Book Review - The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Title: The Song of Achilles
Series: -
Author: Madeline Miller
 
Description: 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.
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.
 
Review: “The Song of Achilles” is  a world-wide best-selling novel, with is a retelling of the classic “Iliad” by Homer. Author Madeline Miller focuses on the history of Patroclus and Achilles.
 
The young Prince Patroclus is not a handsome, intelligent boy. His father despises and humiliates him whenever he gets the chance, and when Patroclus accidentally kills a boy, he is banished to the court of King Peleus of Phthia.
 
Patroclus, stands out for his deviant behavior and the King’s son Achilles takes him under his wing. A close friendship develops and the shy, awkward Patroclus conceives a deep love for Achilles, who, as the son of the sea goddess Thetis, has divine grace and strength. When Achilles is sent by hi father to the Centaur Chiron to Complete his education, Patroclus follows him and during the years that follow, the two young men become even more than friends and are inseparable. Even Thetis, by marrying off Achilles, fails to drive a wedge between the two lovers.
 
When the beautiful Helen of Sparta runs away with the Trojan prince Paris, the Greeks, by and alliance, are obliged to declare war on Troy. This is the chance for Achilles to claim what has been promised to him by the gods: that he will gain eternal fame and become immortal. Patroclus, the gentle one, however, is not as quick and agile as the formidable Achilles. He does not want to fight, but neither can he let his beloved Achilles go alone. He follows him into battle, and through his actions, the Trojan War gets a fierce conclusion.
 
Madeline Miller has Patroclus, as the first-person narrator, tell the story. We see Achilles through the admiring eyes of Patroclus, who effortlessly draws the reader in to flow of intense feelings. In this way, Miller manages to give the familiar story an entirely new perspective, showing the events from Patroclus’ point of view.
 
As this being a very popular book, I was curious. Many people on social media recommended it to me and I was intrigued. I understand why people love this book, I’m just not one of them. And that’s simply because this book didn’t capture me. Just like high fantasy, this Greek mythology retelling was a big challenge and I found the story had too slow of a pace and dragged at times. I found the character of Patroclus to dependent on Achilles, when he had many good qualities to make it in the world himself. Madeline Miller’s writing is great, this is a very well written story. And I do have a certain interest in Greek mythology. I think I’d rather listen to my brother stories about this subject (he’s a historian) then read about it in a retelling. I’m so happy for all those people who love this book, and I do understand why they do, but sometimes you’re the minority.
 
Rating: 3/ 5