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4.35 AVERAGE
4.35 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
fast-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
Reading The Song of Achilles was an interesting experience for me, because while I didn’t give it a perfect 5/5 — a book that earns that has to wreck something deep inside me — I still found it beautifully written and incredibly respectful to the myth. What really stood out is that, in many ways, Patroclus feels more like the true hero than Achilles himself. Patroclus is wiser, more grounded, and in my view, the real heart of the story. Achilles, on the other hand, is crushed under the weight of prophecy, and even though he has choices, he becomes its victim. That tension — between prophecy and agency — is something I always enjoy in myths, because even when characters try to shape their identity against fate, it still comes true. Miller captured that perfectly.
I also really admired how Thetis, Achilles’ mother, was written. I half-expected some kind of twist where she softens and becomes warm at the end, but Miller never betrayed her coldness.Even in her final act of kindness, letting Patroclus rest with Achilles, it remains a cold kindness, consistent with her character. That felt both true to the mythic tone and emotionally sharp. Speaking of loyalty to myth, I really respected how Miller stayed with the older tradition, where Achilles doesn’t have a magical “heel.” He is simply powerful, and doomed. That choice made the tragedy feel so much more human and inevitable. And while the ending isn’t happy, it is comforting — the two lovers reunited at last.
One small critique I had was the way Apollo and Athena were portrayed. This isn’t unique to Miller, but something I’ve noticed across several modern retellings (Elektra, Ariadne, Circe, etc.): Apollo is often shown as cruel, and Athena as cold, almost villainous. Personally, I find this frustrating. I don’t see Apollo as cruel at all, more like a god of balance and unpredictability, and I’ve always thought Athena was more fair than harsh. When authors flatten them into antagonists, I think they lose some of the nuance of the original myths. For example, with Athena and Medusa, I tend to see her actions not just as cruelty but also as a kind of harsh protection — an attempt to make Medusa untouchable, even if it failed. That complexity is what makes the myths powerful, and I wish more retellings leaned into it instead of choosing the easy “villain” interpretation.
As for Miller’s writing, I loved it. She has a style that is instantly recognizable — lyrical, beautiful, using elegant language without feeling forced. Both Song of Achilles and Circe share this voice, and that’s something I respect a lot: she is an author with a signature.
Comparing the two books, I’d say they’re on the same level, just with different strengths. Song of Achilles is more entertaining, faster-paced, emotional, and plot-driven. It’s about feelings — love, anger, betrayal, fate, destruction. Circe is slower, more introspective, more polished, and more mature. It’s about the mind — growth, reflection, nuance, wisdom. To me, they feel like “same story in different fonts,” which is actually a compliment: Miller has range, but she also has consistency. I just find it a little upsetting that Song of Achilles blew up with BookTok while Circe didn’t. Especially since both explore human morality, both show how characters can destroy themselves, and both are equally worth reading.
And that’s where my critique really isn’t about Miller or her books, but about BookTok and the way books get hyped. I worry that what made The Song of Achilles go viral wasn’t just its mythic depth, or its prose, or its complex themes — but the fact that it has romance and “spice,” and that it’s queer romance and spice at that. Meanwhile, Circe — which is just as powerful, if not more polished and wise — was left in its shadow. When “does it have spice?” becomes the main question for whether a book is loved or not, I think that’s a problematic trend. People should read what they enjoy, of course — there’s nothing wrong with loving spice in books — but the real core of stories like these should be their emotional and moral complexity. And both Song of Achilles and Circe have that in abundance.
In the end, The Song of Achilles is a complex, beautifully crafted retelling, faithful to myth and layered in its tragedy. It didn’t break me emotionally, but it left me with a lot to reflect on. And my biggest hope is that readers who loved it also give Circe the same chance — because both books deserve to stand side by side, not one in the shadow of the other.
I also really admired how Thetis, Achilles’ mother, was written. I half-expected some kind of twist where she softens and becomes warm at the end, but Miller never betrayed her coldness.
One small critique I had was the way Apollo and Athena were portrayed. This isn’t unique to Miller, but something I’ve noticed across several modern retellings (Elektra, Ariadne, Circe, etc.): Apollo is often shown as cruel, and Athena as cold, almost villainous. Personally, I find this frustrating. I don’t see Apollo as cruel at all, more like a god of balance and unpredictability, and I’ve always thought Athena was more fair than harsh. When authors flatten them into antagonists, I think they lose some of the nuance of the original myths. For example, with Athena and Medusa, I tend to see her actions not just as cruelty but also as a kind of harsh protection — an attempt to make Medusa untouchable, even if it failed. That complexity is what makes the myths powerful, and I wish more retellings leaned into it instead of choosing the easy “villain” interpretation.
As for Miller’s writing, I loved it. She has a style that is instantly recognizable — lyrical, beautiful, using elegant language without feeling forced. Both Song of Achilles and Circe share this voice, and that’s something I respect a lot: she is an author with a signature.
