"Circe" Read-Along: Chapters 1 - 8
TL;DR: A slow start, but it's picking up...
Good morning, Speculators!
Welcome to the first of four posts about Circe, by Madeline Miller.
I’m still not entirely sure what form my read-along notes will take, but I’m going to start by just trying to group my thoughts into highlights and then ask a few questions of all of you to get your thoughts and ideas.
General Notes
I thought the book started a little slow for my tastes. I prefer something that dives right in—especially if it starts in media res—rather than a whole bunch of backstory. This one starts with how Circe’s parents met and started their family and then proceeds to cover how much everyone teased and tormented Circe. I confess to being a little bored during this part.
However… I am also willing to hang with a story that starts slow if the writing is good, which this is. And I could see even in the midst of backstory that Miller was weaving in hints and notes about where the story would go.
I think the story really starts to move when Circe goes into exile, and even Circe acknowledges this when she says “I stepped into those woods and my life began” (p. 81). It seems like everything up to that point was basically setting the stage and crafting Circe’s character.
I will also note that I generally don’t like first-person narration, but this is entirely a personal preference and one I will put aside for a novel that offers a good story. My objection to first-person narration is just that I don’t trust the narrator; people lie about themselves, whether intentionally or not, and I find it tough to figure out what’s true when I’m inside a first-person narrative.
Some Lines I Liked
“It was my first lesson. Beneath the smooth, familiar face of things is another that waits to tear the world in two” (p. 16). Oooh, what’s going to tear the world up? I like the little drop of mystery and truth here. Circe is acknowledging that we all hide things.
“When we are young, we think ourselves the first to have each feeling in the world” (p. 43). Preach, girl. I wish I could make every 16-year-old recognize that every feeling that seems to be unique and new is actually common and old. Also, you kids get off my lawn.
“In the old days I would have rushed forth with a brimming cup of answers, to give him all he wanted. But I was not the same as I had been. I owed him nothing. He would have of me only what I wanted to give” (p. 94). You’re learning, honey. Guard your secrets and you’re heart. Make him earn it.
Questions to Ponder
Circe is very much an outsider. She doesn’t seem to belong to the world of the gods or the world of mortals. How do you think that shapes her character?
Why do you think it takes Circe so long to recognize and use her power?
What kind of cautionary messages did you see in the evolution of Glaucos’s character from starving mortal to buffoonish god?
Did any of you read the other material about Circe? How did it inform your view of the novel?
That should get us started on this first section! I’ll post this over in the chat as well. Drop your comments, questions, insights here or in the chat. I look forward to hearing your thoughts!