Circe

Escrito por Madeline Miller

Narrado por Sonia Román

CIRCE. UNA HEROÍNA. UNA HECHICERA. UNA MUJER QUE ENCUENTRA SU PODER. CAERÁS BAJO SU HECHIZO. En el palacio de Helios, dios del sol y el más poderoso de los titanes, nace una niña. Pero Circe es una niña rara: carece de los poderes de su padre y de la agresiva capacidad de seducción de su madre. Cuando acude al mundo de los mortales en busca de compañía, descubre que sí posee un poder, el poder de la brujería, con el que puede transformar a sus rivales en monstruos y amenazar a los mismísimos dioses. Temeroso, Zeus la destierra a una isla desierta, donde Circe perfecciona sus oscuras artes, doma bestias salvajes y se va topando con numerosas figuras célebres de la mitología griega: desde el Minotauro a Dédalo y su desventurado hijo Ícaro, la asesina Medea y, por supuesto, el astuto Odiseo. Pero también la acecha el peligro, y Circe concita, sin saberlo, la ira tanto de los humanos como de los dioses, por lo que acaba teniendo que enfrentarse con uno de los olímpicos más imponentes y vengativos. Para proteger aquello que ama, Circe deberá hacer acopio de todas sus fuerzas y decidir, de una vez por todas, si pertenece al mundo en el que ha nacido o al mundo mortal que ha llegado a amar. Repleta de personajes de una intensidad inolvidable, con un estilo cautivador y un suspense apasionante, "Circe" es todo un logro narrativo, una embriagadora épica de las rivalidades familiares, las intrigas palaciegas, el amor y la pérdida, así como una celebración de una fuerza femenina indómita en un mundo de hombres.

• Idioma: Español
• Editorial: BookaVivo
• Fecha de lanzamiento: 20 jun 2024
• ISBN: 9798886577945

Madeline Miller

Madeline Miller is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of two novels: The Song of Achilles, which won the Orange Women’s Prize for Fiction 2012, and Circe, which was short-listed for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2019. Her books have been translated into over thirty two languages. Miller holds an MA in Classics from Brown University, studied in the Dramaturgy department at Yale School of Drama, where she focused on the adaptation of classical texts to modern forms, and taught Latin, Greek, and Shakespeare to high school students for over a decade.

Comentarios para Circe

[thewallflower-1 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

This was attempt number two at reading. Not the book’s fault, it was me. At the time, I wasn’t in the headspace to read something heavy and steeped in the Classics. But now, Greek mythology is having a renaissance (or did it ever disappear?) with God of War, Hades, Lore Olympus. That, combined with my own ambition to write a book about Medusa, I felt I had to give this one a second try for research.Madeline Miller is obviously versed in classics and Greek mythology so the text is not easy. I mean, it’s not Proust or anything, but you will feel like an adult reading this. Don’t come into this with a mindset that this is Disney’s Hercules. Or even Sam Raimi’s Hercules. This is more like a royal princess in her kingdom with her distant father, political marriages, and treading a balance beam of rebellion vs. obedience.This is the story of Circe, who, if you recall, is a minor character in the Odyssey. She’s basically an obstacle for Odysseus. And them ding dang women always be tempting men, so evil they are. But this is the “real story” from her birth as a demigod, interacting with various gods and goddesses, and it really starts when she creates Scylla and is exiled to a mortal island for witchcraft. At its core, it’s not dissimilar to a “witches vs. patriarchy” story. It basically follows what the other characters in Odyssey were doing behind the scenes.But for it trying to be a feminist retelling (which is how I interpreted it) the main character does develop a dependency on men, even though she has nothing but bad relationships with them. Circe’s inclinations are only slightly better than the usual greedy, selfish, scornful kind. In other words, Miller tried to elevate her above her relationships with men, but failed. Although, maybe that’s the point.But the question is will you enjoy this book? Well, if you enjoy classics and myths, maybe. If you enjoy literature that makes you feel smart, maybe. If you enjoy feminist literature, maybe. If you can check all three of those boxes, I recommend it. But if you crave less character-based, more action-based, less characters-holding-the-idiot-ball, more drama, less relationshippy, then probably you can skip it.

[qaphsiel-1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

So, I will, hopefully, write a longer review soon, but for now... 1) Miller is a great writer. 2) She develops not just Circe, but those around her, into vibrant, complex, real characters that you will alternately love and want to yell at. 3) She so skillfully describes life as divine being and love among them that it feels not a whit awkward or contrived (something many fantasy authors have trouble doing).

[mykl8s · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

I'll never be able to think about the Odyssey, or ulysses, or Greek mythology the same.

