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Circe
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Buddy Read in November for Circe by Madeline Miller
Meli wrote: "I think the difficulty with the number of characters is the names are so foreign. ..."It's Greek to me!
LOL! Oh man, I crack myself up.
I am really enjoying this book!
Rachel wrote: "Nicole you’re killing me!!"I am glad someone, other than myself, finds me amusing! lol
Nicole R wrote: "Meli wrote: "I think the difficulty with the number of characters is the names are so foreign. ..."It's Greek to me!
LOL! Oh man, I crack myself up."
Dammit, I missed a good opportunity there, didn't I? >:-)
Meli wrote: "Theresa - that was a definition that came up when I Googled, but I think it is used in at least 2 different ways in this book. I did not realize he was playing against himself to ensure he always ..."
Yes, Meli, I just hit p. 72, and 'draught' just showed up as a potion or dose as in medicine. And still very British English. How interesting that this American author is using such a British word, and both definitions at that. Something to consider and discuss...if deliberate why, and are their other examples.
I probably am missing stuff too. But the playing against himself bit stood out to me because it was so odd...how boring and even difficult to do in checkers - there is no strategy or challenge, so why would you? Then it came to me in a flash...so he always wins! All that was processing in an instant in the back of my mind. I love mysteries and also being a lawyer, my mind is always analysing and interpreting as I read.
I am also finding it underwhelming so far. But I am not the type to DNF. Glad that in about 50 pages something happens to change that.
This was recommended to me by Goodreads because "you are currently reading Circe..." https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
uuuuuuuhhhh..... OK. I mean, I would read Mayberry, but he is a horror genre writer. I don't see the connection to Circe. These recommendations are always good for a laugh.
I thought my problem with the beginning of this book was just my usual difficulty with the irrational behavior of the gods and the complications of their many names. I'm glad to know I'm not alone. It does get better.
Jgrace wrote: "I thought my problem with the beginning of this book was just my usual difficulty with the irrational behavior of the gods and the complications of their many names. I'm glad to know I'm not alone...."The Gods kinda remind me of entitled, ridiculously rich and powerful Hollywood debutantes. In that sense their behavior is natural since they always get what they want and are relatively bored and seek out the depraved and sadistic for entertainment.... at least, that was my take.
Meli wrote: "Jgrace wrote: "I thought my problem with the beginning of this book was just my usual difficulty with the irrational behavior of the gods and the complications of their many names. I'm glad to know..."Yes, absolutely! That's why I don't like them. While there are consequences for humans who behave that way, there's no accountability for the gods.
YIPEEE-finally got my copy today-digging in this afternoon with my "tea on the couch time"-!
I’m at like 15%, sort of around page 60. Such a helpful tip to have the characters listed in the back! That saved me. Definitely into it. Snack to Starbucks to make some correspondence calls, then to reward myself with an hour of reading more.
My copy is due back at the library tomorrow! I'm hoping to really buckle down tonight and tomorrow before I hand my copy back in. Unfortunately, with my husband out of town and our lows dropping towards freezing I need to get outside and do some winterization so our pipes don't freeze... it's really going to dig into my Sat reading time :( ... still I'm hoping to be done by tomorrow afternoon.
Charlotte - I don’t know about your library, but is the world fall apart if you keep the book an extra couple of days? For us it’s about 10 or $.15 a day. I would take care of your pipes and enjoy the rest of the book. Starting to dig in right now!
I just feel guilty if I keep it too long after it is due since I know there are 18 people waiting on it. I won't stress too much since there actually isn't a penalty if I do return it late.
Okay guys, I am really not feeling this book. At all. I’m reading it, and then have tried listening to it. I’m not quitting but I really do not like this book.
At my library we just renew it another week pretty much as much as we need... Awwww, Rachel, sorry to hear that, but it is OK!
I am glad you aren't quitting because it will be good to have another perspective in the mix on the dislike spectrum.
I feel like the content speaks to the horror hound in me, because what is Greek mythology if not horror... in a way. But there is some very descriptive parts that I have an aversion to.
We shall see how those pieces impact my impressions overall when the book is over. Should get much reading done this weekend. I was supposed to go to a party tomorrow, but I feel I am coming down with something, so I am going to cancel - my favorite thing to do! >:-)
We only get to renew if no one is waiting for it. But I’m lucky and where I live I’m near 3 different library systems. I’ll be signing up for the 2nd and 3rd as soon as my mom gets her new drivers license, and they may have different rules.My interest in the book comes in goes... I was really getting into it around 125 but as I've moved more towards 135 my interest is waning again.
