Review by kaydee_reads - The Song of Achilles

kaydee_reads 's review for:

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

5.0

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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: Yes

Miller’s prose and the way she builds her story is so immersive that even though I’ve read the Illiad and knew exactly what was coming, I was still hoping along with Patroclus the entire time - the tension made the story feel fresh and new. The love story is beautiful, even more so because it’s set against the ugliest possible backdrop - the Trojan war. The author does not shy away from the worst parts of Ancient Greece, particularly when it comes to how they treated women, and even though that made some moments tough to read, it also kept the book from overly elevating the war into an epic achievement. Instead, the war comes off the way war should - ugly, pointless, and full of posturing and pride. That Patroclus, who is gentle and kind, is the narrator, only underscores this point further. Overall, I loved it, and read it in a day.

Content Warnings