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Classic and Contemporary Women Book Club

We read and discuss books monthly by and about classic and contemporary women. This club is hosted by Read Books Independent bookshop .

Literary Ladies of LA

For women in their 20s looking to read, meet, and make friends! We lean towards literary fiction/classics/etc. rather than romance/fantasy/self-help.
This #1 New York Times bestseller is a "bold and subversive retelling of the goddess's story" that brilliantly reimagines the life of Circe, formidable sorceress of The Odyssey (Alexandra Alter, TheNew York Times).

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child -- not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power -- the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.

With unforgettably vivid characters, mesmerizing language, and page-turning suspense, Circe is a triumph of storytelling, an intoxicating epic of family rivalry, palace intrigue, love and loss, as well as a celebration of indomitable female strength in a man's world.

#1 New York Times Bestseller -- named one of the Best Books of the Year by NPR, the Washington Post, People, Time, Amazon, Entertainment Weekly, Bustle, Newsweek, the A.V. Club, Christian Science Monitor, Refinery 29, Buzzfeed, Paste, Audible, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Thrillist, NYPL, Self, Real Simple, Goodreads, Boston Globe, Electric Literature, BookPage, the Guardian, Book Riot, Seattle Times, and Business Insider.

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Published Apr 14, 2020

416 pages

Average rating: 7.79

2,786 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

BMC
May 06, 2025
10/10 stars
Song of Achilles is one of my favourite books and I'm excited to say Circe was just as good for me. Greek mythology is so fascinating and the author is able to make it feel different and fresh but also authentic and real. I felt all the feelings and couldn't put it down.
cbunny
Mar 25, 2025
4/10 stars
Extremely dull story. I don’t think tropes about being a wife or mother are exactly a “retelling” of a story. But sure.
Zya The Book Dragon
Mar 05, 2025
6/10 stars
Quick and easy read. All about self discovery. The ending left me wanting to know more tho
ltrteach
Sep 08, 2024
9/10 stars
I really enjoyed this book. I have always loved mythology, but a lot of the characters (particularly women) are marginalized, and we never hear their stories. This was an interesting take on why Circe did what she did. I also liked seeing a bit more about what happened to other characters, such as Odysseus, after the epic adventure.
bizzyyoung
Oct 12, 2023
10/10 stars
One of my favorite books of all time. A subversive retelling of Greek mythology.

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