman, would be able to understand her tribulations on the path toward motherhood. However, just like every other part of her story, we are easily taken along on this journey.

I cannot tell you how many times I cried, but it was worth it. Her loneliness may be a solace in the times of COVID-19, to realize that even a goddess falls prey to these same challenges. The ending to me was perhaps one of the most unexpected parts of the story, a journey I had not expected it to take. I am still a year later trying to untangle my thoughts on it, but I feel like that can only tell you how deeply this story has sat with me.

On top of everything else, I felt powerful after reading it. While I feel the craft of this story is so well done anyone could read it and be manipulated by Miller’s emotional puppetry, I believe that this story hits differently for women. It is the steel magnolia of femininity in a story. Power and grace. Hidden strengths and deep sorrows. Embracing every challenging facet of who we are, while reading about a woman who was unrestrained and thrived because of it.

You can grab Circe as an ebook or in print at here at Bookshop.org or as an amazing audiobook at here at Libro.fm!