A review by wren_acorn
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Miller did a fantastic job of laying the groundwork for the plot early-on. No prior knowledge of Greek mythology is needed to read and fully grasp this book. Foreshadowing was great.
The writing style is excellent. Usually descriptions of the surroundings take me out of the story but the transitions between dialogue and more descriptive writing were seamless. Maybe because this book isn’t dialogue-heavy to begin with.
I found some details to be a bit repetitive but I love how each time Thetis is presented we are provided a new clever metaphor for the sound of her voice. It grounds us in the story and makes everything very visceral without being redundant.
Love the portrayal of a kid crush. That’s the exact fluttery, can’t-tear-my-eyes-away feeling I had in elementary school.
More mentions of rape and misogyny than I’d anticipated. Doesn’t take away from the book but definitely twists my gut uncomfortably when reading about it.
Only reason this isn’t five stars is cause of the time jumps. Each paragraph the: that evening, the next morning, a year later, that spring. It does fit with the storyteller vibe of mythology and the pacing was still great. I’m not even sure there’s a better way to go about it frankly. It just did knock my focus a little bit and my criteria for 5 stars is that there is absolutely nothing I would change.
The writing style is excellent. Usually descriptions of the surroundings take me out of the story but the transitions between dialogue and more descriptive writing were seamless. Maybe because this book isn’t dialogue-heavy to begin with.
I found some details to be a bit repetitive but I love how each time Thetis is presented we are provided a new clever metaphor for the sound of her voice. It grounds us in the story and makes everything very visceral without being redundant.
Love the portrayal of a kid crush. That’s the exact fluttery, can’t-tear-my-eyes-away feeling I had in elementary school.
More mentions of rape and misogyny than I’d anticipated. Doesn’t take away from the book but definitely twists my gut uncomfortably when reading about it.
Only reason this isn’t five stars is cause of the time jumps. Each paragraph the: that evening, the next morning, a year later, that spring. It does fit with the storyteller vibe of mythology and the pacing was still great. I’m not even sure there’s a better way to go about it frankly. It just did knock my focus a little bit and my criteria for 5 stars is that there is absolutely nothing I would change.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Rape