Circe in Crazy Challenge Connection

Apr 21, 2020 Veronika rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Großartiges Werk. Ich habe es zusammen mit einer Freundin gelesen, die keine Ahnung von griechischer Mythologie hat und wir fanden es beide toll. Wenn man viel Vorwissen hat, kommt man definitiv auf seine Kosten und kann die vielen Arten genießen, auf die Madeline Miller bekannte Geschichten und Personen neu interpretiert oder neu verknüpft. Wer kein Vorwissen hat, der bekommt danach vermutlich große Lust all die angerissenen Sagen nochmal genauer nachzulesen. ;)
Madeline Miller ist eine begnade ...more

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Jun 24, 2019 Anita Reads marked it as dnf-books

Shelves: fantasy, 2018-april-releases

DNF'd at 42 % ...more

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Sep 16, 2018 Avisek Bandyopadhyay rated it it was amazing

Shelves: awesome-reads, literary-genius, mythology

So, I don't buy into the current feminist fad that is plastered across social media. No, I am not a male chauvinistic pig as the stereotyping description is sketched for a guy who has not joined the bandwagon of sharp-talking, male-depreciating trash talks. I believe in the quality of women with equal respect for both genders. The male sex doesn't have to be abhorred to profess my admiration for the female sex. So, consciously, I have avoided any book that terms itself fire-brand feminist. In th So, I don't buy into the current feminist fad that is plastered across social media. No, I am not a male chauvinistic pig as the stereotyping description is sketched for a guy who has not joined the bandwagon of sharp-talking, male-depreciating trash talks. I believe in the quality of women with equal respect for both genders. The male sex doesn't have to be abhorred to profess my admiration for the female sex. So, consciously, I have avoided any book that terms itself fire-brand feminist. In this context, I came to know of Circe and it was recommended vociferously. I was drawn to an adult retelling of Greek mythology and I ordered it. The cover page was beautiful. It glowed with an orange-ish tinge and invited me to pick it up. And, I couldn't put it down till I finished the last page.
The book is about Circe, a minor Greek goddess with minor powers. Being the last among equals because she was the daughter of the sun-god Helios, she never attracted any attention or love, instead, her childhood was marked with apathy, indifference and in the lowest points, ridicule from her siblings. But, she wandered into the palace of her father, lying at her feet, as if that was her position, and wondered about discussions that ensued in the meetings. She had no awe for Gods, being aware of their many follies, instead, her interest was piqued by stories of mortals, she had never encountered but heard endlessly. As she grew up, her brother abandoned her and she managed to fall in love with a mortal who revered her because was a goddess, a minor one but nonetheless, she was divine. Driven by her desire to own him, she conjured some magic herbs and made him a god. And, as she would learn uncountable times in her life, power, riches or even good-looks, a nouveau-rich mortal can never be trusted. Thus heartbroken, she flings into rage, jealousy and hatred, and uses witchcraft on his first love and his new muse which culminates in her being banished from her father's kingdom. Well, from then on, she masters her sorcery and meets some really important characters from Greek mythology namely Daedalus, Hermes and most importantly Odysseus with whom she bears a son Telegonus. The rest of the story is a fierce tale of motherly love, her finding love and the purpose of her being.

The story was refreshing because we hear it from Circe's point of view. As we follow her life from being a subject of apathy and abandonment to finding her own self as she develops dignity and identifies her need for love and companionship and she grows further where she deciphers the purpose of her being, this is a story that never ceases to pause. The story is inspired by a lost Greek epic, Telegonus and the author has tried to connect the isolated major highlights of her life into a seamless story. it pays rich dividends. Reading about the first rape attempt on her that she defended by turning the assailants into pigs was exhilarating. It was so easy to approve her act of turning men into pigs. As was, the fact that she bought Hermes into her bedroom with whom she only sought news of the world. Or her brief fling with Daedalus. Coming from her perspective, I lauded every step because I could see Circe growing into a woman who deserved adoration and love and will not compromise on her respect. The chapters between her and Odysseus was heart-warming though I would never understand why would she bear him a son. That was the only part that counter-intuitive because Circe was a woman of logic and reason.
Madeleine Miller is probably the best kind of author who married mythology with contemporary literature. The story was captivating an compelling so much so that as soon I finished the book, I rushed out to the nearest book store to buy her debut book - The song of Achiles. Ironicaly, the bookstore had shut shop and it was being reinvented to be a restropub. The world we live in!
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