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caidyn 's review for:
The Song of Achilles
by Madeline Miller
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-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
Bumping up to a full 5 stars!
A full joint review will be posted for this by the end of the month.
4.5/5
One of my favorite movies is Troy. I can’t remember when I first watched it, but all I know was that I was utterly captivated by the story. Stealing a wife, the retribution to come. The way the gods played their roles. Achilles and his downfall, centered around Patroclus. I mean, that movie was beautifully made and Josh Groban’s song, to this day, makes me tear up on so many levels. So, when Chantel proposed to read this book together, I jumped on it because I’ve been meaning to read it for years.
The foreshadowing that Miller gave throughout the book was utterly gorgeous. I caught every line and every line made my heart hurt because I knew what was going to happen and what was coming. The way she worked the language of the book was fantastic, leaving me with so many memorable quotes that I can’t really pick one without having to include a whole slew of others.
It’s one of those books that took something highly marginalized in The Iliad -- the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus; something the movie took and spun them as cousins -- and highlighted what the reality likely was. Basically, it takes something that is super heteronormative after years of washing the gay away and all the commentaries that say nothing was there and even a movie that added in a straight romance plot for Achilles and that this was normal between male friends during this time period, then turned it into a great LGBT+ book.
Honestly, I was worried that the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus would feel forced. That it would really feel tacked on and that it wouldn’t flow. The last thing I wanted was for it to overshadow the actual story and to cause more angst and drama about it. Yet, Miller integrated it so well that I could barely tell where the myth began and her story started. While building their relationship was the focus for 50% of the book, it never felt awkward and, I have to say, I was almost shouting at them to kiss at some points until they actually did. By the end, they were an old married couple with grievances and pains that welled up but they still loved each other despite the things they hated about one another.
While there were things I didn’t exactly enjoy about it -- I thought the last few chapters could have been shortened to just one and they were a bit awkward to read -- this book is a solid 4.5 for me.
A full joint review will be posted for this by the end of the month.
4.5/5
One of my favorite movies is Troy. I can’t remember when I first watched it, but all I know was that I was utterly captivated by the story. Stealing a wife, the retribution to come. The way the gods played their roles. Achilles and his downfall, centered around Patroclus. I mean, that movie was beautifully made and Josh Groban’s song, to this day, makes me tear up on so many levels. So, when Chantel proposed to read this book together, I jumped on it because I’ve been meaning to read it for years.
The foreshadowing that Miller gave throughout the book was utterly gorgeous. I caught every line and every line made my heart hurt because I knew what was going to happen and what was coming. The way she worked the language of the book was fantastic, leaving me with so many memorable quotes that I can’t really pick one without having to include a whole slew of others.
It’s one of those books that took something highly marginalized in The Iliad -- the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus; something the movie took and spun them as cousins -- and highlighted what the reality likely was. Basically, it takes something that is super heteronormative after years of washing the gay away and all the commentaries that say nothing was there and even a movie that added in a straight romance plot for Achilles and that this was normal between male friends during this time period, then turned it into a great LGBT+ book.
Honestly, I was worried that the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus would feel forced. That it would really feel tacked on and that it wouldn’t flow. The last thing I wanted was for it to overshadow the actual story and to cause more angst and drama about it. Yet, Miller integrated it so well that I could barely tell where the myth began and her story started. While building their relationship was the focus for 50% of the book, it never felt awkward and, I have to say, I was almost shouting at them to kiss at some points until they actually did. By the end, they were an old married couple with grievances and pains that welled up but they still loved each other despite the things they hated about one another.
While there were things I didn’t exactly enjoy about it -- I thought the last few chapters could have been shortened to just one and they were a bit awkward to read -- this book is a solid 4.5 for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief