The Song of Achilles By Madeline Miller

 

The Song of Achilles

By Madeline Miller

This is a retelling of Greek and Trojan stories of Helen of Troy, her kidnapping, and the war that ensued to get her back, though it appears she didn't want to go back. The book is told from the point of view of Patroclus, a prince who was the aide de camp/companion of Achilles who was the son of the sea goddess Thetis and King Peleus.

Patroclus meets Achilles when he is sent/exiled to Peleus to be brought up. The two young boys become best friends and soon become lovers as Achilles, who is prophesied to be the greatest fighter the world has ever seen, is sent to Chiron to learn the arts of fighting and healing, and to be educated.

When Achilles is called to the war for Helen's rescue (which he first refuses to attend) Patroclus goes with him and the two endure the tragedies of war together.

This was both a romantic love story for the ages and a gruesome war drama full of Greek and Trojan characters we've all heard of, including Menelaus and Odysseus. The writing was exquisite, with some of the most romantic prose I've ever read. I fell in love with this love story. The inevitable end was no less devastating, and Miller led us through it with beauty and grace, holding nothing of the carnage back. The only thing that bothered me about it was the point where Patroclus is still narrating after his demise. Not that it didn't ultimately work, but it was jarring for me as a reader to shift in that way from an alive narrator to a dead one.

I look forward to reading Circe, having heard it is even better that this one. I'm giving The Song of Achilles 4.5 stars.