The Song of Achilles

 Synopsis

Achilles, "the best of all the Greeks," son of the cruel sea goddess Thetis and the legendary king Peleus, is strong, swift, and beautiful-- irresistible to all who meet him. Patroclus is an awkward young prince, exiled from his homeland after an act of shocking violence. Brought together by chance, they forge an inseparable bond, despite risking the gods' wrath.

They are trained by the centaur Chiron in the arts of war and medicine, but when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, all the heroes of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows. Little do they know that the cruel Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice.

Loved

• Patroclus. Ironically Patroclus was one of the only people in this story I hadn't heard of, but he was definitely the kindest, most genuine, and by far the most humble of any of the other characters, and in my opinion the real "hero" of the story. How refreshing that the author chose to tell this familiar, bloody, and epic tale through the perspective of a man who can't fight, feels compassion toward everyone, and doesn't have any interest in glory or fame. Seeing the story through Patroclus helps us connect with the big-named characters in a more authentic way as he interacts with the heroes and tries to see the best in them. I think Patroclus deserves much more fame and glory than Achilles or Odysseus or any of the other hot shots, and I just felt so much for him, especially at the end! *sniff sniff*

• Achilles and Patroclus. This retelling is interesting, because Achilles and Patroclus are lovers, rather than just friends. This made so much sense in the context of the Iliad, because why else would Achilles care so much about protecting Patroclus, when thousands of other men he had fought with are dying around him? I loved their relationship because we got to know Achilles through Patroclus, which means we grow to love him as Patroclus does. Instead of Achilles being a major jock who can't see past blood and battle, Achilles is a portrayed as loyal, thoughtful, compassionate, and not even interested in blood until it comes to vengeance. Their tenderness toward each other provides a fascinating foil to their blood-thirsty, merciless, and fairly savage world.

• The Iliad. I remember reading the Iliad in ninth grade and I absolutely loved it. I remember thinking it was so fascinating and I loved the heroes, the battles, and the epic-ness of it all. This reimagining of the classic delivered all of those elements, but was so much richer because it gave the story heart. Instead of just heroes throwing a spear on a battlefield, these became real people with motives, insecurities, and loved ones they want to protect. It's also fun to have a front-row seat to the details of the epic tale, and seeing it all unfold as someone experiencing it, rather than someone telling about it years later.

• The writing. Wow- I can't believe Madeline Miller is a high school teacher and just whipped out this masterpiece. Her writing is lyrical- the kind of sentences I can imagine someone singing as they share this epic tale in Ancient Greece. She has the ability to be concise and poignant, but also use imagery that is just beautiful. I feel like taking on a Homer epic requires some pretty dang good writing, and Miller nails it!

• The ending. Ahhhhh, I won't say anything to spoil it- and you already know kindof what happens from The Iliad, but wow. It blew me away and pulled at my heartstrings- which again attests to the story that we get attached enough to the characters to have our heartstring pulled, because in The Iliad we aren't truly invested in anyone since we don't know them well enough.

Didn't Love

• I will say the story is a little slow. It's not action-packed most of the time, and much of it is character and relationship development. I saw some complaints on Goodreads that the story was boring, and I didn't think it was boring at all, but it definitely is slower paced.

Content

• Language: 
• Two uses of "F***."
• Multiple uses of "damn" and "hell."

• Sexual content: 
• One fairly graphic sex scene between Patroclus and Achilles. Described in detail.
• Many references to their sexual relationship and attraction to each other.
• A sex scene between Patroclus and a woman. Described in detail.
• References to erections and masturbation.
• Many, many references to women being raped and being sold as sex slaves. Lewd jokes and men constantly talking about ravishing and taking women.

• Violence
• LOTS of violence. 
• Much of the book takes place during war, so many people get killed and wounded through being stabbed, punctured with an arrow, or getting speared. 
• Lots of battle injuries described as they are being treated.
• A man sacrifices his daughter to the gods by slitting her throat.
• A boy accidentally kills another boy by throwing him down on some rocks.
• Some references to women and children being killed at the end of the war.
• Many women are taken as spoils of war and are raped, some killed.


• Other themes: 
• LGBTQ: Patroclus and Achilles, the two main characters are lovers and they have to hide their relationship from everyone since they are expected to "take" women and have children. Their relationship is sexually described.
• Women: Ancient Greece is so fascinating, but also so hard to read about because women were treated so badly. In this story we get constant references to women being raped, sold, and treated as objects. They are not respected and are expected to be completely submissive to anything a man wants from them.

Overall Thoughts

Wow, what a moving and powerful story. I was excited to read this because I remember loving the battles, gods, heroes, and legends of the Iliad- and we definitely get all of that in this retelling. However, this story also gives us heart, character development, and an emotional attachment to these events. We get to experience The Iliad through someone who hates fighting and loves deeply- which gives the events of Trojan War so much more depth- especially as we grow to love Achilles. Rather than following with the glory and fame themes of the Iliad, this story is about sacrifice, loyalty, and integrity- delivered with the same amount of epic-ness, and beautiful, quality writing. It deserves a spot on your shelf right next to Homer's classic!