BOOKSHELF

Madeline Miller won the Orange Prize for fiction in 2012 for her bestselling The Song Of Achilles. Miller is a Latin and Greek teacher who excels at reworking myths and legends for a modern audience. Circe is Titan royalty, the daughter of the Sun god Helios and the nymph Perse. Through her lonely childhood in her father’s palace, overshadowed by her more successful siblings, to her eternity of exile on a remote island, the character of Circe is brought fully to life. Circe is banished for using magic and mixing with mortals, and on the island she grows stronger, develops her gift for sorcery and her fascination with mortals continues. This is a gorgeous retelling of Homer’s Odyssey blended with other legends. Miller creates a magical narrative: strong relatable characters, cold-hearted gods, flawed heroes, deadly monsters, and best of all, a strong female protagonist. Overall, it is fabulously readable.