Reviews with content warning for Suicide attempt - The Song of Achilles

Reviews tagging 'Suicide attempt'

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

34 reviews

mayday_the_cleric's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I had an enjoyable time reading this. The writing is tender and immersive, which makes for a relaxing read. Patroclus and achilles' relationship is sweet and dreamy, but it also has an undercurrent of darkness and codependency to it, making the characters quite compelling. My favorite character, however, has to be Thetis. She stole the show for me with her mystery and conflicting emotions and motivations. The ending nearly ruined it for me, but I was happy that they got together again and had a sort-of happy/bittersweet ending. Overall, a pretty good experience.

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ghostlyprince's review against another edition

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emotional reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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maess's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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eatmytoe404's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional sad 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

it was wonderful and i cant stop crying

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maxgdy's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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jesthemess's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I would like to preface stating that I am a voracious reader; I have read since I was a toddler and it is still a pastime that I take true delight in. Naturally, this lead to me having read thousands of stories by hundreds of authors. Because of this, I can confidently say that The Song of Achilles, is truly a masterpiece, making it my second favorite story of all time (first being William Shakespeare's Macbeth).

I first learned of The Song of Achilles through online comments remarking how great of a story it was; how its romance between Achilles & Patroclus was nothing but genuine and pure. This was enough to convince me to at least read this once because I am always looking for well-written same-sex romance in literature. However, The Song of Achilles was so, so much more than a great love between two men: it was a story of passion, pride, humanity, and tragedy.

I would like to congratulate Madeline Miller for creating an unforgettable story; her writing truly blew away all my expectations for a debut novel. Her prudent choice in making Patroclus the main narrator of the story allowed it to truly flourish. Miller's careful weaving of world-building, meticulous attention to detailing Patroclus' thoughts, emotions, motivations, desire allows her audience to understand Patroclus inside and out. By connecting the reader with Patroclus, it allows us to understand why Patroclus would fall in love with Achilles because we too fall in love with him as well.

But like the reputation that precedes it, the relationship between Achilles & Patroclus is what makes The Song of Achilles stand out. At the beginning, Patroclus holds a mild dislike for Achilles because he is mistrusting of his simple-mindedness. However, this distrust evolves into affection for that simple-mindedness because it allows for Patroclus to experience something that he never had before: comfort and security. From there, the two boys begin a friendship with each other taking delight in the other's differences. And from this, natural moments that come with a strong friendship begin to come off more romantic. Both are afraid, but both decide to take the risk of love, and what ensued was their love affair growing stronger each passing day. The process is slow, but that is what makes this love between the two men so believable. It truly does sound like two friends slowly falling in love.

But of course, every human is subject to faults, even Achilles. Aside from the undeniable love between Achilles & Patroclus, hubris is what makes this story noteworthy. Achilles hubris is his pride: he is lured in by the promise of glory if he were to participate in the Trojan War. So he goes, and Patroclus not wanting to lose Achilles duly follows him into war. The interaction between Achilles & Patroclus after individual battles show the fear that Patroclus has for the inevitable effect that war is having on Achilles. Patroclus is desperate to keep the warm, passionate, kind, caring man that he fell in love with, but Achilles is changing. However, what commences the tragedy is Achilles' pride. After being offended, his pride blocked him from fighting in the war. Without him, the Greek army started to lose the war. Being surrounded by death and hate causes Patroclus to truly question whether Achilles is in the right. However, because Patroclus truly honors Achilles, he makes a desperate act in order to try to help win the war. Posing as Achilles, Patroclus leads the Myrmidons into battle. While successful, Patroclus ends up losing his life to Hector, who Achilles is fated to kill. Upon seeing Patroclus' body, Achilles is sent into a place of pure anguish and rage. He murders Hector and becomes a cold and suicidal man, his only desire to be with Patroclus again. And because Achilles killed Hector, he dies soon after, killed by Paris because it was his fate. But even after Achilles dies, Patroclus is not allowed to rest because his identity has not been honored properly due to the arrogance of Achilles' son, Pyrrhus (like father, like son, huh?) However, Thetis, Achilles' mother visits his grave where Patroclus remains trapped. In the final scene between the two, their complicated relationship (it is no secret that Thetis holds an immense dislike towards Patroclus because of her own prejudices) takes a turn. Going against her emotions, a mother sacrifices her control over her son; Thetis carves Patroclus' name besides Achilles allowing Patroclus to finally be free and join his beloved, Achilles. The book concludes with Patroclus meeting Achilles in the Underworld, reaching for each other's hands in order to explore a freedom that only death was able to grant them.

Even while writing this out, I am still gobsmacked by the utter beauty of this book. Each scene contributes a piece of gold which in turn turns the overall story into something magnificent as a polished diamond. I know I sound like a broken record, but this book is truly remarkable, it's story, message, theme speak for itself. I will always remember my first read of this book with great fondness and I will be recommending this book to friends who also enjoy reading. Thank you, Madeline Miller.

TL;DR: Everyone and their mom should read this book because not only is this story mind-blowing, but that the love between Achilles & Patroclus is a rare instance of REALISTIC, TRUE LOVE. Romeo & Juliet could never.

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