A review by emergencily
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

4.0

• a retelling of the iliad with a focus on the relationship between achilles & patroclus, told through patroclus' POV
• some really beautiful & moving lines within the book, but at times the prose can lean towards the melodramatic and come off as “tumblr prose.” It overall has a YA novel vibe that feels like some quotes were made to be posted on tumblr
• i know it's from patroclus' POV, but i wished for a bit more insight into achilles to flesh out his character. so much of what we see of him and their relationship is through patroclus' loving gaze, and this devotional skew ends up flattening the development of their relationship in the first half of the book
• achilles' greatest flaws are his hubris and quickness to anger. these qualities are brought out by the war, but his escalation into willfully cruel arrogance, no matter the cost to human life, feels too abrupt without enough enough groundwork laid out earlier throughout the book
• The last part of the book is the strongest, when you finally see some friction in their relationship as achilles is drawn into his vain pursuit of glory and as patroclus becomes his own person, forming bonds and a purpose outside of achilles. it's also when achilles begins to feel more believable as a nuanced, flawed person, and you get a sense of his emotional state and deep attachment to patroclus that feels tangible
• ultimately this is a moving love story that will scoop out ur insides

“And perhaps it is the greater grief, after all, to be left on earth when another is gone. Do you think?”
“Perhaps,” Achilles admitted.
I listened and did not speak. Achilles’ eyes were bright in the firelight, his face drawn sharply by the flickering shadows. I would know it in dark or disguise, I told myself. I would know it even in madness.