Charlotte - any one of those 18 folks, after all we’re all readers, they would understand. Take your time and don’t worry about the 18 people on the waitlist.I’m now at page 160, 40% in. Sounds like people got into it after page 100 or 125. To be honest, I thought it less compelling right around that time. It’s interesting because it’s different, and because I didn’t know a whole lot about mythology. I’m right around 3.5 for what I’ve read so far. I don’t hate it, nor do I love it. But I do want to finish it. It’s November and I’m feeling the pressure to get to so many more books before the year is out.
I have to say I’m not loving it as well. Reading chapter 4 now. I love Greek mythology, so so far a lot is repetition or additions I’m not sure about
Ok got through chapter 2 and so far so good...!
I passed page 100 while getting a manicure. Still underwhelmed, feels like a slow read. But I am not disliking it per se. Probably will finish it easily thus weekend. I suspect this could be a very interesting discussion, given the varied reactions so far.
I’m at 222, just finished up Chapter 16. I’m still lukewarm about it. I’m reading it quickly and it’s mostly holding my attention but it’s not as good as I thought it was going to be. I feel like this last chapter was kind of boring.
Amy wrote: "I’m at like 15%, sort of around page 60. Such a helpful tip to have the characters listed in the back! That saved me. Definitely into it. Snack to Starbucks to make some correspondence calls, then ..."I agree about the list of characters in the back. So helpful.
I’m at 68%. My attention waivers, but is not fully gone. I’m reminded of the dangers of a book being overhyped. Sometimes a book just doesn’t stand up to the rave it gets. Right now my rating is at around 3.3. And I see a piece of my review being formed in advance as I read. Would like to go ahead and see this thing be done by the end of the long weekend. Which is not at all an impossibility. I am next planning to read the room at Rue Amelie. It’s a new were book, but I wonder if there’s a way of finding out if he would fall under literary fiction. Because a number of new books are falling there. I wonder if there is a search button on that list.? Anyone know how you check?
I am just going to say it...I do not like this book at all. I am finding it a chore to get through. I am bored and find myself lost in other thoughts, not knowing what I just read.
Amy, at a glance I would classify The Room at Rue Amelie as historical fiction rather than literary fiction. Folks, I didn’t fully love Circe until it was complete so perhaps there is hope for you all yet.
Aha! Even someone as low tech as I figured out how to answer my own question. I knew there must be a way because when I was looking at reading the Forgotten Garden for the decathlon moderator 5 star read, somebody (I think Rachel N) let me know it was tagged 14 times as Friendship. I thought that was a stretch, personally. But 14 people went with that, so so did.So I figured it out. The Room at Rue Amelie has been tagged literary fiction twice - by two people. Is that a high enough number? Now I don't even know how many people even have a shelf called literary fiction. I sure don't. And it is an extremely new book. So looked at in that context, two is perhaps larger than it seems. I pose it to any moderator who wants to answer, or to the general crowd. Is two enough to classify?
About Circe - I think there are some points for creativity in topic. Its different, and its good to try new things. Again, over hype or raves can kill a book. I am always frightened of that. So I know when I read a book that has been totally raved about and I agree, I know we have a winner.
Here are some examples of 5 star books loved across the board that I was afraid to read.
1) All the Light We Cannot See
2) Hearts Invisible Furies
3) We Were The Lucky Ones
4) Beartown
5) The Nix
6) A Gentleman in Moscow
Now I loved all Five of theses - Five stars. Hype was matched. But for all of those there are all the ones that didn't make the hype for me. Here's one: The Memory Keepers Daughter. Here's another: The Time Travelers Wife. Gone Girl. I might have enjoyed both far more, if it weren't hailed as highly at the time. So circling back to Circe - my answer to hot raves is to read them super early. So I am not hyping them up even more. So I can be part of the wave, rather than far later. So I am actually glad I am reading it now, and forming my own early opinion, before the wave crests too high.
One question. I have like seven in there - sorry. How is her name pronounced? Circe with a hard C like Cirque? Or soft C like Cir-say? More French and softer sounding?
This will be a "When we are finished" Question. Do we find her likable? Compelling? Interesting? Do we feel compassion towards her?
And maybe - to Susie's point... Is there something about the latter half of the book that makes her or the story more compelling? What made it change over time if so?
If Rue is tagged literary fiction at all then it will count for PBT. However, i agree that it is more accurately described as historical fiction, which may be important if you want to stick more closely to the actual spirit of the tag. Either way works for PBT!
And, it is a soft “c.” Sir-say.
Also, you can google the pronunciation if any of these names and there are generally short little YouTube videos that pronounce them for you. Really, you can do that for about any word—it is great!
It’s often Anglicised to a soft ‘s’ sound - ‘Ser-see’ - and that’s how I hear it in my head. But I’m sure in Greek it is a hard consonant - ‘Kir-kay’
KateNZ wrote: "It’s often Anglicised to a soft ‘s’ sound - ‘Ser-see’ - and that’s how I hear it in my head. But I’m sure in Greek it is a hard consonant - ‘Kir-kay’"My head told me "Ser-see too
I’m half way through - 172 - and enjoying it so far. It took a while to get going, but I like the angle it takes on the Circe myths. Identity is such a strong one (she gradually finds who she is, rather than defining herself in terms of others’ expectations). Her attitude to others takes on a really interesting feminist slant too - though it’s depressingly cynical about men at the moment (I hope Odysseus might rescue mankind a little when he shows up 😉). I also enjoy having Circe as a common thread between so many of the great stories of Greek mythology, often as an active participant.
Finished!!! And I have reached my goal for the year! This was book #100 for me for this year!!!!I want to think on it before I comment or write my review. Not entirely sure how I feel about it yet.
I just finished as well. I’m not writing a review yet. I am not even sure how I feel about this book. But what I can say is that this is the first book in many years I struggled to keep reading. I do think the author does a really good job at writing. It is well-written.
I'm at the back of the pack. I'm only to page 69 but I'm really enjoying it so far.
Re the pronunciation of Circe:https://www.behindthename.com/bb/fact...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXW5w...
I’m going to finish this thing tomorrow - I swear it! Maybe I will be the first of the recents to write a review. Also slowly but deep into Harry Potter # 5 and 7.
I finished this morning! Interesting that Susie brought it up. I do want to talk about the end. Let’s all turn in our reviews, and let Meli decide when we are ready to devour this thing together!
Magdalena wrote: "I'm at the back of the pack. I'm only to page 69 but I'm really enjoying it so far."I am there with you Meli, only on chapter 6.
I am also trying to get in People of the Book and I am trying to at least finish with a respectable total in the SRC challenge....I will avoid reading the reviews and I am finished.
I am also reading slow as I have a lot of school books I have to finish and school work and so with every opportunity I get I will read the book
Nicolas wrote: "I am also reading slow as I have a lot of school books I have to finish and school work and so with every opportunity I get I will read the book"Welcome to the slow train Nicholas...the company is good!
I’ve always said Sir-see but, like Anna, YouTubed and it seems there are several pronunciations. My Greek friends, as Kate pointed out, told me that they say Kir-kay. Did anyone listen to the audio? Nicole?
I am close to page 300 and I have really been up and down with this book. The writing is great, and I think Circe is a sympathetic female character dealing with timeless issues of being a woman in the world ... but my biggest challenge is getting through much of the meandering. Meandering on her island, meandering in her mind. There are these huge chunks in what is often great action or trials of her life that get bogged down with too much atmosphere and world building, at least for this reader. Despite that, there are so many passages or quotes I have marked because I found them thought-provoking or inspirational. So that leaves me confused about how I feel about the book overall. I will reserve any final judgement until I finish.
As for the discussion for the group, I think it would be OK for those who have finished to jump right in! Mainly because,
- I find thoughts are often best expressed fresh
- for the slower readers (myself included), this will take some of the pressure of to rush so we don't feel like we are holding others back.
I would just ask to use the spoiler function where necessary and where possible note where you are in the story so if you are halfway through and it is a first half spoiler people are free to read it.
I have hit page 222 and will probably finish it some time tomorrow. I am still feeling underwhelmed...in fact I was not inspired to read it at all yesterday. If I had, it would be finished by now. But...it works really well as a commuting book, where I have bursts of time to read. It grabs me in those short bursts
I have thought that my familiarity with Greek myth and classical literature is hampering my enjoyment, as there are no plot surprises. However, I had an epiphany today: (view spoiler)
We will see if that concept holds as I finish the book.
