Book · 2018
Circe
by Madeline Miller
Exiled to an empty island for turning a rival into a monster, a minor goddess spends immortality perfecting the one power the gods never bothered to master.
What does Reddit think of Circe?
r/suggestmeabook's default pairing puts Circe next to The Song of Achilles as a set. The ↑765 comment names 'Circe and The Song of Achilles by Madeleine Miller (retellings of classic myths)' without ranking either one above the other. Most of what shows up at scale is that kind of drop-in: a title on a list next to Bell Jar or Homegoing, praised in passing ('absolutely amazing writing,' ↑370) without much said about why. Where the data gets more specific, it's r/Fantasy's ↑897 thread, which argues the book re-contextualizes Circe's choices on a second pass — she 'may not sympathize with them, but she has more understanding of their treatment towards her,' a defense of the character rather than a recommendation of the book. r/TrueLit has logged only 68 mentions in seven years against suggestmeabook's thousands, so the literary-fiction crowd hasn't engaged with it the way genre-adjacent subs have. Mentions peaked in 2020 and have cooled by roughly a third since, without disappearing.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · Greek myth retold from a marginal, mostly-villainized figure's POV
- · Sold as a package deal with The Song of Achilles
- · Crosses over into RomanceBooks and YAlit despite not being either
- · Sympathy for a mythological 'witch' built up over the book's length
- · A 2020 peak that has cooled without vanishing
Common praise
- + r/suggestmeabook's default pairing puts it next to The Song of Achilles as the entry point for mythology retellings.
- + The ↑897 r/Fantasy thread argues Circe's choices get re-contextualized as the book goes — a defense of the character, not just the prose.
- + Multiple threads independently single out the writing itself as the reason to pick it up, not the premise.
- + It shows up on wildly mixed lists (mystery, memoir, literary fiction), meaning recommenders treat it as more than a genre-fantasy pick.
Common criticism
- − The praise is enthusiastic but rarely specific — 'the most beautiful book I've ever read' (↑390) doesn't say what Miller does differently from Achilles.
- − r/TrueLit's 68 mentions across seven years suggest the literary-fiction crowd treats it as YA-adjacent rather than serious fiction.
- − It gets used as a plug-and-play answer in round-up lists (Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Bell Jar, Homegoing) rather than argued for on its own mythological terms.
- − Mentions cooled by roughly a third after a 2020 spike and have leveled off rather than climbed back.
Who it's for
If Song of Achilles was your last mythology retelling, this is the same author working a full origin story instead of a doomed romance. RomanceBooks keeps logging a book that isn't actually a romance, which tells you something about how the emotional register lands with that crowd. Prefer plot-forward fantasy with clear external stakes? The pacing here is interior — centuries pass before anything resembling a conventional plot arrives. Deciding between this and Achilles isn't really a decision r/suggestmeabook makes for you; its top comment recommends both, in either order.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
- r/suggestmeabook 7,227
- r/booksuggestions 3,083
- r/Fantasy 1,446
- r/YAlit 474
- r/RomanceBooks 317
- r/TrueLit 69
- r/horrorlit 31
- r/printSF 20
Which Reddit comments matter for Circe?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“Ooh a nice broad topic. Here's a few (of many) I enjoyed: * The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware (mystery) * Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath * Circe by Madeline Miller * Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi * Swing Time by Zadie Smith
“If Circe by Madelaine Miller isn't the perfect fit:)
“Circe!!! By Madeline Miller! This is the most beautiful book I’ve ever read. It’s fantasy, about the minor Greek goddess, and It’s awesome.
“Circe by Madeline Miller. Absolutely amazing writing and detailed characters. I couldn’t put it down!
“I mean the book is essentially a reimagining of myth, *"What if Circe wasn't a nice person because she was a cruel woman by heart, and rather a product of an evil world (and especially the men)"?* Which I think is an interesting take and how I'd view such a story from that perspective, but I'd neve…
“Circe by Madeline Miller. It will make u feel like you're in Greece with her
“Stay far away from Murakami Edit: actually contributing to the thread, I’d recommend Circe
“I believe the term for what you have is a book hangover. I’ve read too many books to remember which ones gave me a hangover. Possibility all my favourite books, especially the end of a series. I know this might be obvious but have you read Circe by the same author yet? It might help you because it…
“Circe by Madeline Miller - it helped me cope with loneliness and it is an overall poignant and compelling read. Can't recommend it enough.
“Circe. I haven’t enjoyed a book this much in a long time, I feel like a lot of them would love it.
“Since you liked _Song of Achilles_, check out _Circe_ by the same author! I also recommend the _Red Rising_ series. It walks the line between YA and Adult fiction, where it appeals to a wide age range. In the beginning it feels a little bit Hunger Games-esque, but it develops to become soooo much m…
“Circe by Madeline Miller is wonderful. I’ve also heard really good things about The Song of Achilles, which she also writes - I haven’t gotten around to reading it yet though.
“Circe by Madeline Miller sounds exactly like the book you are after. It is a gorgeous book.
“{Circe} by Madeleine Miller Based on Greek Mythology but told from female perspective so makes it feel modern and very real
“A little different but {Circe} depicts the loneliness of an immortal life in a really painful, beautiful way
Convinced? Pick up Circe
Readers also mention
All books like Circe →Books that share discussion threads with Circe — counted from the comments, not curated.
Circe — frequently asked
Is Circe a fantasy novel or literary fiction?+
Depends who's asking. r/Fantasy logs well over a thousand mentions and treats it as genre; r/TrueLit barely touches it at 68. The book itself reads closer to literary retelling — the ↑897 r/Fantasy comment specifically praises how Miller re-contextualizes Circe's choices rather than plays them for spectacle, which is closer to character study than genre plotting.
Should I read Circe or The Song of Achilles first?+
Either — they're not sequential. r/suggestmeabook's ↑765 comment pairs them as a set without ranking one above the other. Circe is the longer, more interior book, spanning centuries of a single life; if you want momentum first, start with Achilles instead.
What does Reddit actually say about Circe's writing?+
The praise is enthusiastic but light on specifics. The ↑390 and ↑370 comments both single out the prose ('absolutely amazing writing,' 'the most beautiful book I've ever read') without describing technique. The one place displayed data gets concrete, the ↑897 r/Fantasy thread, is about characterization rather than style — Circe's sympathy for people who wronged her deepens as the book goes.
Is Circe still worth reading in 2026?+
Yes, though the conversation has cooled from its 2020 peak. r/suggestmeabook still treats it as a default recommendation, and it keeps getting bundled onto general 'best books' lists next to Homegoing and Swing Time — recommenders are still reaching for it outside its own genre lane, which is a better sign than raw volume alone.