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chetanaisreading's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
i did not really cry and I was expecting that to happen, so that made the rating drop. Also, Achilles got really irritating later on. the writing is without a doubt 5/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and War
Moderate: Trafficking
anime917's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Genocide, Kidnapping, Murder, Death, War, Slavery, and Trafficking
kt2e56's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Beautifully written. There is no doubt about Madeline Miller’s skills as a writer. I actually think from a technical standpoint, she’s one of the most gifted writers we currently have. She has just such a way with words and even as someone fairly well-versed in Greek mythology who knows how this all ends, I was hooked as if this was a cast of characters I’d never heard of before.
I read Circe first and I found it to be much, much more relatable due to my own personal history and experiences but this book was just as spectacular. I love that this was all told from the point of view of Patroclus. He’s compelling and it’s lovely to see his own story fleshed out. His love for Achilles is touching but I think Achilles eventually becomes so unlikeable that it’s hard to see what Patroclus still sees in him and why he still so readily would give up everything for him.
And Achilles himself is seen as complex here! Which is fine! Complex is good and I’m glad that he wasn’t always the attentive, loving, nurturing boy that Patroclus fell for and believed in. I think the story of Achilles here (and eventually Pyrrhus although he’s a much more extreme example) is a fascinating look at masculinity. Achilles is beautiful and sensitive and kind. He loves music and pretty things and nature. We see this throughout. But it isn’t until he starts demanding the treatment he believes he deserves and stamping out all that’s beautiful and tender about him that he could be seen as great and powerful by the world around him. He believes he’s entitled to greatness and he reaches a point where he really buys into his own hype and doesn’t care who he’s harmed as long as he gets what he believes he deserves as this pinnacle of masculinity, the best of the best. He can only become a hero by embracing cruelty and he’d rather be a hero and be remembered by everyone than remembered only by his love, Patroclus: the only person who ever really knew him at all.
I’ll be thinking about this book for awhile. It’s hard not to. It’s so rich and textured. I’m giving this a 4.5 instead a 5, only because I started to grow a bit numb from reading cruelty after cruelty and atrocity after atrocity but I can absolutely recognize that that has nothing to do with Miller’s skill as a writer, and has everything to do with my own personal preferences.
I read Circe first and I found it to be much, much more relatable due to my own personal history and experiences but this book was just as spectacular. I love that this was all told from the point of view of Patroclus. He’s compelling and it’s lovely to see his own story fleshed out. His love for Achilles is touching but I think Achilles eventually becomes so unlikeable that it’s hard to see what Patroclus still sees in him and why he still so readily would give up everything for him.
And Achilles himself is seen as complex here! Which is fine! Complex is good and I’m glad that he wasn’t always the attentive, loving, nurturing boy that Patroclus fell for and believed in. I think the story of Achilles here (and eventually Pyrrhus although he’s a much more extreme example) is a fascinating look at masculinity. Achilles is beautiful and sensitive and kind. He loves music and pretty things and nature. We see this throughout. But it isn’t until he starts demanding the treatment he believes he deserves and stamping out all that’s beautiful and tender about him that he could be seen as great and powerful by the world around him. He believes he’s entitled to greatness and he reaches a point where he really buys into his own hype and doesn’t care who he’s harmed as long as he gets what he believes he deserves as this pinnacle of masculinity, the best of the best. He can only become a hero by embracing cruelty and he’d rather be a hero and be remembered by everyone than remembered only by his love, Patroclus: the only person who ever really knew him at all.
I’ll be thinking about this book for awhile. It’s hard not to. It’s so rich and textured. I’m giving this a 4.5 instead a 5, only because I started to grow a bit numb from reading cruelty after cruelty and atrocity after atrocity but I can absolutely recognize that that has nothing to do with Miller’s skill as a writer, and has everything to do with my own personal preferences.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Murder, Sexual assault, Death, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, War, Violence, Rape, Blood, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Self harm, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Outing, Animal death, Homophobia, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Trafficking
reclusivebookslug's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
Beautifully written, expertly paced, and emotionally provoking. The spoiler section of the review is only spoiling it if you aren't familiar with the Illiad.
I've never actually read the Illiad besides short excerpts for English classes, but through cultural osmosis I had a rudimentary understanding of what it was about enough that I knew this book would not have a happy ending. In spite of my forewarning, this book wrecked me. I often cry about books, but very rarely to the extent that I cried over this one.
Due to my not having read the Illiad, I cannot comment on this book's effectiveness as an adaptation of that work. What I can say is that one of the reasons I haven't previously read it is that my knowledge of it made me believe I would dislike it, but this reworking of the story made me instantly and completely fall in love with this world and these characters. The ideas of what it meant to be honorable in the times of Homer are so foreign and backward to me. It was not about being a good person or living by your values in the face of social opposition; it was about how you were treated and viewed in relation to a strict social hierarchy. Instead of being about morals, it was about pride and vanity. This book made it easier for me to sympathize a lot more with the dilemmas this cultural lens brought on. It also I think humanized Achilles in a way that makes him a more readable character for modern audiences.
