stargazer

Circe: Interview with a fallen goddess

Interviewer:
Thanks so much for agreeing to see me and answer some questions. Thanks for the wine as well. I wonder if I should drink it, s’pose there is no guarantee you won’t turn me into a pig?

Circe:
Nah, there are no guarantees in life. Sometimes you gotta take your chances.

Interviewer:
Right you are. So let’s get started. Would you like to tell us a bit about your background and your family?

Circe:
Seriously, I would think your readers already know about that, but alright then. I was born back in ancient time to parents Helios and Perse. Dad works as a sun god and he also likes to spend time breeding cattle… Mum is one of the Oceanid Nymphs. She is known to be beautiful and a bit of a schemer. That’s how she got dad to marry her. I also have a sister and two brothers Pasiphaë, Perses and Aeëtes.

Interviewer:
Did you have a happy childhood?

Circe:
It wasn’t ideal. Dad was temperamental and selfish. Of course you would expect that from one of the gods. I admired him, but there was always the threat of being burned, literally, if you didn’t behave. Mum was disappointed with me and Pasiphaë and Perses, following her lead, were bullying me night and day.

Circe by John William Waterhouse
Circe by John William Waterhouse

Interviewer:
Speaking of temperamental gods – my mythology teacher always used to say the Greek gods are more human than humans themselves and not raised above all our weaknesses?

Circe:
Oh yeah, Zeus and the Olympus gang are an unruly lot. Vengeance, lust, hubris, greed, power, vanity… you name it. And because they have all those powers, the consequences are so dramatic and devastating. But that is the stuff legends are made of. You may think what you like about them, but they do bring colour and excitement into our lives.

Interviewer:
You managed to stand up to one of them?

Circe:
Athena, that bi…. I don’t want to talk about it.

Interviewer:
Sure, ok. Let’s talk about your witchcraft which got you expelled to the island Aiaia. You once mentioned to Penelope, Odysseus’ other half, that sorcery is mostly a question of will. But it seems to run in your family, so do you think it is easier to find within yourself, when you are of divine parentage?

Circe:
I doubt it. Look at my niece [Medea], she is mortal, but also a powerful sorcerer.

Medea, niece of Cierce
Medea by Frederick Sandys

Interviewer:
Your niece is a very unusual woman?

Circe:
Hah! It’s all relative, I guess. Compared to one of my nephews, the Minotaur, Medea seems fairly average.

Interviewer:
Many of our readers have been wondering: Whilst you lived on Aiaia, you kept wild animals such as wolves and lions as pets. Why did you do that?

Circe:
Lions are cool! Never mind all the symbol of power crap, they are just so soft and cuddly. I know humans like [teddy] bears, so why not lions?

Circe by Wright Barker
Circe by Wright Barker

Interviewer:
You offered Penelope to stay on Aiaia. How is your relationship with her, it must have been awkward when you first met?

Circe:
You can say that again. Having had an affair – and a son – with her husband was bad enough and my son killing her husband didn’t exactly improve things. But both of us have come to terms with the past and these days we get on alright. Of course it doesn’t hurt that she has a lovely son. Very lovely indeed.

Interviewer:
One last question: Do you regret anything?

Circe:
I had to make one huge decision in my life and I have no regrets. I thought once that gods are the opposite of death, but I see now they are more dead than anything, for they are unchanging, and can hold nothing in their hands.

Interviewer:
Errr… right. Thank you so much for your time and wise words and I appreciate not being turned into a pig. *runs out of the room without looking back*

Rating: 4 out of 5.
Title: Circe [2018] 
Author: Madeline Miller
Format: Audiobook, narrated by Perdita Weeks 
Genre: Fiction, Mythology

35 comments

    • Thanks Jonetta, I really hope you will enjoy the audiobook. I thought the narrator did an excellent job capturing the voice of Circe. Obviously, my “interview” did her no justice, the writing is actually very beautiful and lyrical.

      • Your interview did beyond justice! I studied Roman mythology in the 6th grade (we were living in Italy at the time) and developed an obsession with it. Your format reminded me of all the reasons I find these subjects compelling.

        • Ooh, I didn’t know you have lived in Italy. Do you speak any Italian? I find it such a beautiful language and once took a language course, but I’m afraid I’ve forgotten most of it.

          Anyway, I loved mythology in school as well! The stories as well as the characters. Glad I managed to capture some of that in my review. 🙂

          • My Dad was in the Army and was assigned to Naples for three years. I can understand Italian but I screwed up by taking Spanish in high school so I respond in that language. The vowel distinctions get me every time. It is a beautiful language.

          • Actually, Spanish is very useful, probably a lot more useful than Italian although not quite as beautiful (in my opinion). Having travelled in South- and Central America, I’ve often wished I could speak Spanish.

