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vknapp64's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Homophobia, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying and Grief
darholl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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
5.0
This is absolutely my favorite book of all time. Perfect for adults who are fascinated with Greek myth and are looking for a mature, gripping take on Homer's Iliad. Also perfect for fans of childhood friends-to-lovers, unlikely heroes, slow-burn romance, wartime romance, and historical fantasy-fiction. Miller's beautiful writing style perfectly evokes older translations of the epic while being contemporary enough for modern audiences to feel comfortable. The audiobook is also fantastic!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Animal death, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Kidnapping
Minor: Ableism and Child abuse
Most of the content warnings are in the context of ancient scorched-earth warfare and religious sacrifice. Readers familiar with the Iliad will know what to expect. Child abuse occurs in the very beginning of the book, described by the narrator who does not spend long in his abusive father's household. Narrator's mother is mentally disabled and referred to with ableist language by some characters in the beginning of the book.kathshiroma's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Slavery, Blood, Grief, Murder, and War
Moderate: Ableism and Adult/minor relationship
racheltheduke's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Patroclus and Achilles navigate their youth and social expectations in ancient Greece until one day Helen of Sparta is abducted by Paris of Troy and all the Greek Kingdoms are amassing armies to avenge the slight againt Helen's husband. The choice before them is: finding fame in the unprecedented glorious war or disolving into obscurity.
What has Hector ever done to me?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Sexual content
Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
Minor: Pedophilia
orcamagicka's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
5.0
You’ve seen everyone talk about this book, so just go on and read it!
I loved, I empathized, I swooned, I cried for these characters. Patroclus is now one of my favorite characters in Greek myth. The way he still expresses gentleness, empathy, and compassion in a highly patriarchal world is why I adore him so much. I also loved how the story blurred the lines regarding sexuality and gender expression, especially with how Achilles is described in certain scenes.
This was the book that finally broke me out of my years long reading slump. Madeline Miller helped me fall back in love with stories again. Her gorgeous writing style, her complex characters, the amount of research she poured into this book, and the way she expresses social issues in a story that takes place thousands of years ago yet remains relevant today are some of the reasons why I adore this story. She spent a decade researching and writing this debut novel, and it shows. This is an instant classic that deserves to be read in high schools everywhere.
I loved, I empathized, I swooned, I cried for these characters. Patroclus is now one of my favorite characters in Greek myth. The way he still expresses gentleness, empathy, and compassion in a highly patriarchal world is why I adore him so much. I also loved how the story blurred the lines regarding sexuality and gender expression, especially with how Achilles is described in certain scenes.
This was the book that finally broke me out of my years long reading slump. Madeline Miller helped me fall back in love with stories again. Her gorgeous writing style, her complex characters, the amount of research she poured into this book, and the way she expresses social issues in a story that takes place thousands of years ago yet remains relevant today are some of the reasons why I adore this story. She spent a decade researching and writing this debut novel, and it shows. This is an instant classic that deserves to be read in high schools everywhere.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Gore, Homophobia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Trafficking
Minor: Ableism, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Abandonment, and Alcohol
kingaw's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Child death, Mental illness, Rape, Sexism, Violence, Blood, and Cannibalism
manarnia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book is beautifully written and absolutely enrapturing. There are parts that I didn't love, but overall it was a great read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child death, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcohol
ceallaighsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
“‘I will go,’ he said. ‘I will go to Troy.’ The rosy gleam of his lip, the fevered green of his eyes. There was not a line anywhere on his face, nothing creased or greying; all crisp. He was spring, golden and bright. Envious Death would drink his blood, and grow young again.”
TITLE—The Song of Achilles
AUTHOR—Madeline Miller
PUBLISHED—2011
GENRE—mythology retelling; literary historical fiction
SETTING—ancient Greece and Troy
MAIN THEMES/SUBJECTS—love, Greek mythology, war, destiny, legacy, MM romance, death, grief
WRITING STYLE—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
CHARACTERS—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️—SO many great characters but Chiron and Odysseus have to be my favorite 🥰
PLOT—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️—This was the story we have always wanted.
BONUS ELEMENT/S—The writing style in this was just 😚👌🏻 so beautiful and so perfectly suited to the story being told.
PHILOSOPHY—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“It is right to seek peace for the dead. You and I both know there is no peace for those who live after.”
Ok well *that* certainly lived up to the hype. I loved Circe and The Song of Achilles was *just* as good. Damn.
Ok the thing about this story, and why it *resonates* so. frking. much. with my little queer heart, is that *this* is the story that I have always sought out in the annals of human history. This is the revealed truth of queer love and life hidden/buried/destroyed/denied through TIME in all of its raw tragedy and staggering beauty and my soul drank this in like it was water and I had been dying of thirst my whole entire LIFE.
Miller wrote the story we have always wanted—the story that our hearts and our dreams have always told us lies hidden in the lines of Homer’s epic saga. We got to see it finally and I felt like I was holding hands with Achilles and Patroclus through their whole journey together, laughing alongside them, my heart breaking alongside and for them, and I felt my mind, heart, and soul claiming Miller’s interpretation as more real than anything I’ve ever read or learned in any of my history classes.
As a retelling this story is particularly well served by the incorporation of the themes of destiny and prophecy, so even though the reader most likely knows the ending, Miller uses that to her advantage in the way she treats her themes and develops her characters, rather than as a problem she needs to work around cleverly.
Whether you consider this story a work of reclamation, revisionism, or mythological retelling, Miller accomplishes each with remarkable flair and an uncommonly penetrating insight into the (queer!) human heart. She has written the perfect love story. 🥰
“We were like gods, at the dawning of the world, and our joy was so bright we could see nothing else but the other.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
TW // bullying, transphobia, death, grief, sexual content, sexual coercion, animal and human sacrifice, ableism, war, rape, sexual slavery
Further Reading—
- Circe, by Madeline Miller
- Galatea, by Madeline Miller—her other novel published bw SOA and C that I have heard absolutely nothing about?—TBR
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Animal death, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual violence, and Slavery
Minor: Ableism, Child death, and Transphobia
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