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turtletonga's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoyed it alot...until that one page had me full on heartbroken, left me in a reading slump for a month but I recovered well, I suppose.
readerbreather's review against another edition
4.0
Sooo close to a 4.5 just because of how well this author connected fiction with folklore. It was AMAZING. I was absolutely entranced for the first 2/3 of the books. And although the remaining 1/3 was a bit off for me the amazing first 2/3 more than made up for that. Strongly recommend.
jjordahl's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Took a bit to get in to and a lot of set up but when they got to Troy I found myself getting invested in the characters more. I liked the spin and retelling of classic Greek heroes!
fflur_jones's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars.
A beautiful beautiful book. Despite knowing Achilles' story this retelling is done so cleverly that I was completely engrossed and finished the whole thing in one afternoon.
The only part I wasn't such a fan of was the retelling of Briseis' story and the way it recast Achilles/Patroclus as her saviours, as "good guys", even though she was owned by them. That re-imagining felt a little heavy handed and unrealistic in the context of war in Ancient Greece where women were trophies to be won and bartered.
Other than that this book was stunning!
A beautiful beautiful book. Despite knowing Achilles' story this retelling is done so cleverly that I was completely engrossed and finished the whole thing in one afternoon.
The only part I wasn't such a fan of was the retelling of Briseis' story and the way it recast Achilles/Patroclus as her saviours, as "good guys", even though she was owned by them. That re-imagining felt a little heavy handed and unrealistic in the context of war in Ancient Greece where women were trophies to be won and bartered.
Other than that this book was stunning!
joel_joyce's review against another edition
emotional
sad
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? Yes
5.0
Literally nothing bad i could find about this book. The writing was delicious, the end left me wondering why I hadn't savored the last chapter more.
angiethebanangie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
fantasynovel's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars
Wow. This book was beautiful, stunning, transcendent. Every sentenced pulled me a little bit deeper into the world of Achilles and Patroclus, until I was submerged. And I know ostensibly this book doesn't have a happy ending--if you know the story of the Iliad, you know what's coming. But here's the thing: in a world with an afterlife, death doesn't have to be so sad. The book literally ends with Achilles and Patroclus clasping hands, ready to spend eternity with each other.
It loses .5 stars for two reasons:
1. When Patroclus and Achilles first become friends, there's too much summary. We learn what they do with each other to pass the time--races and games and conversation--but we don't see enough of it. Their friendship didn't really make so much sense until we see small scenes between them.
2. The tense kept switching from past to present to past to present. I know it's a device to make you feel more "in the moment" at certain points, but I didn't like it.
Even though I gave it 4.5 stars, I'm in love with this book. 5 stars at heart, I guess? ;jakdlfjl;kajsdlfkjkdkajl;kjadf this book was so good!!!
Edit: Okay, it's been like five hours since I finished this book, and the fact that it exists just makes me. So. Happy. Like, I'm sitting over here, stressed out about my research paper, and then I think, "Wow, 'The Song of Achilles' exists! It's so good!" and my stress kind of goes back down a little. This book, you guys. I'm in love.
Wow. This book was beautiful, stunning, transcendent. Every sentenced pulled me a little bit deeper into the world of Achilles and Patroclus, until I was submerged. And I know ostensibly this book doesn't have a happy ending--if you know the story of the Iliad, you know what's coming. But here's the thing: in a world with an afterlife, death doesn't have to be so sad. The book literally ends with Achilles and Patroclus clasping hands, ready to spend eternity with each other.
It loses .5 stars for two reasons:
1. When Patroclus and Achilles first become friends, there's too much summary. We learn what they do with each other to pass the time--races and games and conversation--but we don't see enough of it. Their friendship didn't really make so much sense until we see small scenes between them.
2. The tense kept switching from past to present to past to present. I know it's a device to make you feel more "in the moment" at certain points, but I didn't like it.
Even though I gave it 4.5 stars, I'm in love with this book. 5 stars at heart, I guess? ;jakdlfjl;kajsdlfkjkdkajl;kjadf this book was so good!!!
Edit: Okay, it's been like five hours since I finished this book, and the fact that it exists just makes me. So. Happy. Like, I'm sitting over here, stressed out about my research paper, and then I think, "Wow, 'The Song of Achilles' exists! It's so good!" and my stress kind of goes back down a little. This book, you guys. I'm in love.