[kalafudra_1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Circe is the second novel by Madeline Miller. It is loosely connected to her first, The Song of Achilles.Content Note: rape, abusePlot:Circe is the daughter of the titan Helios and the naiad Perse, but she is somewhat of an outcast among her family, ridiculed for her broken voice, her unattractiveness and her powerlessness. She has resigned herself to this state of things – until she meets the human Glaucos and falls in love. She starts to dream, albeit dreams for him at first. Through those dreams, she discovers her powers, but once she uses them against another nymph, punishment awaits her.Circe is a feminist reinterpretation of a character that is mostly known for being a villain. The novel gives her more personal history, good reasons for her behavior and above all sympathy. All of ths is really, really great. But what is greatest is that Circe is a novel about healing from past harm so you can move on with your life. And that is simply beautiful. Read more on my blog: https://kalafudra.com/2022/11/26/circe-madeline-miller/

[anniik_1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

I love mythology in the first place and this book is so beautifully written! Wonderful book.

[castlelass · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Fantasy based on Homer’s Odyssey, Iliad, and other ancient texts of Greek mythology, told from the perspective of Circe, daughter of the Titan sun god Helios and Oceanid nymph Perse. Circe was a witch, using a wide variety of herbal potions to transform others. Zeus exiled her to the island of Aiaia, where she lives mostly in solitude, but entertains assorted notable visitors, such as Hermes, her brother Aeëtes, her niece Medea, Jason, Athena, and Odysseus. She plays a role in the lives of The Minotaur, Daedalus, Ariadne, Telemachus, and Penelope.

I enjoyed reading this story. It is woven together beautifully from many noted sources, and I applaud the author for bringing Greek mythology to a wider audience. Miller’s Circe is courageous, independent, and assertive, and her character evolved over time. Circe learns some difficult lessons and adjusts her behavior, becoming more confident. She faces many of the same challenges as a modern woman. The author has a knack for invoking emotion through poignant scenes and her prose is elegant. I particularly enjoyed her descriptions of motherhood, friendship, and the human condition. Her observations about humanity and the god-mortal relationships are thought-provoking and insightful.

The only downsides for me were the length of time it took to grab my interest and a good portion of the plot revolved around re-telling popular myths, which seemed unnecessary. Although not required, having a basic knowledge of Greek mythology was helpful. The author provides a lengthy list of characters and their backgrounds in a section near the end of the digital version of the book. Content warnings include rape, sex, and violence. Recommended to readers that enjoy retellings of the classics, or those interested in an accessible introduction to Circe and many other characters of Greek mythology.

[randymorgan-144387 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

Nýmphē has the primary meaning of "young woman; bride, young wife." It is also the title given to lesser goddesses, like Circe. Goddess Circe has to summon her power through herbs, potions, and language. Olympians are frightened of her powers, so she is exiled to the island of Aiaia. Here Circe collects stories and lives.Madeline Miller writes an autobiographical epic of Circe. It appears to be accurate to ancient mythologies too. Perdita really brought the story to life with her narrating. It was like someone sitting next to you, sharing the story of their life.

[ktreads22 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

4/5 stars

I listened to this as an audiobook on Audible.

This was a beautiful book. It was a joy to listen to and transported me to Aiaia.

I loved how this book humanized the gods in a way that wasn't unbelievable. They seemed like actual people, but more (as the gods were meant to be portrayed in Ancient Greece). Circe, herself, was beautifully done. The comparison to Prometheus was great too, because both Prometheus and Circe loved humans, and were the most human-like of their fellow gods/titans. Circe's development from who she was, to who (and why) the mythologies portrayed her as, was explained in a way that made you go, "well yeah, I'd do the same thing if I had the ability" and made you side with Circe.

The integration of all of the mythologies as well was extremely well done. (My Classics heart is happy and full.) I loved that it made her a bit more modern, a bit more feminist than the original myths, but also understood that the original story itself is a product of it's time. Ancient (mythological) Greece wasn't the picture perfect place we want it to be in terms of social etiquette, and looking at this re-telling with a 2022 lens isn't the way to go about understanding it.

I think the author balanced our modern ideologies and the not-so-modern Greek myths in a way that also contributed to making everyone seem more real. I felt like I was hearing from Odysseus, Medea, and Hermes themselves.

The lengths Circe would go through to protect her son, and anyone she deemed under her protection, was another aspect of the book that made Circe relatable and human. She was a damned good mother. One of the better mothers in Greek mythologies. She wasn't perfect, but she always tried her hardest. She loved her son and would walk into the depths of the sea to protect him.

It's an excellent re-telling of a goddess's myth. It feels like the modern equivalent of the myths being told in ancient Greece. I don't have a better way to describe it. How the ancient Greeks felt hearing the stories of their gods, because they humanized them as well but based around their social structure. This was Madeline Miller's attempt at the same feeling and she accomplished it.

