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jhube's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Blood, Grief, Murder, War, and Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment
Minor: Child death and Death of parent
ly6's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I don't think there's ever going to be a book that's better than this one. Holy fuck.
The prose is absolutely beautiful—there's a reason there's so many iconic quotes. I ended up loving Achilles, Patroclus, and their relationship so much, which is a feat because I normally don't care about book characters. The hundreds of parallels and foreshadowing, which makes me die even more inside when I realized the book is Patroclus recalling his memories to Thetis. How the book shifts from past to present tense after his death. How the book is called "The Song of Achilles" despite his love for music rarely getting brought up after the first half, and how the wooden sculpture of a boy playing a lyre that Patroclus made for him gets lost too.
I know some people have their criticisms about how they toned down the horrible things Achilles did and instead added them to other characters in order to glorify their relationship, but I understand why Miller had to do this. I don't think a main character in a book intended for the average and modern audience can ever get away with SA. Achilles is still almost a morally black character with that removed.
Ah, Achilles. I have never felt as mixed of an emotion about a character ever, but he's both incredibly infuriating and so interesting to study under a microscope. I understood why he chose to be remembered after death by strangers over his life because he was brought up to be the <i>Aristos Achaion</i> his entire life. You can see the impact of this since the very first page he was introduced, since we even knew his name. I was also intrigued by how he was grieving over Agamemnon killing his daughter in front of him but the second he kills his first Trojan, he was loving it. It's like he always had an inner monster, his killing machine self inside of him, just waiting to be unleashed despite his cheerful exterior. The way his father told him to dehumanize his victims to kill them but he didn't think at all when he did. How he casually talks about killing Briseis' and Hector's wife's family and how he pressed against Patroclus after he killed 12 people on his first day. It's like his body moves without thinking. But then he sits out of the war and purposely urges the gods to help the Trojans' side because Agamemnon insulted his pride. I'll admit, that's because I want their bad decisions to be mainly their fault. If I pick his brain a little bit, I can sympathize with how he was promised that the war wouldn't go on for too long and that he would be the judge of himself, but then Agamemnon fucked it all up. I think it's interesting how he defended Patroclus against those who don't think he's worthy but then he starts getting more and more egotistical because of praise.
But that's the thing, isn't it? It was always doomed to happen, unless they were different people completely. They would always make the same decisions, no matter how dumb they would be.
Some of my favorite moments:
- Their first kiss and how Patroclus described it as "the fat bodies of bees"
- "Is it not a sort of genius to cut always to the heart?"
- Patroclus kissing a bloody Achilles to let Briseis know they won't hurt her because of the language barrier
- Patroclus begging Achilles and pulling out the "if you loved me" card but Achilles loved his pride more than Patroclus
- Their last interaction was a goodbye kiss and handhold
- Patroclus almost becoming Achilles' alter ego when he donned his armor, maybe because he used to be jealous of him and watched him from afar
- Patroclus climbing the walls of Troy like Sisyphus out of sheer determination to end the war and save Achilles' life, even though he once said it looks so high, nobody could possibly ever climb it
- Achilles' first instinct to realizing Patroclus died was to cut his throat and rip his hair out
- Achilles wrapping Patroclus' corpse in a blanket and putting him on their bed despite them both smelling
- Briseis cleaning Patroclus' corpse, Achilles getting possessive, and him yelling at her
- "There are no bargains between lion and men. I will kill you and eat you raw."
- Achilles wanting to die but his body wouldn't let him until he finally did, smiling as his face struck the earth
- Patroclus haunting everyone's dreams and Achilles' grave because sleep is so similar to death
Thanks to this book for making me fall back into my Greek Mythology phase and consuming every possible media of them. I truly will love them in every universe.
The prose is absolutely beautiful—there's a reason there's so many iconic quotes. I ended up loving Achilles, Patroclus, and their relationship so much, which is a feat because I normally don't care about book characters. The hundreds of parallels and foreshadowing, which makes me die even more inside when I realized the book is Patroclus recalling his memories to Thetis. How the book shifts from past to present tense after his death. How the book is called "The Song of Achilles" despite his love for music rarely getting brought up after the first half, and how the wooden sculpture of a boy playing a lyre that Patroclus made for him gets lost too.
I know some people have their criticisms about how they toned down the horrible things Achilles did and instead added them to other characters in order to glorify their relationship, but I understand why Miller had to do this. I don't think a main character in a book intended for the average and modern audience can ever get away with SA. Achilles is still almost a morally black character with that removed.
