Circe by Madeline Miller

This is what it means to be alive.

Circe: “Are you not frightened?”

Telemachus: “You warned me it was not safe,” he said. “I do not think being frightened will help.”

Circe is a whirlwind of a story involving the great heroes, gods and villains of Greek mythology. It’s over thirty years since I was first introduced to ancient history, philosophy and literature by my inspiring Classics Mistress, Ms Tong. She would fly down the school corridors with her scholars gown reminiscent of one of the nereids she brought to life through storytelling of The Odyssey.

Ms Tong was the one who taught me to challenge the written word, read different accounts of the same story, and to form my own opinion of what actually happened. I read Herodotus, Thucydides and other contemporary writers descriptions of the Peloponnesian wars – it was like reading a story in today’s newspapers from the perspectives of The Guardian, Telegraph and Daily Mail and trying to make sense of today’s political situation. It is no surprise that the Greeks were the ones who established the first democracy and that we’re stilling learning what it really means in the 21st Century.

Madeline Miller has crafted a magical, fast-paced, emotional story retelling the great ancient heroic tales from the perspective of Circe. A goddess spurned by her family, exiled to an island, invaded and abused by passing sailors – I couldn’t help but cheer when she transformed them into pigs! No spoilers here other than to say the outcome is entirely satisfying. Definitely a 5* read and one that I will pick up again as I have my old copy of The Odyssey.