[sedodge-608996 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

Truthfully I was expecting more from this book with all the hype that there was. I was under the impression it was more "inspired by" greek mythology than just a "behind the scenes" look at it. If you are familiar with Greek mythology at all the plot is a bit predictable, and it reads much more like they odyssey than I was expecting. Overall it was a decent book, I think I was just expecting more from it.

[eric_riley-902552 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

This is an excellent telling of Circe's story - every bit as good as Margaret Atwoodd's telling of the story of Penelope in her "Penelopiad".I bought this just after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade with the Dobbs decision (2022), so the gender politics (here, set in the realm of ancient Greek myth) feels particularly appropriate.

[zeborah · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Weaves together a whole lot of Greek myths into a seamless whole. Am not 100% happy about a rape being the thing that tips Circe from unwilling hermit to evil fairytale witch, but at least that's only one of many events and turns in her life. Overall her journey makes a convincing argument that the gods suck mightily: at one point I was hoping she'd manage to destroy them all but I guess that would have taken more than one book!

[jennybeast · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

A new take on the life of Circe, with lyric language, a cynical take on mythology, and a heroine who only slowly finds her way. I found it enjoyable, true to the ancient hymns as far as that goes, pleasingly feminist in its way, and harsh in judgment on the fickle gods. I hope she got her desired ending.

[snash_44 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

A saga with gods, nymphs, monsters, witches, and mortals. Using those tools, the author fashioned an engaging tale with some deeper meanings of the dangers of power, of trying to control too much, and the value of simplicity. Eternal life was also revealed as a burden, making existence banal and boring.

[gypsysmom_1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Blending tales of ancient Greek gods and goddesses with other classic stories like the Iliad and the Odyssey, the Minotaur, and Daedalus and Icarus, this book has something for everyone. Circe is the daughter of the Titan Helios and the naiad Perse. As such she is immortal but she is fascinated by mortals. She meets a mortal sailor and falls in love with him but when she transforms him into an immortal he doesn't return her love. Instead he falls in love with the nymph Scylla and Circe was so jealous she changed Scylla into a monster. Scylla inhabited a rocky island close to the deadly whirlpool Charybdis and ate sailors who were unfortunate enough to sail too near the shores of her island (engendering the phrase of choosing between Scylla and Charybdis meaning a difficult choice between two evils). Her witchcraft called her to the attention of Zeus, head of the Olympian gods, and he demanded she be exiled. The island to which she was exiled was not a barren rocky place but quite lush with animals and fruits and a large house. (The house needed no maintenance or cleaning which sounds quite delightful.) Circe devoted herself to perfecting her witchcraft for which she gathered plants found around the island. Years passed with no contact with others and then a ship pulled into the harbour. It was sent by her sister, Pasiphae, who was married to the King of Crete, Minos. She had sent Daedalus to bring Circe to her because she was pregnant by the sacred white bull of Crete and she needed Circe's help to give birth to the monster who would become the Minotaur. So Circe went to Crete on the ship which Pasiphae had ordered to return to Crete by the fastest way which took it between Scylla and Charybdis. Circe tricked Scylla, helped with the Minotaur's birth and had a love affair with Daedalus. Then she had to return to her island Several times the island was visited by ships and when the crew threatened rape and violence Circe transformed the men into pigs. (Was this the origin of the "male chauvinist pig" epithet?) When Odysseus' ship arrived his crew met the same fate but after Odysseus pleaded for them she returned them to their human shape. Odysseus and his crew stayed on her island for some time, repairing the ship and resting from their arduous journey. Odysseus and Circe became lovers and just before Odysseus left for home Circe allowed herself to conceive his son. This son, Telegonus, would be a threat to Odysseus and thus his protector, Athena, tried to kill him. Circe used all her powers to protect him and he did go on to kill his father. Odysseus' wife, Penelope, and his other son, Telemachus, returned to the island with Telegonus. Telemachus fell in love with Circe and for him she sacrificed her immortality.I've always loved these Greek myths and Miller has done a marvelous job of weaving them all together.

[dairyqueen84 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

I didn't remember much about the myth of Circe but as I read, the little I knew came back to me. When I read a retelling of a myth, I expect a real retelling, maybe something surprising in some way. Circe's story and her encounter with other gods, goddesses, and heroes just seemed very familiar to me with nothing really surprising or extraordinary - it was a straight retelling for the most part. Miller's writing is vivid and lyrical at times. I was a bit confused by the ending but it was satisfying.

[mcorbink · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Good read, entertaining. It was a different perspective on just the life of Circe (imagined).

