The Song of Achilles
Written by Madeline Miller
Originally published in 2011
~370 pages
Rate: 4.5/5
A spin on the myth of Achilles and the Trojan war. Told from Patroclus' point of view, in this story Achilles and he live majority of their lives together and fall in love.
I am aware this is a spin on the Trojan War and it's probably not accurate. I only knew some information about parts of this story before I read it. I knew about how Helen was the reason for the Trojan War and that Achilles was a demigod, but that was really it. So given my vague understanding of the existing stories, I thought this story was good.
Madeline Miller did a great job depicting all of the characters. Having Patroclus as the main character made the story so much more captivating. By his peers, Patroclus was looked down upon and thought of as stupid, however, throughout the story we can see how much he grows and learns throughout his life. The way he treats the people around him despite his circumstances makes him a very likable character. The way he describes his interactions with others makes those characters just as likable or unlikable because of how observant and descriptive he is about their actions.
The one section of the story that I didn't really like was during the Trojan War. I understand it's importance and it's not like there wasn't anything happening during that part of the story, I just felt bored. But war is war and the Trojan War was very prolonged so the amount of time spent in that circumstance is valid to write about.
The ending was tragic, but incredibly astonishing. I think the way Madeline Miller choose to continue the story despite what had happened was something I'd never read before.
"His trust was apart of him, as much as his hands or his miraculous feet. And despite my hurt, I would not wish to see it gone, to see him as uneasy and fearful as the rest of us, for any price" (135).