November Book Review: Circe, by Madeline Miller

Tatianna is a book reviewer from Instagram. With more than 5 years of reviews and 25k followers, she was the perfect profile for our book of the month feature here on Mooi.

“In this book, the writing feels just like honey. I was in love with the writing from the start, from before this book. Some critics point the slow-paced plot, but for me, it worked for the story, for the writing. It’s beautiful in a way that isn’t flowery. It’s not poetry, not sentences after sentences of adjectives. But the words really spoke to me” dreams Tatiana, the woman behind lavidaenquotes, a bookstagram reviewer account of more than 25.8k followers.

Tatianna accepted to be our Mooi reviewer for the month of November, and choose to talk to us about Circe, by Madeline Miller.

Tatiana, bookstagram and the choice of Circe

She started her bookstagram 5 years ago, as a way to exchange with people about books. “I always liked reading. But I never had that many readers in my life, among my friends. So I never had this input about “oh have you heard of this book or that book” she explains. When she posted her first few pictures and quotes, she discovered a whole world of avid readers, with a lot of recommendations. And she decided that she wanted to be part of the conversation. She exchanged with a lot of people, even made a few friends. “It’s very nice being able to meet people through books. Meeting kindred spirits”.

“I’ve always been intrigued by Greek mythology but didn’t know much about it. I’ve read the “The song of Achilles” by the same author the year before. I loved the writing, but went in with too many expectations, and was disappointed. So going into Circe, I decided to just go in and see where it would take me”.

The story is about Circe, the daughter of the sun god, who “doesn’t quite belong”. She ends up being kicked out for falling in love with the wrong person and cursing the new favorite and ends up in exile on an island, Aeaea. “And that’s where she starts to explore what she really is. She starts to understand what her powers are, what she can do, not only as a goddess but as a witch as well” explains Tatianna. A few other mythical characters cross her path, such as Hermes, her sister Pasiphaë, Dedalus, or Odysseus. And what’s wonderful is that “they aren’t pushed into the story. Every character that came in felt natural, they had a purpose”.

Going beyond the plot

But for Tatianna, “we are not here for the plot. We are here for the writing, which is wonderful, and for this very personal journey of Circe in finding herself. It is more a story of coming to terms with what and who she is”.

For her, one of the main strengths of the book is Circe’s perspective. “She’s immortal, but also has a very soft spot for humans. She regards them in a way that’s completely different from the other gods, who are so arrogant. She cares for humans, she has this way of self-reflecting, what gods are, how they behave, and how much they look down on humans. But she sees the strength”.

The quiet feminism of the book

Tatiana believes in the feminist strength of the book. By the very fact that the book is about Circe, even though so few people knew who she was before this. “Miller gave her purpose. She gave her a very strong character. She plays such a big role, even while being confined on an island”. Both in her own story, but also in the story of all those characters that she crossed path with.

More than that, she’s never depicted as a demoiselle in distress. She turned men into pigs, bringing up her kid on her own, “taking care of herself. She clearly drew the lines of what she wanted and what she didn’t want” explains earnestly Tatiana.

“It might not be on the top of the feminist books lists out there, but if we define feminism as a way of asserting a woman right to find who she is and accepting and not apologizing for it, then yes, this is a feminist book”.

Proving her point, Tatiana finishes our interview by quoting from memory one of her favorite Circe’s quote: “It is a common saying that women are delicate creatures, flowers, eggs, anything that may be crushed in a moment’s carelessness. If I had ever believed it, I no longer did.” She relished the words, enjoys the memory: “I loved it. It was her, finding her strength”.