[swbesecker · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

I thoroughly enjoyed this ride! This book is very well written and reminded me of Gregory McGuire and how he created all the backstories for the characters from the Wizard of Oz. I would love to see this made into a movie.

[venarain-354758 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

A compulsive read. I loved this book

[maryellencg-894309 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

One of the best books I've read this year. Beautifully written, a humanizing portrait of Greek gods and goddesses.

[omayrav-396304 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

No Spoilers. I just finished reading a book I've been eagerly wanting to read since it got published but until now I had the time to read. So, I feel disappointed. I thought Miller was going to do a version of Circe like Gregory Maguire did with Wicked. You know, make something totally new out of an age-old tale. But what I got was a showcase of god's and human pals with a hit of trickery, a few men turned into pigs (yeah, I see the reference, Men are pigs) and an unsatisfying ending.

I am giving it a three star because at least it was entertaining enough to keep me reading to the end, I was expecting more after all the reviews I read.

[pattylee-621744 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Excellent. Well written. Familiarity with Greek mythology not a must, but helpful. Stunning portrait of loneliness and powerful rendition of what a mother’s love means.

[dcoward_6 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Circe is a minor goddess and a witch. She meets Odysessus, the Minitour and more.

[bookconcierge · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Audiobook performed by Perdita Weeks In this marvelous work of literary fiction, Miller, tells us the story of Circe, daughter of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, and possibly best known for turning Odysseus’s men into swine. I studied the classics in high school so was familiar with the basic story line, and some of the family connections, but Miller gives me so much more detail and really fleshes out these characters. With the possible exception of Scylla, no one is all good or all evil. Whether mere mortals, or exalted gods, they succumb to jealousy, ambition, greed, lust, and pride. They exhibit compassion, tenderness, loyalty and love. This is the stuff of myths, so there are fantastical elements. I kept wondering where Circe got all her stores of provisions – seemingly endless supplies of wine, cheese, fruit, bread, not to mention the many herbs she used for her potions. But I can suspend disbelief with the best of them, and gave myself up to Miller’s excellent and gripping story-telling. Miller’s writing wove a spell that completely enthralled me. I was so beguiled that a part of me wished the novel itself were immortal, and that I could keep reading forever. I listened to the audiobook, marvelously performed by Perdita Weeks. She has many characters to handle and she has the skill to do it well. I was glad to have a copy of the text handy, as well, because it includes a cast of characters which explains the various relationships between gods, mortals and monsters.

[iaross-670307 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

4.5. Real good. Nice clean effective moving writing. Great retellings of familiar stories.

[majkia · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Compelling, thoughtful, intriguing.

[emily_wai_catan · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

I have heard so much about Greek mythology but haven’t actually read one, until CIRCE.I was instantly mesmerized by the intriguing bold story of the goddess and the beautiful prose by Madeline Miller!CIRCE has broadened my horizon on everything about Greek mythology and piqued my curiosity in such genre!

[barlow304 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

What a wonderful book! I grew up reading the Iliad and the Odyssey--I was a nerdy kid--, but never flipped the perspective around to look at these epics from the point of view of the female characters. Madeline Miller's achievement in pouring the old stories into new bottles is remarkable. Here she has placed the witch Circe at the center of the book, while still honoring the central place Odysseus plays in the story. One of the most interesting things Ms. Miller does is she breathes life into the relationship between the gods and mortals. Her concept that the gods laze about and carry about mortals only as playthings, that they are aloof from the affairs of men except when they want something, helps to drive the book. In addition, the book also is a meditation on the disadvantages of immortality, as the witch/nymph Circe learns.Highly recommended.

[tadad_1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

An excellent retelling of the Circe myth, with a few alterations that made it better.

[islandmum84 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

I loved this book so much. Circe is one of the most likeable characters I have read in a while.

[setnahkt · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

I learned to read at the same age as other children, but I got addicted to it and would haul armfuls of books from the public library every week. The usual childhood fare bored me pretty quickly – the Poky Little Puppy and the Three Little Kittens were cute enough, but you can only lose your mittens so many times without the reader wondering why Mrs. Cat didn’t buy some mitten straps. At any rate, I branched out into headier fare, like mythology, and was quickly bemused by Perseus and Bellerophon and especially Odysseus. Therefore it was a blow to my childhood memories to have him dissed – a little – by Madeline Miller in Circe. All the same, this is an intriguing book; Miller addresses the question of what it was like to be a Greek god or goddess: immortality with no responsibility or constraints. They come across as quite creepy; even the heroine Circe gives off some bad vibes – although I agree she had a pretty good excuse for turning men into swine. An easy read; a page turner yet thought-provoking.