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A review by katsbooks
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
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
3.5
“And perhaps it is the greater grief, after all, to be left on earth when another is gone.”
“He is half of my soul, as the poets say.”
“I am made of memories.”
I'm really glad I finally read this book. I feel like this book continues to have hype even 10 years after it was published. People really seem to love this book. I genuinely enjoyed my time reading this. The retelling of Achilles from the perspective of Patroclus was really amazing. I love that Madeline Miller has a background in Greek mythology. It was cool to see all the Greek heroes from the Trojan War from a different perspective. And Patroclus is definitely a lesser known hero compared to Achilles or Odysseus.
In general, the novel is about a romantic relationship but I feel like, as a reader, I really got to experience them falling in love. They obviously do, but the writing felt really detached to me. From a literary perspective, I can see how that might have been a conscious choice. It felt like it echoed the original Greek epics. I respect that, however, that really took away from the emotion of the story for me. It also just made everything feel really slow. If you loved this book, I absolutely get why. It's well-written and unique. Despite the critiques, I can appreciate this book and I would definitely recommend it to the right person.
“He is half of my soul, as the poets say.”
“I am made of memories.”
I'm really glad I finally read this book. I feel like this book continues to have hype even 10 years after it was published. People really seem to love this book. I genuinely enjoyed my time reading this. The retelling of Achilles from the perspective of Patroclus was really amazing. I love that Madeline Miller has a background in Greek mythology. It was cool to see all the Greek heroes from the Trojan War from a different perspective. And Patroclus is definitely a lesser known hero compared to Achilles or Odysseus.
In general, the novel is about a romantic relationship but I feel like, as a reader, I really got to experience them falling in love. They obviously do, but the writing felt really detached to me. From a literary perspective, I can see how that might have been a conscious choice. It felt like it echoed the original Greek epics. I respect that, however, that really took away from the emotion of the story for me. It also just made everything feel really slow. If you loved this book, I absolutely get why. It's well-written and unique. Despite the critiques, I can appreciate this book and I would definitely recommend it to the right person.