Circe

Circe by Madeline Miller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I admit I am a sucker for all things Greek mythology, but I thought this was a beautiful retelling of the legends from Circe's point of view. She teaches us that what gives us power is not the gifts we were born with (immortality being one of hers) but our own creativity and knowledge and our deep love for others. It may not be a perfect book, there were some parts that lagged, but the ending was so satisfying I felt like I had just eaten a gourmet meal.

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"Least of the lesser goddesses, our powers were so modest they could scarcely ensure our eternities.  We spoke to fish and nurtured flowers, coaxed drops from the clouds or salt from the waves.  That word, nymph, paced out the length and breath of our futures.  In our language, it meant not just goddess, but bride."

"And what is in that shell? A snail?"
"Nothing," I said.  "Air."
"Those are not the same, " he said.  "Nothing is empty void, while air is what fills all else.  It is breath and life and spirit, the words we speak."

"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."