I've never actually read the Illiad besides short excerpts for English classes, but through cultural osmosis I had a rudimentary understanding of what it was about enough that I knew this book would not have a happy ending. In spite of my forewarning, this book wrecked me. I often cry about books, but very rarely to the extent that I cried over this one.
Due to my not having read the Illiad, I cannot comment on this book's effectiveness as an adaptation of that work. What I can say is that one of the reasons I haven't previously read it is that my knowledge of it made me believe I would dislike it, but this reworking of the story made me instantly and completely fall in love with this world and these characters. The ideas of what it meant to be honorable in the times of Homer are so foreign and backward to me. It was not about being a good person or living by your values in the face of social opposition; it was about how you were treated and viewed in relation to a strict social hierarchy. Instead of being about morals, it was about pride and vanity. This book made it easier for me to sympathize a lot more with the dilemmas this cultural lens brought on. It also I think humanized Achilles in a way that makes him a more readable character for modern audiences.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death, and Murder
Minor: Animal death, Sexual violence, and Trafficking
fanboyriot's review against another edition
sad
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
1.0
Finally finished reading this after having it on my physical TBR for at least five years.
The hype of this was high. Seeing great reviews and positive comments about how amazing the writing was and how sad but good it was.
I’m not gonna lie I only bought it because it was queer and it had Greek mythology in it. I thought despite the angst and it being a historical fiction that I’d like it.
The short review is that I did not like it. I wanted to DNF it so many times but thought maybe I just wasn’t giving it a chance.
I don’t know if it was because of the slower paced chapters or because it was a historical fiction but this book was so boring. I could not wait to be done with it.
The hype of this was high. Seeing great reviews and positive comments about how amazing the writing was and how sad but good it was.
I’m not gonna lie I only bought it because it was queer and it had Greek mythology in it. I thought despite the angst and it being a historical fiction that I’d like it.
The short review is that I did not like it. I wanted to DNF it so many times but thought maybe I just wasn’t giving it a chance.
I don’t know if it was because of the slower paced chapters or because it was a historical fiction but this book was so boring. I could not wait to be done with it.
There were so many moments that it was cringey or just uncomfortable to read. All the spicy moments were awful to get through. And while I understand it was back when people were a lot younger when they were married off or forced to have children but it was just so uncomfortable to read lines like: “Her body, he said, was soft and small as a child’s.” (Chapter 13, page 147)… why is that necessary?? How did that make it into the final edits??
I will say the positive about this was that through everything Achilles and Patroclus had a healthy, honest, and trusting relationship for the most part.
And while the ending was sad it wasn’t as bad as I expected. I think that what Thetis ended up doing in the end helped with that. It was the sweetest thing she had done in that whole book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Classism, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Death, Violence, War, Blood, Murder, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Suicide, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Gore, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Animal death, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Medical content, Slavery, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture
Minor: Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Ableism, Vomit, Child death, and Trafficking
sacredgayometry's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
One of the best romance reads and a very beautiful rendition of the classic myth, although a tad predictable at times. There are moments in this book that make me wonder if I’ve ever truly experienced love, because I get so emotional about it, more than even thinking about my own partners. There are also moments in this book that are incredibly frustrating to read due to the characters often being willfully obstinate and prideful, but it wouldn’t be a green tragedy if that weren’t the case. Overall a wonderful book, the language is beyond poetic and I loved the characters, but the plot is sometimes slow and there are some very annoying bits that tarnished the overall feel, for me. for example, the scene in which Patroclus is killed was infuriating to read, as it seemed so out of character for him to do I would recommend that you read it once, but for me once is enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Death, War, Kidnapping, Violence, Slavery, and Grief
Moderate: Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Trafficking, Sexism, Infidelity, Rape, Medical content, Homophobia, and Sexual violence
Minor: Sexual content, Transphobia, Classism, Animal death, Bullying, Alcohol, and Abandonment
tatti's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Genocide, Rape, Body horror, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Trafficking, War, Blood, Classism, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Gore, Homophobia, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Violence
rosyhumbug's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, War, and Trafficking
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Sexual content
jasminrain'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? It's complicated
4.0
For me this book didn't quite live up to the hype. I absolutely loved the first half of the book and really enjoyed the main characters, but the second half of the book about the war is just too long. There are too many side stories that might be historically/mythologically relevant, but are irrelevant and unnecessary to the actual storyline. I got bored. Overall the book is really quite good, I just think it lacks some focus. I was also expecting it to be way more emotional than it actually was based on other people's comments on it - there were 0 tears for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Homophobia, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, War, Blood, Death, Kidnapping, Trafficking, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death and Animal cruelty
gurnoor's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
The ending of this book will make you cry
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Murder, Violence, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Trafficking, Sexual content, and Slavery