Circe

When I was born, the name for what I was did not exist.

Circe is the daughter of Helios, the sun god, and Perse, a beautiful naiad. Yet from the moment of her birth, she is an outsider in her father’s halls, where the laughter of gossiping gods resounds. Named after a hawk for her yellow eyes and strange voice, she is mocked by her siblings – until her beloved brother Aeëtes is born.

Yet after her sister Pasiphae marries King Midas of Crete, Aeëtes is whisked away to rule his own island. More isolated than ever, Circe, who has never been divine enough for her family, becomes increasingly drawn to mortals – and when she meets Glaucus, a handsome young fisherman, she is captivated. Yet gods mingle with humans, and meddle with fate, at their peril.

In Circe, Madeline Miller breathes life once more into the ancient world, with the story of an outcast who overcomes scorn and banishment to transform herself into a formidable witch. Unfolding on Circe’s wild, abundant island of Aiaia, where the hillsides are aromatic with herbs, this is a magical, intoxicating epic of family rivalry, power struggles, love and loss – and a celebration of female strength in a man’s world.

“Page-turning ... Nothing strikes a false note in her intricately created world”

The Song of Achilles is at once a scholar’s homage to The Iliad and a startlingly original work of art by an incredibly talented new novelist -- Ann Patchett
A captivating retelling … It's a hard book to put down -- Donna Tartt The Times, Christmas Books on The Song of Achilles
A masterful re-telling of The Iliad, but looking at the hidden stories and the shadows beneath -- Kate Mosse Sunday Express
A more than worthy winner – original, passionate, inventive and uplifting -- Joanna Trollope, chair of the judges for the Orange Prize for Fiction 2012
Only the finest of historical novelists are able to adequately convey the sheer strangeness and otherness of the past, particularly the ancient past … Remarkably fresh The Times
Miller’s prose is more poetic than almost any translation of Homer … Deeply affecting Observer
Not least of Miller’s achievements is to reanimate this vision of the divine in prose that is simultaneously modern and true to its source -- Tom Holland New Statesman
Page-turning … Nothing strikes a false note in her intricately created world Guardian
Extraordinary … As great a retelling of Homer’s epic Iliad as you will find Daily Mail
Miller has combined scholarship with imagination to turn the most familiar war epic into a fresh, emotionally riveting and sexy page-turner Independent
A wonderful book for any age -- Hannah Rothschild
I loved Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles – a tender story of love between men and the pressure of living up to the masculine ideal -- Jenni Murray Daily Telegraph

Madeline Miller is the author of The Song of Achilles, which won the Orange Prize for Fiction 2012, was shortlisted for the Stonewall Writer of the Year 2012, was an instant New York Times bestseller, and was translated into twenty-five languages. Madeline holds an MA in Classics from Brown University, and she taught Latin, Greek and Shakespeare to high school students for over a decade. She has also studied at the University of Chicago’s Committee on Social Thought, and at Yale School of Drama, where she focused on the adaptation of classical texts to modern forms. Her essays have appeared in publications including the Guardian, Wall Street Journal, Lapham’s Quarterly and NPR.org. She lives in Pennsylvania.

madelinemiller.com

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