by Madeline Miller
Reviewed by Linda:
Circe, the sorceress of ancient Greek mythology, appeared in tales about the Minotaur, Daedalus and Icarus, and Odysseus, but at last she is at the center of her own tale. This spellbinding novel will keep readers rapt as they follow Circe beginning in her childhood with her father, the powerful god of the sun, Helios, and her viciously alluring nymph mother. After enraging Zeus with a display of her witchcraft, she is banished to a deserted island where she hones her craft, befriends the island's lions and wolves, and learns to protect herself from the shipwrecked men who wash up on her shores. Circe is powerfully portrayed as an inspiration for women of all eras facing dangers from many quarters.