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A review by thewordsdevourer
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
this book hurts my heart but it also hurts me to give this 3.5 stars. the song of achilles was a book i read w/ increasing dread and trepidation bc i knew the end would stomp my heart to pieces--which it definitely did--but the rest just didnt completely click w/ me somehow.
totally get that this is a book abt achilles and giving multidimensional life to the man of the myth, but it's narrated by patroclus, and the latter doesnt rly have anything to anchor him. i cant help comparing this to circe, where the main character struggles w/ meaningless immortality; but what does patroclus struggle w/, achilles' impending doom? but then there's also the time before the prophecy's made. somehow it feels like he's just buoyed by the wave that is his philtatos' destiny, going wherever it--and life--brings him. the frequent page breaks also feel chopped sometimes, making the narrative incontinuous. also, how did ppl the world over know of achilles' fighting skills when no one but a secretive handful has ever seen him done so?
nevertheless, this is a book that touches me deeply. the stakes are high and the desperate situation strips the characters to their barest selves, making their emotions and relationships all the more intense. patrochilles are the centerpiece of this novel, and it's gratifying and satisfying--and very tragic, at the end--to see how they each, and together, develop over time. so hugely affecting is their relationship--their devotion to and sacrifices for one another--that it actually makes me think "so this is love". now on to scouring for fanart of my soft gay bbys on the internet.
totally get that this is a book abt achilles and giving multidimensional life to the man of the myth, but it's narrated by patroclus, and the latter doesnt rly have anything to anchor him. i cant help comparing this to circe, where the main character struggles w/ meaningless immortality; but what does patroclus struggle w/, achilles' impending doom? but then there's also the time before the prophecy's made. somehow it feels like he's just buoyed by the wave that is his philtatos' destiny, going wherever it--and life--brings him. the frequent page breaks also feel chopped sometimes, making the narrative incontinuous. also, how did ppl the world over know of achilles' fighting skills when no one but a secretive handful has ever seen him done so?
nevertheless, this is a book that touches me deeply. the stakes are high and the desperate situation strips the characters to their barest selves, making their emotions and relationships all the more intense. patrochilles are the centerpiece of this novel, and it's gratifying and satisfying--and very tragic, at the end--to see how they each, and together, develop over time. so hugely affecting is their relationship--their devotion to and sacrifices for one another--that it actually makes me think "so this is love". now on to scouring for fanart of my soft gay bbys on the internet.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Moderate: Medical content, Murder, Bullying, Homophobia, and Infidelity
Minor: Blood, Body horror, and Kidnapping