As for hype, I have heard only raves about the author..mostly tuned anything specific out about this specific book. If I am pulled to a book and there happens to be a lot of hype, it usually lives up to it. Bel Canto was that for me. But if I am not attracted to it, and only succumb after hearing it hyped, it is almost always a mistake on my part; it falls flat. Cases in point - Wolf Hall which I thought very poorly written, and Gone Girl which was completely underwhelming ...I knew exactly how it would evolve from the table of contents.
Nicole R wrote: "If Rue is tagged literary fiction at all then it will count for PBT. However, i agree that it is more accurately described as historical fiction, which may be important if you want to stick more cl..."Also look on the copyright page and see if it mentions the Library of Congress categorization.
*Tagged as a classic only as it refers heavily to and interweaves with the Oddessey - which clearly is a classic in its own right.I actually knew very little about Greek mythology, and most what I knew came from a cursory reading of The Lightning Thief, with my now almost 16 years ago. I knew maybe a tale or two, Icarus was known to me for sure. So I found the guide in the back delineating Titans and Gods and related mortals and their relationships quite helpful. Circe was one I had never heard of, and in fact, I wasn't even entirely sure of the pronunciation. One thing I did know however, is that folks have loved this book. For many, it was a straight shot into the top ten. Which not only speaks volumes in its own right, but to me speaks volumes in a year that contains my top five, which includes, The Weight of Ink, The Hearts Invisible Furies, We Were the Lucky Ones, The Hate U Give, and Beartown. But as I have said before, it is dangerous to read a book with a very high hype and expected rave. Its a long way to potentially fall.
I wouldn't say that I fell - what I would say is that the book Circe is more of a mortal, while some other reads have felt like Gods and Titans. Its not even that I hated the story or hated reading it - its more like the expectation weighed me down. And there is always a danger in that. I think at times I was more interested than others. Sometimes my mind wavered in its attention, at other times, I was right in the action. Which is a good description of both Circe's life and the book. There are points of action, and points of meandering, and a lot of space in between.
One is immediately hit with the loneliness and the pain of exile, as well as the interminability of it. Immortality may not be what its cracked up to be, as we learn in Tuck Everlasting. It has its own loneliness to begin with. But the combination of immortality and exile, why that's just unbearable. I'm not one for spoilers in a review, but for those of us who are currently talking about it together, that is one reason I really want to have us talk about the ending. Is it fitting?
But the one thing that felt clear to me, and maybe this is connected to another's epiphany that i just read - is that (and perhaps this is obvious) is that gods and titans are dealing with the same everyday emotions and conflicts we are. Sibling rivalries, petty jealousies, love, lack of attention and care from parents, a need for a purpose, longing to matter, and the pull of parenting. Its just the blowback of one's power and influence is so much more far reaching. Gods, Goddesses are as flawed and needy as the rest of us. Which of course is why mortals and gods mate. The need for humanness and vulnerability is as powerful as the need for power and impact and control.
I kept wondering in the book, was Circe compelling as a character? Was I compelled? Did others find her compelling? I did care for her, and I thought her early experiences were definitely drawn to explain her later actions in a more compassionate and understandable light. She does not appear to be the Circe in the Oddessey, nor the Circe of mythological lore. Here we have a complex vulnerable character with kindness who longs for love. Her connection and links to early love experiences form the foundation of the book, and that thread is kept through her later powerful relationships. So I enjoyed those. Ultimately, she wanted to be loved, understood, appreciated, and chosen. As do we all.
So I found the book creative and different. It wasn't cookie cutter. I am not unhappy that I read it. I think different can be really good. I just think I would have enjoyed it more, if it wasn't presented as a rave. Her loneliness hit me powerfully and made me lonely. That was hard. And made her brief and powerful interactions more painful by the losses that would ultimately leave her alone and grieving. But again, it wasn't cookie cutter - and for that I congratulate the author for her novelty and creativity. I think I am ultimately going with 3.6 stars and a Brava for uniqueness. I look forward to the discussion about 12 of us are about to have.
Susie, I did listen to the audio! It was definitely a soft “C”. But, now I cannot remember if it was Sir—see or Sir-say. I feel like it was the same as Game of Thrones 😂
Pretty sure the audio pronounced it Sir-see. (Cause Cersei on GoT is Sir-say). But definitely agree with others who said the hard “C” is probably more true to the Greek origins!
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The Silence of the Girls (other topics)Circe (other topics)
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Thomas Bulfinch (other topics)Thomas Bulfinch (other topics)
I did not realize he was playing against himself to ensure he always ..."
I'm holding on and have high hope! I know many times what seems to drag on is really building a foundation.