Medium – Book
About the Book – Circe, the immortal daughter of Helios (the Greek God of the Sun), is a strange child, unloved by her parents and the rest of her family. Residing in her father’s halls, she sees many things that she dislikes and is teased, taunted and generally mistreated. She thinks of herself as powerless, until she casts a series of spells to turn a mortal into an immortal, and then turn her rival nymph into a raging monster. Punished by Zeus, she is sent into exile to the island of Aiaia. Living there through all the years of the earth, she meets heroes, villains and gods, and finds on the island a kind of peace and fulfilment through her independence that she never expected to find.
My thoughts – I love anything involving Greek mythology, so this book was going to always be a popular read for me, but I didn’t expect to enjoy it quite as much as I did. The book spans thousands of years, showing how Circe becomes integral to many stories – particularly those involving the heroes Jason and Odysseus. One thing I loved about the book is that it is never tempted to follow the male heroes on their travels – Circe hears about their adventures through her own wiles and relationships, rather than the action of the book following the men, which is refreshing.
The story also does a fantastic job at rehabilitating the reputation of the ‘witch’, Circe. In the story, she is see acting for the good of those around her, but also developing her skills to protect herself from the ravages of the men who would come and take advantage of her. She generally acts in a kind way, but is not perfect, lending a sense of realism to the story – Circe seems very much like a normal woman, rather than a goddess – something that she actually wishes she was through the story. I also liked the ways in which Circe is seen to grow through the story, and the very apt revenges she takes on the people who cross her. I would thoroughly recommend and will be coming back to again!
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