Book Review: "Circe" by Madeline Miller

    The goddess and enchantress Circe is a character of myth as old as stories themselves. She plays a role in a tale that has been told time and time again for nearly 3,000 years – that of Odysseus and his epic, tortured journey homeward to Ithaca and his beloved Penelope. Yet, in Madeline Miller’s skilled hands, fresh life is woven into this rich tapestry of familiar myths as Circe lends them her unique voice. We come out in awe at the enduring power of humankind’s imagination and how our greatest stories are as immortal as the gods themselves.

    Why do such tales last for centuries, and how do we continue to be enamored by and find relevance in them? The best myths are centered on those most ingrained human traits – they are full of love, yearning, heroism, treachery, honor and betrayal and put the plots of today’s TV shows to shame. They also depict our search for meaning in a chaotic world. Their characters, at times, are blessed by the divine and, at others, find the fates against them. The 20th-century psychologist Rollo May wrote that “myth is a way of making sense in a senseless world. Myths are narrative patterns that give significance to our existence.”

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