A review by farbooksventure
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

WOW. Okay, first thing first...

A personal confession: The Song of Achilles is one of those books that I grow weary of over time, thanks to its immense popularity. I avoid it completely for a while. Eventually read random pages out of curiosity some time later. But, in the end never actually get around to read the whole thing.

Years later I decided to give this book another chance after I watched Ellias' video of it on 2021. I think I get it now... My appreciation of it is quite mild in comparison to another fellow reader, but I understand why so many people feel so strongly about the book. The tragedy of Achilles & Patrolus finally gets to me in the end. Even though I know what's going to happen for the most part, the pain & the emotion is still there.

I blow through the last part of The Song of Achilles because I'm so invested. This is definitely my favorite part out of the entirety of the book because the drama never end & it's painfully satisfying to read.

The writing style is not something that I would necessarily seek on daily basis, but it fits the story it's trying to tell. Miller does a pretty good job at making this epic story accessible, in my opinion. I still struggle because there are so many names, but the author doesn't make it difficult for the reader to be immerse in the story. A compliment is also in order for the audiobook narrator for bringing these characters alive.

Overall, I'm glad I give The Song of Achilles another try. It doesn't really get into my all-time favorite reads, but it's still a fun read in the end.

Ps. This is the closest I would get to read The Illiad in the near future 🙃