ldmurdock 's review for:

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
4.75
adventurous challenging emotional sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
 
What a book. Romantic story telling in the old greek style of blunt writing. first impression was this is action packed and fast and it didnt stop but at the same time some interpersonal conflicts were drawn out , a super plot driven book, yet all the characters were super well developped. somehow even though they are based on thousand of years ago, they are super believable and relateable even the evil ones 
I really loved the language and way the words flowed. like i never read a modern book that was able to encapsulate this historical flow. 

Favourite parts: 
  • Patroculus character developpment and death
  • Expectations and confusion in achilles
  • gay romace
  • story telling from the purgatory - switch of narrative was so cool
  • retelling of the illiad
  • ending
  • fight scenes and description of wars
  • chiron, brieses
  • the conlfict when achilles was going to have the brieses killed
  • kind of the death of argmenoms daughter
  • chiron training gave me percy jackson vibes
  • odyseus was really cool i want to read the odysey
  • when he had to dress like a girl and have a baby with the princess

Least favourite parts
 
  • achilles death
  • how many just plain mean characters
  • i felt like becuase there was so many sub plot, i got lost - was the main theme the trojan war or achilles
  • fate vs free will is a weird theme in this - becuase dieties are real - how much can you really change

Themes
 
  • love, debate abotu what love means, love vs morals,
  • purpose of honour pride and legacy within achilles
  • masculinity espeically as gay
  • ethics of war

I found it weird at the start this like undying love patroclus had for achilles. I felt like the book was going to turn and be like this you trauma bonded because you just killled someone nad got exiled