Circe by Madeline Miller -- Restarting June 27th 2025

[Lizz (Beer, Books and Boos)]

I am going to keep going

[Jenn]

I finally started this one!
Chapters 1-4: (view spoiler)[ I feel bad for Circe. Her family is so mean to her and the only brother she felt close to just leaves her. It's no wonder that when she meets a mortal she's drawn to him like no other. But I sense that this will not end well. I'm also loving all of the other mentions of Gods and Goddesses. (hide spoiler)]

[Jenn]

Chapter 10: (view spoiler)[ so her sister got impregnated by a bull and called on Circe for help. Behold the Minotaur. Circe is almost too nice for her own good. Her sister is horrible (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 18: (view spoiler)[ so she's finally pregnant by Odysseus. She's just doomed to love me who can't stay. I feel bad for her but also want her to stop being naive - which she is so that's good. (hide spoiler)]

[Jenn]

Ahh I never hit post on my final update!
Finished: (view spoiler)[While it's a little weird that she ended up with Odysseus' son, it was a fitting ending for her. When she let her son go, my heart broke. But I really enjoyed this one! (hide spoiler)]

[Barbara]

Emma and I are starting this one on the 3rd June :)

[HeatherH]

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Date changed. Restarting September 21, 2019. Happy Reading ☺

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[HeatherH]

Chapters 1-2 done, slow start for me. The writing itself is gorgeous, no doubt, but I'm struggling to stay focused. Hoping as I get further in I will be more invested and able to read faster!

(view spoiler)[ I am loving all of the mythology brought to life. I haven't read much aside from the Percy Jackson novels that play with Greek Gods so it's fun and new for me! (hide spoiler)]

[HeatherH]

Finished Ch 6 and I'm much more interested in the story now!
(view spoiler)[ Circe's magic was finally discovered. She leaves the next chapter for her island and I'm looking forward to watching her grow and learn more about her abilities. Glauco is an ass for sure and her father's temper is exactly what I would expect in a story revolving around Titans and Olympians. I felt bad when she lost the closeness she had with her brother but I think all of the betrayal and abandonment is going to help her evolve into a strong character as the story goes and I'm excited for that! (hide spoiler)]

[HeatherH]

Ch 7, 8 & 9 done.

(view spoiler)[ This is definitely one that gets better as the story goes. Once Circe made it to her island, she really started to come to life as a character for me. I loved her interactions with Hermes and how she tricked Scylla to keep the sailors safe. Curious why her sister sent for her though! (hide spoiler)]

[callie]

starting this today! I wanted to finish Sorcery of thorns b4 i picked this up and that took longer than expected

[Lee]

Heather wrote: "Chapters 1-2 done, slow start for me. The writing itself is gorgeous, no doubt, but I'm struggling to stay focused. Hoping as I get further in I will be more invested and able to read faster!

[spo..."

This was a slow start for me as well, but Miller's writing is so beautiful I can't wait to see this story unfold. I have no doubt this is going to turn out to be a wonderful story.

[Lee]

Heather wrote: "Finished Ch 6 and I'm much more interested in the story now!
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ Her magic being discovered was a real turning point in the story! I'm really interested to see how all of this is going to turn out for her. Now that she has been exiled from her family and everything pretty much. (hide spoiler)]

[Lee]

Heather wrote: "Ch 7, 8 & 9 done.

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ Circe is such a wonderful character. I really enjoy her interactions with Hermes as well. She really does have a way to trick people into saving people and I love it. I'm really getting into this story and can't see where else this story goes. (hide spoiler)]

[Lee]

Chapter 21 (view spoiler)[ Wow. Okay so she's had this baby so now she is no longer alone, but raising this baby alone that... Athena wants to kill (or was it Artemis? It was one of the A goddesses). So now Circe is trying to figure out how in the world she can save her son. A lot has happened! (hide spoiler)]

Finished (view spoiler)[ That really was a beautiful story. The ending really was perfect. The whole story was really beautiful and even though it was a little slow, that really allowed for Miller to explore Circe's character and for readers to see her grow. I loved it. (hide spoiler)]

[HeatherH]

I'm going to be a bit behind!

