The Song of Achilles by Madeleine Miller

Adult. Romance. Tragedy. Mythology. Retelling. 

Re-read. 

Rating: 4/5

Pages: 416 

Started: 10 February 2024

Finished:16 February 2024

Summary:

  “Name one hero who was happy.” 

 Achilles is slated to be a hero of prophecy, the warrior son on an ocean god, a warrior promised a glorious fate in the Trojan war. Patroclus is just a boy, exiled from his home, friendless—until Achilles chooses him for a comparison, and the two boys quickly become friends, and then lovers. 

   In her lyrical retelling of the events of the Trojan war, Madeleine Miller tells the sweeping epic of a war, and the tragic story of two boys in love. 

Thoughts:

   This book is amazing as a work of art, but not quite satisfactory as a novel. The writing is stunning; it has a  quality that feels remarkably like epic poetry in verse, nir it also reads very smoothly. Miller’s word choice is impressive. Achilles and Patroclus’s story is beautiful too, it’s a really lovely and tragic romance. Patroclus as a character was also fascinating. His narration read like Neil’s from AFTG somehow, with his clever attention to detail. But also I felt very disconnected from the characters. The third-person narrator and epic writing made it hard to feel emotionally connected to the characters—just like last time I read it, this book did not make me cry. That said, though, this is a lovely book and I’m very glad I re-read it.