Scan barcode
A review by bright1226
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
4.75
This is now my second reading of The Song of Achilles, and it is just as beautiful the second time around. The story development does seem to get stuck in places for a bit too long before moving on, but after reading the original Greek tragedies, that sort of story-work isn't unknown to the genre so I give it a pass. I love this modernized retelling so much, I think it breaks down aspects of ancient Greek life and culture so well without the use of overly flowery language to get the points across. It feels like a Marvel movie in a way because we know this is about the war over Helena that happens within the Iliad, but seeing it play out from Patroclus and Achilles perspective, when you see characters like Odysseus and Paris and Chiron pop up it's almost like a movie cameo by way of excitement.
The way Miller has written Achilles and Patroclus' love for one another is so beautiful and exciting to read about, in the way they watch each others breaths and know the tones of each others voices so naturally, it really adds to the weight of the story as a whole. The ending bit *SPOILER* of mixing their ashes together so they can rest forever with each other is something I have honestly thought about once a week since I read this book for the first time 4 years ago. I also love how we get the "spirit" perspective of the story from Patroclus as an onlooker after he passed. His lines about trying to scream out certain things to Achilles or other people in the story is so heart wrenching, but a really cool visual at the same time.
I can't recommend this book enough, I truly love so many things about it, mostly that it's a more accessible way to be involved with Greek mythology and get introduced to the stories and characters. But I can understand that those with no interest in Greek mythology or prior knowledge of it, could find this book harder to get through because of the pacing.
The way Miller has written Achilles and Patroclus' love for one another is so beautiful and exciting to read about, in the way they watch each others breaths and know the tones of each others voices so naturally, it really adds to the weight of the story as a whole. The ending bit *SPOILER* of mixing their ashes together so they can rest forever with each other is something I have honestly thought about once a week since I read this book for the first time 4 years ago. I also love how we get the "spirit" perspective of the story from Patroclus as an onlooker after he passed. His lines about trying to scream out certain things to Achilles or other people in the story is so heart wrenching, but a really cool visual at the same time.
I can't recommend this book enough, I truly love so many things about it, mostly that it's a more accessible way to be involved with Greek mythology and get introduced to the stories and characters. But I can understand that those with no interest in Greek mythology or prior knowledge of it, could find this book harder to get through because of the pacing.