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A review by thereadingmum
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Hard to review even though I clearly loved it.
Let's start with the easy parts. Miller's prose matches the subject matter perfectly. It needs that slightly stilted language and formal speech, because anything more casual would not be believable. Her characters are superbly drawn out. Even Achilles who in other iterations seems very aloof, is made human in Patroclus' eyes. Their relationship is done very well and you get a very strong feel for their bond.
Obviously it's not an easy subject to read for everyone. The events are so far in the past and so part of myth that it's hard to bridge that distance to really relate with it and its characters.
Ultimately, I gave it 4.5 stars because of the the above and also because it made me feel deeply. The 0.5 stars less than perfect is because I wouldn't read it again and I felt the ending was a teensy bit sentimental.
It was also annoying to keep imagining Brad Pitt as Achilles. I would have preferred Chris Hemsworth.
Let's start with the easy parts. Miller's prose matches the subject matter perfectly. It needs that slightly stilted language and formal speech, because anything more casual would not be believable. Her characters are superbly drawn out. Even Achilles who in other iterations seems very aloof, is made human in Patroclus' eyes. Their relationship is done very well and you get a very strong feel for their bond.
Obviously it's not an easy subject to read for everyone. The events are so far in the past and so part of myth that it's hard to bridge that distance to really relate with it and its characters.
Ultimately, I gave it 4.5 stars because of the the above and also because it made me feel deeply. The 0.5 stars less than perfect is because I wouldn't read it again and I felt the ending was a teensy bit sentimental.
It was also annoying to keep imagining Brad Pitt as Achilles. I would have preferred Chris Hemsworth.