[callie]

I just realized I never updated. Oops, I'm sorry. I did start it. I"m in the middle of chapter 17 and I'm really bored with it. The plot is supposed to be boring, but how it;s written or something just makes me so incredibly bored. I don't care about any of the characters. I know Circe as had character development but her voice just seems the same, like she has changed... but hasn't really. I don't think I'm doing a very good job of explaining my feeling at all. The plot sounded amazing and I'm so disappointed and honestly I would DNF it if I didn't really want to watch the Bookmarked live show for it, lol. So yeah, I'm over halfway through the book book (and if you hadn't heard) I'm very bored with it. Its taking me so long to get through I just want it to be over honestly.

[Anna 'Bookbuyer']

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Date changed. Restarting May 22nd 2020. Happy Reading ☺

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[Sarah Elizabeth]

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Date changed. Restarting June 20th 2020. Happy Reading ☺

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[Supriya]

Hey! Going to start today :D

[Brinley]

Ok, I'm planning to start tomorrow or Monday!

[Brinley]

Up to Chapter 4

(view spoiler)[ I'm struggling a bit to get into this one. I feel like too many characters have been introduced early on, and because I don't know much of mythology, I really struggle to keep track of them. It does seem like it's going to speed up a bit soon. I feel bad for Circe, her family neglects her so much. What her brother is doing is terrible, I hope she makes him realize eventually what she's gone through. (hide spoiler)]

[Brinley]

Up to chapter 12

(view spoiler)[ I'm not sure how I feel about this, it's good, but not great. The plot seems really wandering, and not very gripping. I have no idea where it's going, so it's hard to get attached. I find Circe interesting, but it's hard to understand her considering this is told in third person. Her family is terrible, especially her sister, (hide spoiler)]

[Brinley]

To chapter 15
(view spoiler)[ It's moments like the last chapter that remind me of how little Circe knows about mortal habits. She had no idea that she should be afraid of those men, which is something all mortal women would realize. The death of her lioness was so sad, I like cats, so I wanted her to live. I still have no idea where this is going, I expected a bit more plot than her living alone on an island. (hide spoiler)]

[Supriya]

I was supposed to start this days ago but I got some work to do. Hopefully, I get to start today

[Brinley]

Ok, I'm excited to see what you think! Maybe you can help me appreciate it a bit more

[Brinley]

To chapter 21

(view spoiler)[ Why do her son have to leave??? I was actually enjoying the like fifty pages that he wasn't in, it was more interesting than her being alone. Bits and pieces of this are great, some of it is super powerful. I just feel like so much of it is watered down. If we had a final destination for the plot, I might be happier, but this is just a meander through the valley, not a walk over the mountain (hide spoiler)]

[Supriya]

I think you are going to finish it before I even start lol

[Brinley]

I'm just trying to get through it, I'm really not impressed

[Brinley]

Up to chapter 26

(view spoiler)[I can't even try and get behind this relationship. I understand she does this with pretty much every man she meets, but really?? Her ex lovers son?? Her son's half brother?? Its just a bit too wierd for me... I'm still anticipating the end of this one, I'm really not a fan of this book (hide spoiler)]

[Brinley]

Finished

(view spoiler)[ That was hard, this was the slowest book I've read in quite some time. I loved the idea, I just wasn't a fan of the way this was told. Part of the blame may be on me, for going into this blind knowing nothing about Circe or Greek mythology. I just wanted to put the book down for most of this, it didn't catch my attention at all. Also, that vision of her having kids with Telemachus really didn't sit right with me. He was fairly young, and then what is her son gonna think when she's having kids with his half brother? I do know, it's just kind of creepy to me (hide spoiler)]

[Supriya]

After reading your thoughts, my interest in this book has gone down to nil. I started this book.. read about two chapters. It is just about okay for now. Too many names for me to remember and I have no idea about greek mythology.

[Brinley]

Everybody else loved it, I'm not sure why I didn't. The amount of names does go down, so I would say give t a few more chapters to see if it gets better for you. I didn't know anything about Greek mythology, so I was in the same confused boat as you

[Supriya]

I am too disinterested in this book atm. I don't even feel like picking this up and I don't want to force myself to read it. Maybe I will pick this up some other time.. for now, I am DNFing this.

