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A review by lia_argo
La canción de Aquiles by Madeline Miller
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I tried so hard to like this book. I tried, really. Because I didn't want to be that person who feigns to be "different" by criticizing the book everybody praises.
But honestly, WTF.
This is the book I've seen everywhere as "hearbreaking" and "best love story"?
If this is what people undestand by love now, I'm worried.
The book is narrated by Patroclus in first person.
I liked him. The original one. I'm fond of that kind of simple and nice secondary characters. But this Patroclus is the most unreliable narrator I've ever read. He's treated poorly by his father and has a childhood of believing himself worthless. Then he moves, meets Achilles and looks like there will character development.
Wrong. He's presented as useless and his only trait is how much he admires and loves Achilles. Talking about him all the time to a creepy-fan level, to be honest. Doesn't look creepier because the hero corresponds his affections.
Physically.
Because I've never met two lovers with less chemistry in my life.
For a modern book, I'm suprised about how little direct dialogue we have between characters, specially the two main ones. And barely any real romantic action between them, just Patroclus' monologue.
I still don't undestand that scene between him and Deyanira. Had that involved any other character, I could justify it by the narrator (and thus, the reader) not having access to the character's thoughts. But this is between Deyanira and Patroclus and he IS the NARRATOR.
Another thing that makes no sense to me is the villanification of Thetis. She is written as the most stereotypical evil step-mother from a Disney/fairytale.
And what for? I imagine that, because ⅔ of the story is just them being kids and teens, the book needed some kind of "obstacle". It actually suprised me, to find such a maintream "she's a witch" attitude with Thetis just so the boys have something "against them" before the actual war. Specially with the great work she did with Circe.
If, like me, your favourite part of the book was the events of the Trojan war; read TROY, by Stephen Fry.
Oh, and the Spanish translation is horrible. Outdated and old terms chosen, I believe, to imitate the language used in old scholar works to talk about Ancient Greece mixed with incredibly informal and modern slang terms when writing direct dialogue.
But at least for once, our edition is prettier.
But honestly, WTF.
This is the book I've seen everywhere as "hearbreaking" and "best love story"?
If this is what people undestand by love now, I'm worried.
The book is narrated by Patroclus in first person.
I liked him. The original one. I'm fond of that kind of simple and nice secondary characters. But this Patroclus is the most unreliable narrator I've ever read. He's treated poorly by his father and has a childhood of believing himself worthless. Then he moves, meets Achilles and looks like there will character development.
Wrong. He's presented as useless and his only trait is how much he admires and loves Achilles. Talking about him all the time to a creepy-fan level, to be honest. Doesn't look creepier because the hero corresponds his affections.
Physically.
Because I've never met two lovers with less chemistry in my life.
For a modern book, I'm suprised about how little direct dialogue we have between characters, specially the two main ones. And barely any real romantic action between them, just Patroclus' monologue.
I still don't undestand that scene between him and Deyanira. Had that involved any other character, I could justify it by the narrator (and thus, the reader) not having access to the character's thoughts. But this is between Deyanira and Patroclus and he IS the NARRATOR.
Another thing that makes no sense to me is the villanification of Thetis. She is written as the most stereotypical evil step-mother from a Disney/fairytale.
And what for? I imagine that, because ⅔ of the story is just them being kids and teens, the book needed some kind of "obstacle". It actually suprised me, to find such a maintream "she's a witch" attitude with Thetis just so the boys have something "against them" before the actual war. Specially with the great work she did with Circe.
If, like me, your favourite part of the book was the events of the Trojan war; read TROY, by Stephen Fry.
Oh, and the Spanish translation is horrible. Outdated and old terms chosen, I believe, to imitate the language used in old scholar works to talk about Ancient Greece mixed with incredibly informal and modern slang terms when writing direct dialogue.
But at least for once, our edition is prettier.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Classism
Moderate: Misogyny, Murder, Rape, Child death, Bullying, Grief, Slavery, Racism, Blood, Classism, Infidelity, War, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual content