Circe cover art

Circe

Preview

Try for $0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Circe

Written by: Madeline Miller
Narrated by: Perdita Weeks
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $32.31

Buy Now for $32.31

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

"A bold and subversive retelling of the goddess's story," this #1 New York Times bestseller is "both epic and intimate in its scope, recasting the most infamous female figure from the Odyssey as a hero in her own right" (Alexandra Alter, The New 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 thrilling 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.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2018 Madeline Miller (P)2018 Hachette Audio
Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Ancient Greece Greek Mythology Ancient Rome Heartfelt Ancient History Classics Greece
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What the critics say

"With sumptuous writing and descriptive imagery you'll see these gods and men and every being in between as you've never imagined them before." (Esquire)

"Madeline Miller, master storyteller, conjures Circe glowing and alive - and makes the Gods, nymphs and heroes of ancient Greece walk forth in all their armored splendor. Richly detailed and written with such breathtaking command of story, you will be held enchanted. A breathtaking novel." (Helen Simonson, author of The Summer Before the War and Major Pettigrew's Last Stand)

"With lyric beauty of language and melancholy evocative of Keats' "Ode on a Grecian Urn", Circe asks all the big questions of existence while framing them in the life story of the famous goddess who had the magic of transformations. A veritable Who's Who of the gods of Olympus and the heroes of ancient Greece, Circe knows them all and we see them through her perceptive eyes. This is as close as you will ever come to entering the world of mythology as a participant. Stunning, touching, and unique." (Margaret George, author of The Confessions of Young Nero)

"Author Madeline Miller and narrator Perdita Weeks transform the ancient Greek drama of Circe, witch of Aeaea and daughter of Helios, into a fresh and vibrant tale for contemporary listeners.... Weeks's cool British intonations and attuned performance capture Circe's evolution from youthful uncertainty amid scorn from richly characterized fellow deities to a confidence earned from centuries of island exile. Her first-person perspective creates intimacy as she engages fabled figures, such as Odysseus and Athena, and grapples with the pleasures and dangers of everyday life." (AudioFile)

Editorial Review

Born with the gift of witchcraft and exiled because of it, Circe must find the strength within herself to protect herself from both gods and men and discover her true purpose in the male-dominated world.

In a striking and beautifully told follow-up to her New York Times bestseller, The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller again draws on ancient Greek mythology to tell the story of the sorceress Circe from the Odyssey. The daughter of Helios, the sun god and strongest of all titans, and Oceanid nymph Perse, enchantress Circe was not like the other gods. Feeling left out and isolated, Circe turns to the mortal world and seeks comfort and friendship with mortals as opposed to the Greek gods who rule above. Circe’s power does not lie in strength and brute force but something much different: witchcraft.

Circe’s power as a sorceress frightens Zeus, who banishes her to the deserted island of Aeaea. Alone and left to her own devices, Circe hones her sorcery skills and encounters some of the most infamous characters in ancient Greek mythology. She meets the dastardly Minotaur, Daedalus and Icarus, and most famously, Odysseus of Homer’s Odyssey, who defeats Circe thanks to Hermes providing Odysseus with moly to protect him and return home to his wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus in Ithaca.

Although Circe has become a powerful sorceress, she faces danger from multiple sources; Circe draws the ire of gods and mortal men and must stand her ground and fight to protect herself and the life she has come to love. Narrated in great exuberance by Perdita Weeks, Madeline Miller’s Circe is a gripping and whimsical take on greek myths, the history of ancient Greece, true suspense and the power of female strength.

Featured Article: The Top Audiobooks People Are Obsessed With on BookTok

For audiobook lovers, nothing comes close to the feeling of stumbling upon a new favourite adventure, love story, or thriller. Finding that new favourite is now easier than ever! The world of BookTok is overflowing with audiobooks ready to become your new obsession. A young girl cursed to live forever, Greek mythology reimagined, life-saving time-travel, and so much more. We've scoured this corner of social media and compiled a list of what titles are trending and are definitely worth the hype. So sit back, press play, and escape your world for a while with the most popular books on BookTok.

What listeners say about Circe

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,213
  • 4 Stars
    456
  • 3 Stars
    105
  • 2 Stars
    25
  • 1 Stars
    9
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,204
  • 4 Stars
    239
  • 3 Stars
    28
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    5
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,892
  • 4 Stars
    441
  • 3 Stars
    111
  • 2 Stars
    21
  • 1 Stars
    9

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

great performance!

beautifully read. The story itself was sometimes hard to follow, but the narrator really made the characters come alive.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

An amazing story

This book was awesome. Such a magical way of description, with really solid character development. I would re read this in a heartbeat.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A wondrous retelling

I loved this book. It was my first foray into the world of book on tape. I didn't know if i would like it, but i was proven wrong. I was engaged start to finish, and could close my eyes and imagine every scene, vividly.

As a lover of classic literature and greek mythology, this book impeccably picked up the personality of the Gods and greek legends. However, this time, we saw it from a perspective unseen before-from that of Circe. She is fleshed out and made round and whole, giving voice and perspective to the legends from a preciously villified, feminine perspective.

I couldn't stop listening and cannit wait to listen again, to pick up details missed during thr first listening.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic story & performance makes the audiobook

The performance is sublime, story captivating. So glad I found this treat. Really well done

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic

I loved it very much. Will probably listen to it again. Would definitely recommend it. And the narrator was amazing. I wish she read all the books I listen to.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful

Absolutely wonderful story and performance. I have enjoyed this book immensely and look forward to more stories from Madeline Miller!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Entertaining Modern Version

We listened to this on a long car ride. My husband was baffled by all the characters, but I loved the modern take on the Greek Gods and the entourage. Succinctly told while truly entertaining made this a delightful version. The readers voice was perfect and easy to hear and understand (played at 1.3 speed).

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant!

It felt like I was listening to an ancient bard by the fireside. Amazingly preformed and written I look forward to more books by both author & narrator.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Great Reading

Brought me to tears. I hope Circe got what she envisioned and loved every bit of it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A beautiful powerful story

The narration is beyond lovely and the story only gets better as the book goes on. So many moments that touched my soul as a women and as a mother.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!