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A review by ashleigheva
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
5.0
i originally gave this 4 stars and i honestly don't know if i was swayed by seeing other people's reviews or if if was a genuine change of heart
so perhaps a 4.5/5!
i REALLY ENJOYED THIS like i mean i was relishing every bite of this like a it was a bowl of warm stew on a rainy day oh my god
the language is absolutely stunning. the descriptiveness is always done with such precise intention— it never feels contrived, it never feels overdrawn
the abstractness of a lot of these descriptions is part of what makes them so effective in aiding the reader's understanding of achilles as a character, while also alluding to patroclus' unchanging high regard of achilles. it makes achilles' charismatic presence so much more validated, and also, gosh i don't know how to put it into words coherently, but just fits him like glove
something else i absolutely adored was how self assured both achilles and patroclus are
patroclus will respond with insecurity when the situation legitimately calls for it, but otherwise, they both serve as a huge breath of fresh air from the tendency of self deprecation that i and too many others fall into
aside from achilles' gradual spiral into astounding arrogance, i think the sort of self assurance and confidence shown was a huge joy for me to see
it sort of addressed my own personal fear of having self confidence seem cocky
speaking of achilles' degeneration, i think this was executed marvellously
we see the little tendencies achilles begins to conveniently acquire, along with patroclus' hushed thoughts, until it eventually culminates in achilles' petty decision to refuse to fight in the war
it didn't feel like an out of character, jarring moment because we were long made privy to the ever evolving streak of brutality that achilles bore
also today a friend said "oh i heard that book is really sad" and i was slightly confused but hm yeah i don't think it's send more so as bittersweet? and i was so surprised i didn't cry
but man at the last page tho?
ngl i teared up :")
oh also i absolutely love how they address pride in this
one of my favourite video games has this quote "what use is pride?" and i don't know i guess i think that pride is just such a uniquely complex concept that deserves to be picked apart more
wow i really just keep coming back to add more and more to this incoherent list but patroclus!!???!? the sweetest soul ever
so much compassion, empathy, understanding, emotional maturity
seriously what an absolute gem
so perhaps a 4.5/5!
i REALLY ENJOYED THIS like i mean i was relishing every bite of this like a it was a bowl of warm stew on a rainy day oh my god
the language is absolutely stunning. the descriptiveness is always done with such precise intention— it never feels contrived, it never feels overdrawn
the abstractness of a lot of these descriptions is part of what makes them so effective in aiding the reader's understanding of achilles as a character, while also alluding to patroclus' unchanging high regard of achilles. it makes achilles' charismatic presence so much more validated, and also, gosh i don't know how to put it into words coherently, but just fits him like glove
something else i absolutely adored was how self assured both achilles and patroclus are
patroclus will respond with insecurity when the situation legitimately calls for it, but otherwise, they both serve as a huge breath of fresh air from the tendency of self deprecation that i and too many others fall into
aside from achilles' gradual spiral into astounding arrogance, i think the sort of self assurance and confidence shown was a huge joy for me to see
it sort of addressed my own personal fear of having self confidence seem cocky
speaking of achilles' degeneration, i think this was executed marvellously
we see the little tendencies achilles begins to conveniently acquire, along with patroclus' hushed thoughts, until it eventually culminates in achilles' petty decision to refuse to fight in the war
it didn't feel like an out of character, jarring moment because we were long made privy to the ever evolving streak of brutality that achilles bore
also today a friend said "oh i heard that book is really sad" and i was slightly confused but hm yeah i don't think it's send more so as bittersweet? and i was so surprised i didn't cry
but man at the last page tho?
ngl i teared up :")
oh also i absolutely love how they address pride in this
one of my favourite video games has this quote "what use is pride?" and i don't know i guess i think that pride is just such a uniquely complex concept that deserves to be picked apart more
wow i really just keep coming back to add more and more to this incoherent list but patroclus!!???!? the sweetest soul ever
so much compassion, empathy, understanding, emotional maturity
seriously what an absolute gem