The Song of Achilles in Around the World

May 29, 2012 Jenny (Reading Envy) rated it really liked it

Shelves: orange-prize, read2012, location-greece, around-the-world, tournament-of-books

I didn't get a chance to read this before it won the Orange Prize for 2012, but this year was a remarkable year for fiction written by women in the countries that qualify for that particular list. I would have been happy to see it go to Esi Edugyan or Anne Enright based on reading their nominated novels, and I haven't had chance to read the Harding or Patchett yet. I don't disagree with the decision to award it to this novel, and even better, this is Madeline Miller's first!

In The Iliad, the cha ...more

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Jun 23, 2019 Astrid Lim rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: literature, romance, lgbt, tragedy, europe, mythology, award-winner

This book is super beautiful!!!!!!! I thought Circe (first book of Madeline Miller that I've read) is good, but this one is incredible!!! Poetic, mesmerizing love story between Achilles and Patroclus. I never read anything about their relationship before so this book is very refreshing to me. The description of their haunting, tragic, but beautiful love story is in contrast with the cruelty, bloody, and chaotic war between Greeks and Trojans. And in the midst of it all, the arrogance of Achilles ...more

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Mar 31, 2020 Kristi rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reading-challenge-2020

Achilles is one of the greatest Greek heroes of all time—and his bond with his friend Patroclus perhaps nearly as well known. In this retelling of Greek mythology, Miller views the charmed life of demi-god Achilles through the eyes of his closest friend, describing how misfortune brought the two together as companions and later as much more. When Achilles is called to fight in the Trojan War, Patroclus goes with him to meet his fate.

** spoilers ahead **

I am a huge fan of Greek mythology but not Achilles is one of the greatest Greek heroes of all time—and his bond with his friend Patroclus perhaps nearly as well known. In this retelling of Greek mythology, Miller views the charmed life of demi-god Achilles through the eyes of his closest friend, describing how misfortune brought the two together as companions and later as much more. When Achilles is called to fight in the Trojan War, Patroclus goes with him to meet his fate.

** spoilers ahead **

I am a huge fan of Greek mythology but not a tremendous fan of Achilles, so I had some mixed feelings about the premise of this novel. It is clear pretty early on in the novel that this is going to be a love story, and that we are going to see Achilles through his besotted friend Patroclus. But to his credit, Patroclus turns out to become progressively more interesting and more able to recognize Achilles's flaws as the novel progresses. Achilles represents the best of men in many ways, but he is also profoundly self-centered—almost reflexively so, to the extent that Patroclus doesn't even consider it a vice until he starts to see how it irrevocably harms people around him. Patroclus becomes less and less willing to turn a blind eye to the negative consequences of Achilles's actions, to the extent that he feels the need to step in and impersonate Achilles in battle despite the fact that he cannot fight at all. So, some of my reservations about reading a book about vain Achilles were essentially remedied by the fact that he is eventually called out for being exactly that.

Miller has an engaging take on The Iliad and imbues many of the characters with their own distinct personalities that aren't necessarily lifted right off the myths—again, many of them come off as profoundly flawed, which to be fair, is the nature of Greek mythology. I would have actually liked to see a bit more of the gods, but there are little windows here and there, which perhaps befits the mortal lens we're looking through.

All in all, an enjoyable read. I look forward to looking at her take on Circe. ...more

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Jul 16, 2019 Erin added it

DNF 😱 How can it be?! I love The Iliad, I love Ancient Greek myth, and it was good writing. So, how did this not grab my attention? I don't have an answer — perhaps I merely picked it up at the wrong time? — but I do know that I made it to 65% and just couldn't push myself further. Library loan got recalled and I just don't have the energy to wait through the 6+ month wait list again. Goodbye, Song of Achilles, I would have loved to love you. ...more

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