    • I am glad, you loved it, because I had so much fun writing it. People probably think I’ve gone mad when writing reviews like this – perhaps I have? 😜😱🤣 Haha I know, quite the family!! But I guess it’s just another day in Greek mythology land… Hope you are doing ok Inge, have things returned to more normal conditions or are you still in lockdown? I am still working from home, but I guess it will change after the summer.

      • You can feel it that you had fun writing it! I’ll say it again, I loved it. I have to go to work 3 days per week since July (2 days from mid May) and as from today we have to wear a face mask not only in stores and on public transport but also on the street now. The bars and restaurants also have to write contact details of every customer and keep them 14 days because the ‘official’ contact tracing is totally not working here. The numbers are climbing again since 2, 3 weeks and we’re on a second wave already. It’s definitely not back to normal and I’m happy the face masks are mandatory everywhere because people did start to ignore the distance and rules. You’re definitely safest at home. Take care and keep safe S!

        • 😀 Yeah, it doesn’t sound like it’s back to normal at all for you. I hope you are careful when out and about. From today (I think), face masks have been made mandatory in the shops. I wonder, if people will actually respect it. Once the bars and restaurants re-opened, it seemed like social distancing went out the window. I hope we won’t see a second wave. Thanks and you too!

  3. What an original structure for a review of this beloved release! I just got my hands on a pretty copy of it and look forward to finally try something out that was written by Madeline Miller! I love how you nailed the personality of the Goddess though. 😛

    • Thanks Lashaan! I know it’s not really helpful in the way a review is meant to be, but I had so much fun writing it, and there are already thousands of great reviews out there. I hope you’ll enjoy reading about Circe. Madeline Miller actually makes her a lot more nuanced and vulnerable than you typically see in mythology, where she is just a powerful witch and a man eater, who occasionally turns men into pigs (well, she still did that in the book).

    • Thanks Meggy! I thought it was some coincidence that we both posted an interview review, but of course they are very different.

    • I’m glad you liked it! The only problem is, that this “review” probably makes a lot more sense, if you’ve actually read the book 😉 Not the best characteristic of a review. But at least I had a lot of fun writing it.

      • It prompted me to read more about Circe the book and Circe herself. So I think you did a good job as well as having fun 😉

        • I am glad to hear that. Circe is quite an interesting character, possibly even more so in Miller’s retelling. 🙂

    • Thanks so much, sometimes I enjoy writing about books in a slightly different way. And the way Circe was talking about the gods (her family) in this casual everyday way inspired me to do the interview (for instance Circe mentions standing outside, watching her aunt Selene, moving across the night sky).

  7. Hahaha, great fun! The interviewer deserves a bravery award – being turned into a pig is no laughing matter, especially at breakfast time! “Compared to one of my nephews, the Minotaur, Medea seems fairly average.” – I’m going to remember this sterling piece of advice next time any of my family seems to be behaving in a particularly weird way…

    • Pigs!! I suddenly got a flashback to your Six Degrees with Animal Farm and Braised Pork. Might pick up a bacon sandwich tomorrow for breakfast. 😆 Haha, yes it might be useful from time to time to have the Minotaur as a benchmark. Presumably it makes the rest of us look relatively normal!

    • Aww, thanks! Haha, it also describes me very well. I prefer to be known for the book loving rather than the random part, though. 😉

  9. This was so much fun, Stargazer! You definitely made me smile! I loved this book and how the author made Circe feel quite human even with all her other “qualities.” I grew to care for her a great deal!

    • I am glad I could make you smile. Probably, this “review” is more fun if you’ve actually read the book, which I know you have – I enjoyed your review on Goodreads! Yes, she felt very human indeed and I think most of us didn’t even lift an eyebrow, when she started to turn the men into pigs. They had it coming. 😉

    • So glad you liked it!! 😀 I really enjoyed the book, but thought it would be fun to do a different post instead of the usual review.

    • Thanks! 😀 Yes, there is a lot of crazy stuff going on in Circe, but that seems to be characteristic for Greek mythology. Good to hear it was one of your favourites last year!

    • Thanks! 😀 Yes, I found it was quite a nuanced portrait of a woman (goddess) who had such a tough life, but still managed to cope, fight for her values and even (I hope) find some happiness in the end. Of course, I hadn’t given much thought to Odysseus and the view on him and I definitely think you have a valid point. That is why it’s interesting to read reviews from people with different opinions – it may make you see a different perspective. Perhaps, our different focus is due to my more limited familiarity with the myths? Ooops, that turned into a very long reply to a short comment. Thanks for stopping by!

      • I’ll be stopping by more often, I’m sure 🙂

        I enjoyed reading your perspective on it, and I agree that Miller managed to portray Circe in a different light – that change is welcome, and, as seen by our discussion, admirably thought- and discussion-provoking 😀

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