Ah, Achilles. I have never felt as mixed of an emotion about a character ever, but he's both incredibly infuriating and so interesting to study under a microscope. I understood why he chose to be remembered after death by strangers over his life because he was brought up to be the <i>Aristos Achaion</i> his entire life. You can see the impact of this since the very first page he was introduced, since we even knew his name. I was also intrigued by how he was grieving over Agamemnon killing his daughter in front of him but the second he kills his first Trojan, he was loving it. It's like he always had an inner monster, his killing machine self inside of him, just waiting to be unleashed despite his cheerful exterior. The way his father told him to dehumanize his victims to kill them but he didn't think at all when he did. How he casually talks about killing Briseis' and Hector's wife's family and how he pressed against Patroclus after he killed 12 people on his first day. It's like his body moves without thinking. But then he sits out of the war and purposely urges the gods to help the Trojans' side because Agamemnon insulted his pride. I'll admit, that's because I want their bad decisions to be mainly their fault. If I pick his brain a little bit, I can sympathize with how he was promised that the war wouldn't go on for too long and that he would be the judge of himself, but then Agamemnon fucked it all up. I think it's interesting how he defended Patroclus against those who don't think he's worthy but then he starts getting more and more egotistical because of praise.
But that's the thing, isn't it? It was always doomed to happen, unless they were different people completely. They would always make the same decisions, no matter how dumb they would be.
Some of my favorite moments:
- Their first kiss and how Patroclus described it as "the fat bodies of bees"
- "Is it not a sort of genius to cut always to the heart?"
- Patroclus kissing a bloody Achilles to let Briseis know they won't hurt her because of the language barrier
- Patroclus begging Achilles and pulling out the "if you loved me" card but Achilles loved his pride more than Patroclus
- Their last interaction was a goodbye kiss and handhold
- Patroclus almost becoming Achilles' alter ego when he donned his armor, maybe because he used to be jealous of him and watched him from afar
- Patroclus climbing the walls of Troy like Sisyphus out of sheer determination to end the war and save Achilles' life, even though he once said it looks so high, nobody could possibly ever climb it
- Achilles' first instinct to realizing Patroclus died was to cut his throat and rip his hair out
- Achilles wrapping Patroclus' corpse in a blanket and putting him on their bed despite them both smelling
- Briseis cleaning Patroclus' corpse, Achilles getting possessive, and him yelling at her
- "There are no bargains between lion and men. I will kill you and eat you raw."
- Achilles wanting to die but his body wouldn't let him until he finally did, smiling as his face struck the earth
- Patroclus haunting everyone's dreams and Achilles' grave because sleep is so similar to death
Thanks to this book for making me fall back into my Greek Mythology phase and consuming every possible media of them. I truly will love them in every universe.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, and War
Moderate: Bullying, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, and Torture
Minor: Pregnancy
xsarapa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Murder, and War
Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Blood, and Abandonment
Minor: Self harm
dahlialover's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Brilliant book that expands upon the Greek myths that you knew as a child. Loved Miller’s twist on the relationship between Patroclus and Achilles which drove the direction of the story. The horrors of the Trojan war and the complex relationships among all the kings and princes were aptly written in such a way that you could easily envision yourself there. The character depictions of Thetis and Odysseus were also wonderful, particularly their acceptance (or not) of the main character’s relationship. Honestly couldn’t find a single fault and would greedily read any more books like this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Kidnapping, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
areadnes's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
don’t let the rating fool you — i enjoyed the song of achilles. sure, it didn’t really emotionally capture me as much as the majority of its audience, but i still had a lot of fun reading it regardless. if anything, i think it was my own expectations that dampened the experience and that’s just plainly on me. this is madeline miller’s first novel, after all, and despite whatever criticisms i have i think it’s still a feat to have something like this be your debut novel. achilles & patroclus’ relationship is very touching and there is no shortage of side characters to keep things interesting (love you odysseus <3). all in all, a good read and an emotional ride.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence, and War
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, and Murder
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
bearbutch's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Absolutely beautiful book, down to its writing, its characterisation, its imaginings. Couldn’t recommend more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Blood, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault and Slavery
mdavenport02's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Murder, and War
Moderate: Child abuse and Abandonment
allypricee's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
i think i liked this bc i didn’t have any expectations. seems like one of the biggest criticisms of this book is that it’s more of a tragic love story than it is a re telling of a myth and that’s fair i just didn’t care and actually prob liked it better for being a love story. the other issue ppl have is that like … they speak really cavalierly abt slaves and rape and death and stuff and lowkey that’s dumb sorry. it’s ancient greece grow up they were trying to be good people and honestly for the time they were
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Rape, Slavery, Murder, and War
littlepaw's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The book is twined in love and human err. The beauty and divinity love can create that is beyond Gods’. Yet the fragility of man to fail at the storm’s of life and choices that dissolves into the sea of stories, among the swirls of men and mortal wishes and their immortal goodness tweaked and juggled by Fates. “The Song of Achilles”, is one such book that beyond it’s magnanimity, speaks about the niche of human emotions. Patroclus and Achilles became the “best of all the Greeks” and “best of all the men” because they had each other at their best, worst and in their nothingness.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Gore, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and War
fakeppy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
So very beautifully written. It was a pleasure to read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Violence, Grief, Murder, and War
Minor: Bullying, Cursing, Homophobia, Rape, Blood, and Medical trauma