I've seen it both ways, tbh. I've seen legit criticism dismissed out of hand because "you don't get it..." and I've seen people whose criticism didn't seem very legit, to me, because they clearly didn't get the book.

> In fact, if the book is supposed to shine attention on an important subject, there should be even more emphasis on good research and strong writing to support the message.

Meh; I don't know about this. "If your book is trying to tackle an important subject, you should be held to a higher standard than other books" is weird, personally.

All that said, I think that being empathetic to other readers is valuable. A book that I might not enjoy but that clearly resonates with a group because it tackles discrimination against that group (for example) might deserve a little bit of a kinder critical eye, I think. Like, if it's really resonating that much with people who have actually experienced what the book is talking about, maybe there's something there? I might not like the writing style as much as some other book, but that shouldn't prevent me from appreciating what the book is doing and how it's finding its audience, and maybe it should inspire me to look more closely at why it's resonating with folks?

That’s my hang up on reading it, I’ve already read Pat Barker’s Silence of the Girls and I don’t think I can romanticize Achilles after that.

That's not just in reference to books. That's what's happening all over the world whenever you try to discuss or create anything.

EDIT: Although most prominently in the west.

Love Circe!

I read Song of Achilles and then I picked up A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes and then read Circie. They are not written to “go together” but A Thousand Ships starts where Song Of Achilles ends and makes a nice bridge to Circie. And I just recently read Stone Blind which is Natalie Haynes new book about Medusa and I loved it

Ahaha yes exactly!

I read soa 2 years ago and must say that it’s a beautiful book and a must read. I’ve been thinkinh of read the Odyssey but only have like minimal Greek mythology knowledge(from Percy jackson). Should I go ahead??

more like circular than linear ;D

anything bad happens? she gets molly root. something else happens? she gets molly root.

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Circe also does provide a glossary of sorts in the back that gives a short summary of the figures from mythology & their background. Just finished reading it yesterday with the same knowledge base and I loved it!

I picked Circe as my book club read, everyone loved it. I want to read SoA, I've heard good things about it. I am currently reading Ariadne by Jennifer Saint, so far I am enjoying it. She is a daughter of Minos and the beginning talks about the birth of the minotaur (her brother), the labyrinth, and her mother's decline.

I haven’t heard anyone joke about long covid. I’d have to wack them upside the head if I did.

OP sounds like an intelligent articulate person, I'm sure he/she doesn't need it spelled out that different people like different things. It's not a complicated concept.

Interesting. For me it was quite the opposite. The mere fact that Circe was immortal really made everything meaningless in my opinion. Every encounter she ever had with any human was just a small blink and didn’t matter in the grand scheme of her life. It really made me think about the importance of death for a meaningful life.

Circe is great toooo!

That's an interesting choice of myths to retell then. I think even an adept author would run into some level of pushback given the content and sensibilities of modern readers.

From my middle-aged perspective, I liked Circe much more. Song of Achilles is a beautiful teenage drama. Key protagonists in Circe are middle-aged - well, Circe being a goddess is thousands years old, but you'll know what I mean. SoA is awesome, but it was Circe that really touched me deep inside.

Circe is a fantastic read, I hope you enjoy it!!

I mean, I feel you, but also: the relevant character to compare in SoA is Patroclus.

I loved it!

Afteri finished it i tried to read The iliad, but got about two thirds of the way through and took a pause. It’s a slog.

Circe: so much potential - so little payoff.

Me too. I really enjoyed it … even more than Achilles.

I loved Circe. Can’t wait to reread it.

SOA was a let down for me. I still liked it, it’s just I didn’t buy into it, as it came across too much like the voice of a teenage girl writing in a diary.

I read circe before SoA and honestly, it made me feel a bit disappointed in SoA. Going from circe being this cool complex lady to achilles who's like, some grumpy asshole was a bit rough :P

I still love how SoA is written, both novels are really beautiful, it's just I preferred circe waaay more.

Both books are extraordinary, but I do have to say that I liked the song of Achilles more. When I first read it years ago I cried and was just still in shock for weeks. The impact and truth has always stayed with me, Circe had such an impact but it didn’t stay in my soul like achillies did. Her writing is excellent