The Song of Achilles
by Madeline Miller
★★★★★
Greek mythology, character-driven narrative with an epic
story, a heartbreaking love story, these are a few of my favorite things all
piled into one beautiful book. I couldn’t put it down; I didn’t want it to end.
I finally started reading Edith Hamilton’s Mythology to slow my reading of this
one.
Between The Odyssey, The Iliad, Shakespeare’s Troilus and
Cressida and a college course on classical mythology, my knowledge of the
Trojan War and the Greek heroes has been shaped and reshaped with different
versions. Building on that base is this book, telling the story of Achilles and
Patroclus. Throughout those other sources the pair has been painted as friends,
brothers, lovers, etc. but one thing never changes: they are inseparable. They
are dearer to each other than their own lives.
The first half of the book is the story of how they meet
and the beginning of their friendship. The second half is the well-known story
of the Trojan War. It’s retold through Patroclus’ eyes, which gives the whole
tale a very different spin. All the familiar faces are there: Agamemnon,
Odyssey, Hector, Paris, Zeus, Athena, etc., but many of them feel slightly
different in this version.
Patroclus himself is a thoughtful, sensitive boy. He’s so
unlike the other Greek warriors when it comes to brute strength, but his
strength comes in a very different form. He’s willing to love against all odds,
even when he knows it will end in a broken heart.
The reason this retelling resonated with me in such a
powerful way is because of the characters themselves. Miller makes them so
relatable. You feel for them in a way that you usually don't when you read
books on classical mythology.
Chiron and Briseis particularly stood out for me. Chiron
is a centaur who trains both Achilles and Patroclus for years in his
rose-colored cave on a mountain-side. He is wise and kind and his home is a
peaceful one, a complete change from the battle driven world they had become
accustomed to. Briseis on the other hand is brought into Patroclus’ world in
the midst of a bloody war. She is a prize from battle, but their friendship
blossoms despite the circumstances and we see the best of Patroclus because of
her.
BOTTOM LINE: I loved it. Sometimes a book lives up
to the hype and this one did for me. I can’t say that you’d feel the same if
you don’t already like Greek Mythology, but it was an absolute treat for me.
“Did he know, or only guess at Achilles’ destiny? Perhaps
he simply assumed: a bitterness of habit, of boy after boy trained for music
and medicine, and unleashed for murder.”
**One quick note about the kindle version. There was one
incredibly helpful feature that really enhanced my reading experience. The
character’s name were highlighted and when you clicked on them it took you to a
screen with a drawing (see above) and a summary of the character’s part in
Greek mythology.
Other Thoughts:
