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A review by nataliestorozhenko
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
3.0
“Name one hero who was happy.”
Well, sorry Madeline Miller, but I enjoyed "Circe" more. Mostly because my perception of Achilles and Patroclus had already been formed over the years through "The Iliad" and other pop-culture representations of this story. Although I did not like "The Silence of the Girls", the characters were still portrayed quite close to the original mythology.
Reading this book requires leaving all preconceptions and knowledge behind because this retelling only loosely resembles the original story. There have been whole battles over the internet about this book and how angry it made some classics enthusiasts. But, you should not take this book seriously as a way to preserve the legacy and give more life to the canon. It is just a romance book, not written to solve problems, raise debates, or present breakthrough ideas. It is more like a fan fiction that takes liberties with someone else's characters. As a romance book, it did its job very well. It was quite a page-turner, but not because of the plot, but because it is simply written and easily consumable. I did grieve and shed tears for this far-off version of Patroclus too.
“And perhaps it is the greater grief, after all, to be left on earth when another is gone.”
However, it is just a matter of preference. I favored the original portrayal of Patroclus, who fought alongside Achilles fiercely and made himself a name by killing the best fighter who is second only to Hector. I loved the original portrayal of them as equals and that it was still debated whether they were hinted as lovers. Unfortunately, here Patroclus is portrayed as a weak sidekick who depends on Achilles for everything. The way he stands in the middle of the battle while everyone around him is battling to their death, while Achilles kills everyone around him, is ridiculous. I wonder how he was not killed by his own comrades just to prevent him from being in a way. Nonetheless, I liked that he helped heal the wounded warriors.
Achilles's character is not clear until the very end of the book, except when we see his wounded pride go mad and care only about his "honor". It baffles me why he thought that sending this weak version of Patroclus, who could not fight, instead of himself was a good idea. It would have made sense if Patroclus was as capable as in "The Iliad". But, he willingly sent him to his death and then almost acted surprised when he died.
All the women in the book are portrayed quite poorly. They are either super cold, hysterical, or flat characters. There were good points made about misogyny in other reviews, but this book was not meant to raise those topics, so I will not speak about them. Some faults can be attributed to Patroclus's view as the narration is his POV. Nonetheless, he had good moments like when he tried to help the captured girls.
Overall, it was quite a good read if you understand the purpose of this book. It was a heartbreaking romance with a familiar premise and a somewhat curious spin on Greek mythology. The writing was simple but also quite lyrical. However, I do not think I would return to this book as I think I would prefer dissimilar portrayals of these characters.
“In the darkness, two shadows, reaching through the hopeless, heavy dusk. Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood like a hundred golden urns pouring out of the sun.”
Well, sorry Madeline Miller, but I enjoyed "Circe" more. Mostly because my perception of Achilles and Patroclus had already been formed over the years through "The Iliad" and other pop-culture representations of this story. Although I did not like "The Silence of the Girls", the characters were still portrayed quite close to the original mythology.
Reading this book requires leaving all preconceptions and knowledge behind because this retelling only loosely resembles the original story. There have been whole battles over the internet about this book and how angry it made some classics enthusiasts. But, you should not take this book seriously as a way to preserve the legacy and give more life to the canon. It is just a romance book, not written to solve problems, raise debates, or present breakthrough ideas. It is more like a fan fiction that takes liberties with someone else's characters. As a romance book, it did its job very well. It was quite a page-turner, but not because of the plot, but because it is simply written and easily consumable. I did grieve and shed tears for this far-off version of Patroclus too.
“And perhaps it is the greater grief, after all, to be left on earth when another is gone.”
However, it is just a matter of preference. I favored the original portrayal of Patroclus, who fought alongside Achilles fiercely and made himself a name by killing the best fighter who is second only to Hector. I loved the original portrayal of them as equals and that it was still debated whether they were hinted as lovers. Unfortunately, here Patroclus is portrayed as a weak sidekick who depends on Achilles for everything. The way he stands in the middle of the battle while everyone around him is battling to their death, while Achilles kills everyone around him, is ridiculous. I wonder how he was not killed by his own comrades just to prevent him from being in a way. Nonetheless, I liked that he helped heal the wounded warriors.
Achilles's character is not clear until the very end of the book, except when we see his wounded pride go mad and care only about his "honor". It baffles me why he thought that sending this weak version of Patroclus, who could not fight, instead of himself was a good idea. It would have made sense if Patroclus was as capable as in "The Iliad". But, he willingly sent him to his death and then almost acted surprised when he died.
All the women in the book are portrayed quite poorly. They are either super cold, hysterical, or flat characters. There were good points made about misogyny in other reviews, but this book was not meant to raise those topics, so I will not speak about them. Some faults can be attributed to Patroclus's view as the narration is his POV. Nonetheless, he had good moments like when he tried to help the captured girls.
Overall, it was quite a good read if you understand the purpose of this book. It was a heartbreaking romance with a familiar premise and a somewhat curious spin on Greek mythology. The writing was simple but also quite lyrical. However, I do not think I would return to this book as I think I would prefer dissimilar portrayals of these characters.
“In the darkness, two shadows, reaching through the hopeless, heavy dusk. Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood like a hundred golden urns pouring out of the sun.”