A friend loaned me some books and I've read and enjoyed most of them. Circe by Madeline Miller kept going to the bottom of my stack. I'd read the cover blurb and inwardly said, "Ugh, Greek mythology."
As a longtime reader and lover of school, I never did enjoy stories of the gods. I loved Honors English in high school, but the section on the Greeks and Romans...eh, not so much. I'd mix and match them. If I watched Jeopardy and that was a category, I hadn't a clue. So, finally ( since Ann said she'd "loved" this book), I decided to plow into it.
The writing was fine. The story jogged my memory on Helios, god of sun. Circe was banished to an island due to her mix with mortals and witchcraft. She fooled around with Daedalus and had sons with Odysseus. She endured the wrath of Athena. I read along as if it was homework again.
It is a soap opera - family rivalry, palace intrigue, lots of death, lots of sex, and yes Circe was a very strong female in a man's world. Rah.
(still not into mythology, but I do respect the stories and what they represent)
Interesting ... it's one I've been trying to read ... and noted relatively recently that Jessica Bell of Vine Leaves Press loved it ... I will try again - thanks for this update - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteWell, good luck with it. Perhaps you will have some insight and can enlighten me on the subject. Cheers!
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