Goodreads Summary: 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.
Goodreads Rating: 4.36 stars with over 1.1 million ratings
Genre Listing: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Greek Mythology, LGBT+
Goodreads Challenge: 27/30
2023 Reading Challenge: #1 Read a book recommended to you on social media or by a friend (find the entire challenge here)
Book Review:
Hello, Readers! I hope everyone is doing well. It's feeling good to get out of my funk and back into reading and blogging. I've had The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller on my shelf for a while but had yet to pick it up. It's a consistent recommendation in the Facebook book groups for Historical Fiction, so I decided to give it a chance.
The story is narrated by Patroclus, who is bound to the famed Achilles by an oath. Watching their relationship grow from friends to lovers throughout the years was interesting. I thought Achilles was a little self-centered and selfish most of the time, but I felt he could show his true self when it was just him and Patroclus. I don't want to give too much away. I don't think anything would really be a spoiler, but I don't want to take away from the sweetness and poetic ending Madeline Miller provided them. It was so sweet and really made the story come full circle. It was a beautifully told story.
My only issue with this book is that it covered about 20 years; in some places, the story drags on a bit. There's a lot of waiting for the war to actually happen. If you are a reader who needs things to move quickly, that may be a drawback to enjoying the story. It wasn't a massive negative for me. I liked reading about the mythology and the culture. I prefer Circe by the same author I read a few years ago.
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