Kirka - Madeline Miller (HRV & ENG)

Moja ocjena: 5 / 5

Goodreads ocjena: 4,26 / 5

Izdavač: Profil knjiga

Sestra mi već godinama (DA, GODINAMA) govori: Goga, moraš pročitati Kirku!

A ja odgovaram: Ma budem, kada mi dođe na red. - samo da je se privremeno riješim. (Grozna sam sestra, znam... ali svejedno me voli.)

I vrijeme ide, a ja nikako da se primim Kirke. Budem, mislim si. Ne djeluje mi toliko zanimljivo. Budem. I upoznam jednu divnu book bloggericu (@bookadora_ :*) i ona mi isto kaže: Goga, moraš pročitati Kirku!

I sad se kotačići intenzivnije krenuli vrtjeti. Što ima u toj Kirki? I dalje mi ne djeluje zanimljivo. Ali dobro 'ajde. Idem pokušati.

Svoj sam poraz priznala na način da sam im rekla slijedeće:

Žao mi je što nisam krenula čitati ranije.

Moj istinski dojam na pročitano kreće ovim riječima: Divim joj se. Neopisivo joj se divim i ljubomorna sam što nemam snagu koju ona tolikim intenzitetom isijava. Divim se svakom njezinom koraku - od trenutka pružanja pomoći Prometeju pa do njezina boravka u progonstvu na Eeji. Pa čak i kada je otišla u nesmotreni pohod na Scilu, višeglavo čudovište koje je sama stvorila.

Svaki je njezin korak jak i odjekuje. Ona je snaga, samouvjerenost i nepokolebljivost. Ona ima cilj i sposobna ga je ostvariti. Upravo takvom snagom, kojom ona odiše, ja osjećam da mogu mnogo. Da mogu više nego što sama mislim da mogu. I naprosto obožavam kada na takav način na mene određene knjige i njihovi likovi djeluju.

Vjerovali ili ne, knjige imaju određeni utjecaj na nas. One imaju moć kojom mijenjaju naše shvaćanje svijeta i omogućuju da uz njih rastemo te prijeđemo prepreke lakše nego što smo si to ikada zamišljali. A meni to toliko odgovara, da ni sama ne pronalazim riječi kojima bih mogla opisati.

Uz malo poduži uvod u radnju i upoznavanje s likovima, autorica nam u prvom planu prikazuje Kirku kao djevojčicu-božicu u palači boga Helija.

Prikazuje nam to malo znatiželjno čudo zakinuto božanskim moćima i odbijano od strane članova vlastite obitelji i svih drugih, kako preispituje smisao božanskog postojanja. Istražuje smrtnike, upoznaje ih i dobiva sliku svijeta većeg nego što je sama ikad zamišljala.

Uspoređuje smrtnike s bogovima te dolazi do mijenjanja prethodno ustaljenog omjera vrijednosti -- drugim riječima, shvaća koliko je božanski život isprazan i nekvalitetan dok smrtnici, koje se sputava i ponižava, žive ispunjenije i sretnije od bilo kojeg boga (pa čak i samog boga užitka - Dioniza). Pritom shvaća kako nije kao drugi pripadnici božanske vrste i da se s razlogom cijeli život osjeća izolirano i drugačije.

Kako radnja teče dalje, Kirka biva izgnana na otok Eeju zbog svojih nesmotrenih postupaka. Ondje joj dolazi do srca i uma shvaćanje kako će vječnost provesti izolirana od ostatka svijeta, ali opet ne dopušta da je nova realnost obeshrabri već odlučuje izvući ono najbolje.

Upravo me u tom dijelu knjige apsolutno osvojila - obožavam takve ličnosti (kojeg god spola bile) - obožavam kada se u najmračnijim trenucima pronađe mali tračak svjetlosti koji našom voljom postaje sve jači.

Kirka je netko komu ja težim. Netko tko je prekriven ožiljcima, koje uspješno skriva. Netko koga bol razdire na tisuće komadića, ali to ne pokazuje. Pokazuje ljudskost i milosrđe u trenucima kada su svi od toga otupjeli. Pokazuje nadzemaljsku snagu u trenucima kada se treba oduprijeti drugima. A najviše od svega, pokazuje snagu u trenucima kada joj jedino dijete, mladi Telegon, odlazi u potragu za ocem. Svaki će roditelj razumjeti što se događa u njihovu srcu kada iz njega iščupa jedino dijete.

