Circe is possibly one of the best books I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading and I wish I could go back and read it for the first time. This book unintentionally became one of my all time favorites and I hope my analysis will do it justice.
My thoughts on Circe were varied. On one hand I loved the book. It was a page turner and the ending was perfect, but on the other hand it was heart-wrenching in the best way possible. I am heavily related to the main character, so when she was beaten down time and time again I felt angry for her. It was like watching somebody grow up slowly over time and with much self-realization finally becoming their own person. I thought the book not only spoke of the experience of being a human but also the experience of being a woman and that was something that was really powerful for me to read.
One question I was left with by the end of the book is What made Circe so special? More specifically what made her more mortal than the rest of the gods. Her upbringing seems to be the same as most of her nymph cousins and aunts. She seems to be born with an innate kindness and appreciation for life and I can’t help but wonder where that stems from. She doesn’t look down on mortals the way the other gods do, which is a little surprising considering that she is a goddess of Helio and her other siblings seem to behave more god-like.
One of the things I loved about Circe was, the way it balanced the idea of immortality and mortality was beautiful. It told a story of the experience of being a woman in a way that I have never seen in any other piece of media. We tend to glamorize this idea of immortality when really no one can fully comprehend what being immortal would mean. Circe Is a compelling character because she deals with her divinity differently than the rest of the gods in the book. Instead of basking in its glory she approaches It in a very human way. She experiences grief like we do, She experiences freedom and most importantly loneliness . And it connects you with the book. It makes you consider how precious our mortality is .
The main message I took away from Circe was the idea of how beautiful simplicity is. In the book, Odysseus is driven mad by his want for more. Well his son seems to be content and is rewarded for being able to appreciate the mundane. And that is where we find true contentment, When we don’t need to be constantly chasing money power successes and instead are able to smell the roses. And we see this exemplified in the book when again Odysseus’s son is given the option to choose glory and The gift of Athen instead just chooses to follow what makes him happy.
In all I thought this book was a beautiful representation of life and regret. I would recommend this book to almost anybody. The way it’s written in the overall themes and messages is something that is extremely eye opening. When I finished the book I literally jumped up and down. And I hope people can take away what I took away from this book.
