A review by mrlukens
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

5.0

Homer's Iliad begins, "Sing, goddess, the anger of Peleus' son Achilleus and its devastation..." Madeline Miller shows us the Greek hero Achilles BEFORE he was consumed by devastating rage. A well-loved son of a human father and a water nymph/goddess, both of whom adore and protect him, Achilles never knows want or frustration. A prince, the son of a powerful king, he receives easy deference from everyone. As a beautiful boy, he is universally admired. He is undeniably the best warrior of his or any generation, a fate that had been predicted for him. So what does he have to be enraged about? His companion Patroclus, the narrator of "The Song of Achilles," makes it plain how the golden boy blessed by fate at every turn becomes a man whose towering rage knows no limit. Madeline Miller makes the world of ancient Greece leap to life.