The Song of Achilles versus Circe: Why Circe is better. -Callie

Circe and The Song of Achilles are both novels written by Madeline Miller. The two stories are both retellings of classic ancient Greek tales, with Circe stemming from The Odyssey and The Song of Achilles from The Iliad. Both of these books are amazing but most people only hear about Circe because of The Song of Achilles. Since The Song of Achilles was so popular, I expected to like it much more than I had liked Circe but this was not true.

The Song of Achilles:

The Song of Achilles is a 2011 retelling of the tale of Achilles and the Trojan war. The book is narrated from the point of view of Patroclus, the “best friend” of the hero Achilles. I put “best friend” in quotes since in this retelling they are lovers, not pals. The story itself follows the narrative of the Trojan war very closely apart from the queer romance between Achilles and Patroclus. It is a heart-breaking story that is guaranteed to make you slam the book closed at least twice while reading. It is beautifully written and the plot moves quickly. My only problem with it was how boring the beginning is. The first three chapters are good but the story is not entertaining. It is not until Patroclus meets Achilles that the story gets going. 

“I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world.”

― Madeline Miller, The Song of Achilles

Circe:

Circe is a 2018 novel about the minor goddess of magic, you guessed it, Circe. Many people may know Circe from her appearance in Percy Jackson and The Sea of Monsters where she turns Percy into a guinea pig. This is a more true-to-the-original-story version of Circe, where she lures men to her island and turns them into just pigs. In Madeline Miller’s Circe, she still turns men into pigs but this time with good (and less misogynist) reasons. In this novel, goddess Circe is not framed as the typical ancient Greek femme fatale, but as a woman with human-like emotions making peace with the world. It is almost a coming-of-age story, something odd since the main character is an immortal goddess. I will admit, the book is slow at the start but when the book picks up, it is magnificent. It is difficult to put down this book; the sentences seemed to flow too well together to stop. 

“It is a common saying that women are delicate creatures, flowers, eggs, anything that may be crushed in a moment's carelessness. If I had ever believed it, I no longer did.”

― Madeline Miller, Circe

    These two books are both amazing but The Song of Achilles is much more popular. It is constantly talked about on social media and has won numerous awards. There is no denying that it deserves all its honor but in my personal opinion, Circe is the better of the two. Though the characters in The Song of Achilles are well developed, Circe's characters, especially Circe herself, are thoroughly described and captured wholly. These long sketches of the characters and their actions allow the reader to fully understand the characters. One aspect of it I liked was how the author described the day-to-day life of Circe and was able to make her mundane actions seem so interesting. Similarly, the setting is described in great detail, transporting the reader to Circe’s island. In The Song of Achilles, there isn’t as big of a focus on describing the characters since the book revolves around the relationship of the characters. 

    So then why is The Song of Achilles more popular? There are several reasons. The fast-moving plot of the book keeps readers, especially teens, interested in the action and makes them want to see what is next. Circe is just not as exciting and if you can't appreciate the long descriptions of the character's day-to-day life, it might seem boring. There is also the gay representation that draws a lot of LGBTQ+ non-readers to read The Song of Achilles. This also makes the book included on many lists of LGBTQ+ best book lists and social media shoutouts. The Song of Achilles is truly a staple within the young queer readers' community so it is no surprise that Circe isn’t as popular with teens. The Song of Achilles also holds many notable awards, drawing the more pretentious readers in. Though I may consider Circe the better novel, The Song of Achilles deserves the popularity.