A review by estelleidekreads
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

adventurous emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

i could read this book a thousand times and find something new each time. the writing is beautiful and melodious. the story gut wrenching and sweetly beautiful. 

patroclus, my love, you will always be remembered as a true hero. the same samwise gamgee of the trojan war.
he really was the best of the myrmidons
i love that boy so much. he was so brave, so kind, so smart, so sweet, so moral & loving. his character development was stunning, i loved seeing him grow in confidence. 

the foreshadowing reminded me of my memories of the story, but i still broke when patroclus died and achilles fell

 
i love all the symbolism in this book and i would love to study this text like we did at school. there’s so much depth. 
i love that achilles feet were described as this beautiful wonderful thing, foreshadowing his heel. but then it wasn’t an arrow through his heel. as apollo said “he’s a man, not a god”. thinking he was a god is what was the death of patroclus and then him in turn. without achilles hubris and butthurt ego, patroclus wouldn’t have done what he did. i also found it interesting how patroclus suffered the same inflated confidence and sense of invincibility when he adorned achilles’ armour - as if the myth of achilles is what corrupts.


i actually love odysseus’ character. i’ve always loved his story and i could tell straight away it was him from how he spoke. defo a top favourite character. 

and the end??? my heart absolutely broke. Thetis was traumatised and it was easier to hate humans than other gods. easier to punish patroclus. but she saw her mistakes and she gave patroclus and achilles their eternity. it was such a nice touch


last but not least, i had to dedicate one of my tabs for the commentary on the misogyny in ancient greece. i love how well it was portrayed and how we saw its impact on even the strongest of men. in a story that focuses so heavily on men, i think it was a really important layer to add.
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