[Brinley]

I had to force myself not to DNF it, it was a hard read. Good luck for your next attempt, if you decide to read it again

[Jenn]

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Date changed. Restarting February 18th 2021. Happy Reading ☺

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[Ashley W]

Chapter 3
(view spoiler)[ Circe isn't a character that I know a lot about. Her myths never seemed that important compared to the others, but now I want to know more about her background. Glaucos is unbelievable!!! (hide spoiler)]

[Ashley W]

Chapter 6
(view spoiler)[Glad that her brother now believes her, but I hate that Aetees had to tell him too. Like Circe wasn't good enough. I'm happy for her that her favorite brother is back and she got to see him, but it is so unfair that she was banished while he got to keep his kingdom. (hide spoiler)]

[Ashley W]

Chapter 7
(view spoiler)[Circe is coming into her power and it must be so satisfying after what her father put her through, degrading her. (hide spoiler)]

[Ashley W]

Chapter 10
(view spoiler)[Phaethousa is so horrible. And she is asking for help. She could be a little more grateful, even if she is cruel. (hide spoiler)]

[Ashley W]

Chapter 13
(view spoiler)[ Medea has so much in common with Circe. I hate that nymphs, dryads, etc are being sent to her island. It was so peaceful when she was alone. (hide spoiler)]

[Ashley W]

Chapter 15
(view spoiler)[ Really enjoying this from Circe's perspective. I like that Odysseus is respectful of Circe. She deserves it from someone. (hide spoiler)]

[Ashley W]

Chapter 17
(view spoiler)[ I wonder what he could do to make Athena want him to die so much. (hide spoiler)]

[Ashley W]

Chapter 21
(view spoiler)[ Strange to think of Odysseus as the bad guy. (hide spoiler)]

[Ashley W]

Chapter 23
(view spoiler)[ There is an uneasy comradery between Circe and Penelope. I'm surprised that Penelope isn't angrier. But clearly Odysseus wasn't a perfect husband anyway. (hide spoiler)]

[Ashley W]

Finished
(view spoiler)[ I was not expecting that ending at all. I'm glad that Circe found some happiness even if it means choosing to give up divinity. (hide spoiler)]

[❀ Crystal ✿ -]

Ch 7 (view spoiler)[Aside from vaguely recalling the Iliad and the Odyssey I’m not too knowledgeable about the history of Circe. Damn if I don’t feel bad for her and yet I still want to smack her upside the head. After the way everyone has treated her she still thinks some of them love her smh, I hate how long and hard she’s continually tried to make them care about her 😭 Hopefully now she has magic she grows a backbone. (hide spoiler)]

[❀ Crystal ✿ -]

Ch 15 (view spoiler)[At this point I’m hating Circe’s dumb gullible ass more than I even feel bad for her. I mean she’s been exiled here for hundreds of years, teased/used yet again by other gods and family members, yet when she’s assaulted she hopes they will come for her. I mean come on girl you’re thousands of years old at this point still looking for love in all the wrong places, I want to strangle her. I thought she’d turn into a badass or something and instead she’s just embarrassing and weaker than ever. (hide spoiler)]

[❀ Crystal ✿ -]

Ashley wrote: "Chapter 13
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[This was sadly just another way they could torment her. I can’t believe she still craved their love after how they continually treated her even when exiled smh (hide spoiler)]

[❀ Crystal ✿ -]

Ch 22 (view spoiler)[I still don’t trust Penelope or her son yet. Are they just putting on an act, but why? Everyone has an ulterior motive when it comes to Circe so I’m glad she’s as least skeptical. (hide spoiler)]

[❀ Crystal ✿ -]

Finished (view spoiler)[Wow ok so she ends up finally with someone who truly cares about her and it’s her sons half brother. Pretty crazy... but umm wtf is that end? Did it work? Did she turn mortal, monster or what?!?! Did her visions of the future with children come to pass? Such a shit end not knowing (hide spoiler)]