Spokane Is Reading presents Madeline Miller and her novel ‘Circe’

Posted on October 16, 2019 at 6:00 am

Bestselling author Madeline Miller reads from and discusses Circe, her second novel and a New York Times bestseller. After the reading and discussion, Ms. Miller will answer questions from the audience and sign books. Books will be available for purchase from Auntie’s Bookstore. These events are free and open to the public.

For teens & adults

SPOKANE VALLEY EVENT CENTER
10514 E SPRAGUE AVE, SPOKANE VALLEY
Thursday, Oct 24, 1pm
(doors open at 12:15pm)

SPOKANE PUBLIC LIBRARY, DOWNTOWN
906 W MAIN AVE, SPOKANE
Thursday, Oct 24, 7pm
(doors open at 6:15pm)

ABOUT THE NOVEL

Circe is the powerful story of the mythological witch Circe, inspired by Homer’s Odyssey. In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe has neither the look nor the voice of divinity and is scorned and rejected by her kin. Increasingly isolated, she turns to mortals for companionship, leading her to discover a power forbidden to the gods: witchcraft.

When love drives Circe to cast a dark spell, wrathful Zeus banishes her to the remote island of Aiaia. There she learns to harness her occult craft, drawing strength from nature.

But she will not always be alone; many are destined to pass through Circe’s place of exile, entwining their fates with hers: the messenger god, Hermes; the craftsman, Daedalus; a ship bearing a golden fleece; and wily Odysseus, on his epic voyage home.

There is danger for a solitary woman in this world, and Circe’s independence draws the wrath of men and gods alike. To protect what she holds dear, Circe must decide whether she belongs with the deities from whom she is born or the mortals she has come to love.

Breathing life into the ancient world, Madeline Miller weaves an intoxicating tale of gods and heroes, magic and monsters, survival and transformation (synopsis from the publisher).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Madeline Miller is the author of Circe, a New York Times bestseller, and The Song of Achilles, which won the Orange Prize for Fiction 2012, was shortlisted for the Stonewall Writer of the Year in 2012, was an instant New York Times bestseller, and was translated into 25 languages.

Madeline holds a master’s degree in classics from Brown University, and she taught Latin, Greek, and Shakespeare to high school students for over a decade. She has also studied at the University of Chicago’s Committee on Social Thought and at Yale School of Drama, where she focused on the adaptation of classical texts to modern forms.

Her essays have appeared in publications including The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, Lapham’s Quarterly, and NPR.org. She lives outside Philadelphia. You can learn more about her at www.madelinemiller.com.

Learn more about Spokane Is Reading at www.spokaneisreading.org.

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