So, as encouraged by my buddy read of ‘Song of Achilles’, I took ‘Circe’ off the to-be-read pile. It was well overdue that I entered Circe’s world.
To begin with, this book did not grab me as immediately as ‘The Song of Achilles’. However, I think that this is simply because of my knowledge of Circe and her tale was a little weak. As the book progressed, I did get sucked into the world and the story. It was fascinating how her story became entwined with the stories of so many other key Greek mythological figures.
Circe, considered a witch, is banished by her family – rejected by those who should love her Circe builds her own life on her isolated island and possibly becomes an even greater character than if she had stayed with her family.
This is quite a slow-paced book, but beautifully written. It is also quite an eye opener as to the treatment of women in Ancient Greece. Circe certainly breaks the mould as she manages to create her own destiny and stands up to many of those who tackle her.
Just like ‘The Song of Achilles’, this book has made me want to find out even more about the great figures of Greek myth. Although, sometimes I have to admit I am unsure why some of these men (mainly) were regarded as heroes when they were really quite questionable chracters.