BOOK REVIEW: CIRCE BY MADELINE MILLER

4.5 stars

utterly captivating. madeline miller is a goddess of a writer.

I always find it so much harder to review books I loved—how do I articulate the je ne sais quoi of a book as masterful as Circe? I wouldn't even know where to begin—actually, I do: Miller's writing. It's as beautiful and lush as it was in The Song of Achilles. In my head, amazing writing and amazing stories always, always go hand in hand. Sure, good writing can exist, but it's not really good writing unless it's not only supporting a story, but enhancing it. And this is where I think Miller excels. Her writing is beautiful, but never superficially so. It somehow effortlessly conveys atmosphere, character, emotional nuance, all at once. Her stories deal with mythology, so a certain level of scope is always required. But at the same time, she brings such a quiet humanity to the gods and goddesses she portrays, most of all to Circe. I felt so much for Circe. So many—way too many—stories of Greek mythology hinge on marginalizing women: trading them like they're just one more commodity, raping them, holding them as collateral, sacrificing them in service for some other male's character's story. And Circe's character is an unabashed and nuanced response to all of that abuse. 

I can wax poetic about this book for days, but none of this will actually mean anything to you unless you read this book. So, to distill this review: read Circe; it's a marvel of a book.