Comparing the two books, I’d say they’re on the same level, just with different strengths. Song of Achilles is more entertaining, faster-paced, emotional, and plot-driven. It’s about feelings — love, anger, betrayal, fate, destruction. Circe is slower, more introspective, more polished, and more mature. It’s about the mind — growth, reflection, nuance, wisdom. To me, they feel like “same story in different fonts,” which is actually a compliment: Miller has range, but she also has consistency. I just find it a little upsetting that Song of Achilles blew up with BookTok while Circe didn’t. Especially since both explore human morality,
And that’s where my critique really isn’t about Miller or her books, but about BookTok and the way books get hyped. I worry that what made The Song of Achilles go viral wasn’t just its mythic depth, or its prose, or its complex themes — but the fact that it has romance and “spice,” and that it’s queer romance and spice at that. Meanwhile, Circe — which is just as powerful, if not more polished and wise — was left in its shadow. When “does it have spice?” becomes the main question for whether a book is loved or not, I think that’s a problematic trend. People should read what they enjoy, of course — there’s nothing wrong with loving spice in books — but the real core of stories like these should be their emotional and moral complexity. And both Song of Achilles and Circe have that in abundance.
In the end, The Song of Achilles is a complex, beautifully crafted retelling, faithful to myth and layered in its tragedy. It didn’t break me emotionally, but it left me with a lot to reflect on. And my biggest hope is that readers who loved it also give Circe the same chance — because both books deserve to stand side by side, not one in the shadow of the other.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, War
Minor: Rape
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Cheguei a este livro quando estava fazendo o primeiro curso Introdução à Grande Conversa do Alex Castro. Veio a aula sobre a Ilíada, e algumas alunas disseram que tinham tido contato com seu conteúdo através deste romance. Falavam maravilhas, houve quem dissesse que era o melhor livro que já tinha lido, que era o livro da sua vida…
Não é pra tanto, mas eu também gostei. A Autora, Madeline Miller, é uma acadêmica, scholar, mestre, professora de Latim e Grego, e a Canção de Aquiles é uma fanfic da Ilíada. Ela recolheu todos os antigos poemas, peças de teatro e lendas mitológicas que contam episódios da vida de Aquiles e antecedentes da Guerra de Troia, e organizou esse conjunto em ordem cronológica, narrando a biografia do herói. Então há trechos que claramente vêm de Ifigênia em Áulis e da Posthomerica, para dar dois exemplos que reconheci. E a Autora vai além dessas fontes, preenchendo lacunas com criação sua, acrescendo eventos que aconteciam nesse meio tempo e trazendo um colorido ao universo criado por Homero. Enquanto a Ilíada se passa num período muito curto, de apenas algumas semanas no décimo ano da Guerra de Troia, o romance de Miller faz o mesmo que toda boa fanfic, que é completar seu universo, pintando mais detalhes de seu panorama.
O narrador do livro é o Pátroclo, que está presente em todas as cenas, sempre falando de si e contando tudo conforme ele estava vendo. Vou ter que concordar com a Letícia Dáquer, que certa vez se queixou de que Pátroclo é um personagem bastante insosso, não tem nenhum atributo particularmente atrativo. Embora haja um esforço da Autora de mostrar nele muita resiliência, também eu enxergo vários defeitos, como passividade, covardia em alguns momentos e uma certa fraqueza de espírito. De fato, nunca que o maior guerreiro da Grécia haveria de se interessar por alguém tão sem graça.
Em ordem cronológica, o livro narra episódios que a gente já conhece da mitologia. Claro que vai abranger também a Guerra de Troia, inclusive partes de seu início às quais a Ilíada faz referência embora não as narre explìcitamente, e acontecimentos posteriores à morte de Aquiles. Tudo sempre acontece sob a percepção pessoal de Pátroclo e portanto não é uma narração meramente objetiva como a mitologia nos traz. Ao contrário, trata dos sentimentos que os eventos geram no narrador e nos demais personagens.
Em linhas gerais é a mesma história, mas os eventos não são absolutamente idênticos aos da Ilíada. Aliás às vezes fui comparar, para ver se não estava lembrando errado, e não estava. É que a Autora tomou algumas liberdades mesmo. Uma diferença que me chamou muito a atenção desde o começo é que o poema de Homero, livro 11, verso 787, diz que Pátroclo é mais velho que Aquiles. Já neste livro, Pátroclo é alguns meses mais jovem.
Por causa da concentração na óptica de um só personagem, não há histórias paralelas. A narração é toda simples de acompanhar. Você não precisa ter lido a Ilíada, mas é interessante ter esse conhecimento prévio e da mitologia, porque logo vai reconhecer as situações. Òbviamente há muitos momentos onde você já sabe o que vai acontecer. Quanto mais a narração entrava em eventos que já eram familiares a mim, mais rápido a leitura avançava, e na segunda metade foi bastante fluida.
Em síntese, é uma leitura agradável. Eu tinha que ter a disciplina de parar de vez em quando porque a vontade era continuar lendo mais.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Really easily draws you in to the plot of the story. Despite not loving the romance between the boys I found it intriguing to see another perspective of a classic event. The actual war but kind of dragged on but the beginning was especially great.
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes