when i die and they open me up, they will find this story engraved on my heart. its been nearly 12 hours since i finished this and i still am at a loss for words at the beauty of this book. i dont think i have ever read anything as gorgeous as this and nothing i write will even come close to describing its loveliness. truly, a touching masterpiece. and i will forever be singing its praises until the end of my days. 5 stars

It's pretty hard to mess up The Iliad, and Madeline Miller's magical narration and unique perspective definitely don't. She manages to tell the tale from angles never before seen and put a fresh spin on one of the best known stories of all time. On top of being mostly accurate, what Madeline Miller does especially well is make this story accessible to anyone. A lot of the sybolisms that make The Iliad great are easy to miss, but in this version, that's not the case. And the way she structures sentences, and the words she chooses, the way she has her characters speak--everything about it has this transportive property to it, that takes you back 3000 years to classical Greece.But it's not without the flaws of a 3000 year-old story. Like the voyage from Mycenae to Anatolia, the start is rough but well worth it for the epic ending. The way Madeline Miller closes this tale is ESPECIALLY brilliant. It makes it clear why The Iliad might be best told from the eyes of Achilles and Patroclus. There's a relationship between these two characters, particularly Achilles' pride and how Patroclus handles it, that is so ingrained in this epic, it seems strange that the story hasn't been told from this perspective before.The problem, though, with this version is that, from the way Patroclus is portrayed, it's hard to see what draws Achilles to him until the end. He's seemingly just an uncoordinated hot messy accidental murderer, until out of left field he becomes the forgotten hero of the Trojan War, the true Aristos Achaion. There's not much growth for Patroclus: where one second he is a buffoon, the next he simply is not. Until that switch, for about 95% of the story, the relationship between Patroclus and Achilles that holds this tale together seems wildly unrealistic--the worst kind of InstaLove, the kind without reason.On top of that, the MOST important part of the story--the battle between Achilles and Hector--falls short. Since the perspective comes from Achilles/Patroclus, it leaves out some majorly important characters: Helen and Hector and Priam and Paris. To me, that side of the story is necessary for The Iliad to have all its deserved glory.All that said, experiencing the story from this angle was truly unique and awesome, and I'm so glad that I did.

I feel so much. And perhaps my emotions are not my own this time? Madeline Miller for sure implanted them deep inside of me, without my consent, and now I'm urging her to withdraw them, or I will not be able to sleep through the night.It took me a month to read this book, as I needed to take multiple breaks during the experience that is The Song of Achilles. I was about to curse the lyricism for welling too many emotions inside my body, too often, and therefore thwarting my reaching the ending in less than a month, but then I discovered that it took the author ten years to write this book, so my unreasonable annoyance subsided, ha-ha. Dear readers, brace yourself as you open the first page. This is unlike anything Ive ever read before. It certainly is grander than I expected it to be, and the love story a thousand times more poignant. Plus, since I had no prior knowledge of Achilles bloody story, this was all the more surprising to me. And now I crave mythology like I crave book mail. Patroclus deserves to become a Greek god, although that was never his fate. What I mean by that is that he is compassionate, brave, strong, wise and worth hailing every quality I believe a god should possess. Achilles, on the other hand, however mortal he may be and so prone to weakness of judgement and power, is harder to connect with. But he is impressive and, ultimately, good, thats for sure. I am pleased to have read this book, because now I can discuss about the book and the two very discussable characters Achilles and Patroclus that make this story so formidable. I cannot wait to hear the thoughts of everyone in my entourage that has read it.Blog | Youtube | Twitter | Instagram | Google+ | Bloglovin

A new take on the Iliad, written by a high school classics teacher -- how could I not read this? The Song of Achilles retells the story of Greece's greatest hero from the point of view of his best friend Patroclus. The big twist: Madeline Miller casts the story as a romance between Achilles and Patroclus. While staying true to Greek legends and the works of Homer, Miller creatively and convincingly fills in the blanks, giving Patroclus a back story that makes perfect sense, and tracing the friendship, and eventual romance, between the two young men in a way that casts a new light on the human side of the Trojan War.I always found Achilles to be an unsympathetic character -- a brat, a bully, a big-headed jerk who knows he's the star player on the team and throws a tantrum if he gets put on the bench. Miller shows his unattractive qualities, but she also shows that Achilles is human. He's capable of love. He's deeply conflicted. He has a sense of humor and a gentle side. We see him through Patroclus's eyes, growing from a privileged child to a sensitive teen to a young man struggling to balance his personal feelings with the expectations of an entire country. If you've read the Iliad, you know that the story will have a tragic end, but it's also strangely uplifting and hopeful. I'll never be able to read about these characters the same way again, and that's a good thing. Reading The Song of Achilles put a new light on this ancient story. It was like watching a really good interpretation of a Shakespeare play. You think you know the story, but you're surprised to find how many layers of new meaning can be brought out by a smart production.The book is certainly appropriate for YA and up. The prose is elegant in its simplicity. Miller gives Patroclus a Hemmingway-like directness. I read a New York Times review of this book which I thought patently unfair, complaining that the style made the book seem like a fast-food version of the Iliad. I think this misses the whole point of the story. Patroclus's mission in The Song of Achilles is to cut through the legend of the hero and show us the mortal side of demigod. He doesn't want the pompous metaphors and flowery hyperbole of a war epic to bury Achilles's other qualities -- his tenderness, his insecurity, his honesty and lack of guile. The Song of Achilles can serve as an excellent introduction or counterpoint to the study of the Iliad. It certainly made the story new and vibrant for me, despite how many times I've read Homer.

Madeline Miller did what the movie producers of the film Troy (2004) were too cowardly to do; she stayed true to the homosexuality of Homers Iliad rather than writing a censored version of the story which stank of homophobia. Achilles and Patroclus were passionately in love, which resulted in their respective destructions. They were not cousins or man at arms, but soul mates. The watering down of this in the film Troy was an insult to the LGBT community. Nothing more. Nothing less. The attraction between these two men wasnt something that was rushed and squandered. It was built up, ever so slowly, and delivered eloquently. The two were friends from boyhood, and Patroclus was enamoured by Achilles after just one glance. He didnt want to be parted from him. The two grew up together, they fought together, they learnt together and they developed together. They became inseparable and reliant on each other. Their sexual relationship just matured as they did it; it was the most natural thing in the world. Like all relationships, there were issues. The two werent without their differences. They clashed and quarrelled but only because they truly cared for each other. Patroclus wanted to end the war, and Achilles didnt think the fight was worthy of his name: he wanted a bigger war to fight in. So, Patroclus, in his most bravest and stupid move goes against his lovers wish and tries to end the war with a stroke of his sword. But he is no Achilles: he is not a god of war. He was out of his depth, outmatched and doomed. It could only end in tragedy - "Achilles Laments the Death of Patroclus" 1767. Ive not included a spoiler warning because everybody knows the story of Homers Iliad. Well, at least, I hope they do! Following the traditional narrative arc, Achilles goes on a mad rampage to avenge the death of his beloved. In the process he simultaneously destroys and immortalises himself. He got what he wanted, but not in the way he wanted it. I love the way the author wrote this, I could really feel the desperate rage of an Achilles who had lost the only thing that mattered to him in the world. Im so glad the author didnt deviate from the suggestions of homosexuality that were present in Homers writing. This would have failed dramatically had she done so. There would have been no power, and, again, like the film Troy it would have been abysmal. The romance plot in here is one of the truest and believable Ive read to date: it was strong and real. However, this is not to downplay the other aspects of the story. It is driven by romance, but it is not defined by it. There is also a story of growth, and the story of warrior who is out to prove his strength and honour in a world driven by war. He just happens to like guys. A strong four stars p.s- Ive purposely avoided images of the movie Troy in this review. Anybody who has seen it and read this book really shouldnt be putting the two side by side, at least, not if they want to make their review fair. One is an insult to the story, the other a novelisation of a timeless classic.Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Academia