A review by meganann1310
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

5.0

I have read the story of Achilles and Patroclus many times - in Homer’s Iliad, in Oswald’s poetry, in Malouf’s novel and many, many articles during university - but I did not enjoy any of them the way I enjoyed this. I mostly decided to read it because I loveddddd Circe (reviewed in my previous post) so I wanted to try the debut novel. I’ve always been of the opinion that Achilles and Patroclus were lovers and, though Homer doesn’t ever expressly say they were, I love that Miller isn’t a denier! Achilles’ actions in The Iliad are not the actions of someone who is “just friends” with their “companion” and I love that she makes their romance the focus of this novel. Miller’s tale is wonderful in that it tells the story as we already know it, but is also brand new, with a heart-warming prequel to the events of which we are already familiar, though they are newly exciting in their retelling. Like Circe, it has all the beauty and wonder of an epic, but it’s easy to read. This story will stay with me while I recover from the heartbreak that it caused and, if you like romance and greek mythology, or if you read Circe and loved it, then this is for you.