Circe
In this wonderful re-telling of Greek Mythology, Circe, the unloved and neglected first child of the Titan Helios (the sun God) and a beautiful but superficial water nymph, struggles with her lack of divine power. Despite discovering a talent for earthly witchcraft, she is soon exiled from the divine halls for demonstrating an unacceptable empathy for mortal humans. What follows is her search to find her place on earth and in the cosmos.
…thanks to the author’s excellent prose…
In some ways, this story is a metaphor of women’s struggle for empowerment and recognition within strongly patriarchal societies. However, by shifting the perspective slightly, the author manages to make her point subtly without overtly ramming feminism down the reader’s throat.
In terms of the three act structure, perhaps the first 3/5ths are Act 1 with lots of setup and building of the world of the Greek Pantheon. Perhaps due to the lower page count, acts 2 and 3 felt much faster paced. Apart from a few flash backs and premonitions, the first person past tense narration is mostly chronologically linear.
However, thanks to the author’s excellent prose, none of this actually matters. The text flows flawlessly with a perfect mix of evocative language and sharp dialogue. The reader is submerged in the world of the book and has every opportunity to build an intimate relationship with the protagonist. You may not like everything she does, but you will understand it.
In a sea of rehashed lookalike commercialised Greek mythologies, reading this refreshing and unique book was simply a pleasure. A straight 5 out of 5 stars, no questions.
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