Madeline Miller sam ovim djelom prvi put susrela i mogu reći kako me već na prvom koraku oduševila. Dosad nisam toliko pažnje pridavala antici i pričama koje se odnose na taj period, ali nakon Kirke mogu reći kako ću se upornije nastojati izvući iz svog standardnog 19. stoljeća i uroniti u taj neistraženi dio prošlosti.

Autorica na tako divan i lagan način približava antički svijet, to nepoznato doba, svakodnevicu bogova, bojažljivost i božanski strah od osvete, ali i proždrljivost smrtnog čovjeka.

I prikazuje nam nju - Kirku. Divnu dušu koja ne pripada ni ondje ni ovdje.

Ali opet obuhvaća najbolje od oba svijeta.

A vi? Pročitajte Kirku! Nećete zažaliti. :)

Do iduće objave,

Voli vas vaša Goga

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My rating: 5 / 5

Goodreads rating: 4.26 / 5

Publisher: Profil knjiga

My sister has been telling me for years (YES, YEARS): Goga, you must read Circe!

And I answer: I will, when I decide to read it. - just to get rid of her temporarily. (I'm a terrible sister, I know...but she loves me anyway.)

And time goes by, and I can't start reading Circe. I will, I think to myself. It doesn't seem that interesting to me. I will read it eventually. And then I met a wonderful book blogger (@bookadora_ :*) and she tells me the same thing: Goga, you have to read Circe!

And now the little wheel inside my head began to spin more intensively. What's so special about Circe? It still doesn't seem interesting to me. But OK. I'm going to try.

I admitted my defeat by telling them:

My deepest regret is that I didn't start reading it earlier.

My true impression of what I read starts with these words: I admire her. I admire her indescribably and I'm jealous that I don't have the strength that she radiates with such intensity. I admire her every step - from the moment she helped Prometheus to her exile on Eeja. And even when she went on a reckless expedition to save the world from Scylla, a multi-headed monster, which she created.

Her every step is strong and resounds. She is strength, self-confidence and steadfastness. She has a goal and is capable of achieving it. I feel that I can do a lot with this kind of strength that she exudes. That I can do more than I think I can. And I simply adore when certain books and their characters affect me in such a way.

Believe it or not, books have a certain influence on us. They have the power to change our understanding of the world and allow us to grow with them and overcome obstacles more easily than we ever imagined. And it suits me so well that I can't even find the words to describe it.

With a slightly long introduction to the plot and to the characters, the author shows Circe in the foreground as a girl-goddess in the palace of the god Helios.

It shows us that curious little miracle deprived of divine powers and rejected by members of her own family and everyone else, questioning the meaning of divine existence. She researches mortals, meets them and gets a picture of a world bigger than she ever imagined.

She compares mortals with gods and comes to change the previously established ratio of values ​​-- in other words, she realizes how empty and low-quality the divine life is, while mortals, who are restrained and humiliated by gods, live more fulfilled and happier than any god (and even the god of pleasure himself - Dionysus). At the same time, she realizes that she is not like other members of the divine species and that for a reason she feels isolated and different throughout her life.

As the plot progresses, Circe is banished to the island of Eeja for her reckless actions. There, the realization that she will spend eternity isolated from the rest of the world comes to her heart and mind, but she does not let the new reality discourage her, but decides to make the best of it.

It was in that part of the book that she absolutely won me over - I adore such personalities (of whatever gender they are) - I adore it when in the darkest moments a small glimmer of light is found, which grows stronger by our will.

Circe is someone I aspire to. Someone who is covered in scars, which she successfully hides. Someone who is torn into a thousand pieces by pain, but doesn't show it. She shows humanity and mercy in moments when everyone is numb to it. She shows superhuman strength in moments when she has to resist others. And most of all, she shows strength in the moments when her only child, young Telegon, goes in search of his father. Any parent will understand what happens in their heart when an only child is ripped out of it.

I met Madeline Miller for the first time with this work, and I can say that she delighted me from the very first step. Until now, I have not paid so much attention to stories related to that period, but after Circe I can say that I will try harder to get out of my standard 19th century and immerse myself in that unexplored part of the past.

The author brings the ancient world, that unknown age, the everyday life of the gods, timidity and divine fear of revenge, but also the gluttony of mortal man, in such a wonderful and easy way.

And she shows us her - Circe. A wonderful soul that belongs neither there nor here.

But again she encompasses the best of both worlds.

And you? Read Circe! You won't regret it. :)

Until the next post,

Your Goga loves you