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Review
`Many thanks for sending me Madeline Miller's The Song of Achilles. I found it a real page-turner. It's a gripping narrative and vividly told. The fighting is very well described and that's hard to pull off. It's also an interesting take on Homer and the author obviously knows the poem and the period. I'm sure it will be a huge success.' --Charles Palliser
'Mary Renault lives again! A ravishingly vivid and convincing version of one of the most legendary of love stories.'
--Emma Donoghue - author of no 1 bestseller ROOM
`I so much enjoyed The Song of Achilles. I kept harking backing to the years I spent reading Homer in the original Greek for Classical Honour Moderations at Oxford! If I had read the Song of A before or during that time, that whole mighty effort would have been transformed into something much more meaningful. I am not sure I even worked out, back in 1959, that Achilles and Patroclus were lovers! Now I feel that I know almost everything there is to know!' --Stanley Johnson
"The Song of Achilles is at once a scholar's homage to The Iliad and startlingly original work of art by an incredibly talented new novelist. Madeline Miller has given us her own fresh take on the Trojan war and its heroes. The result is a book I could not put down." --Ann Patchett
"The Iliad turns on Achilles' pride and his relationship with Patroclus, but Homer is sparing with the personal--so much so that, though we believe in their friendship, we do not understand it. The Song of Achilles brings light to their love. This is a beautiful book." --Zachary Mason, author of The Lost Books of the Odyssey
`To rewrite Homer's Iliad as a modern novel was a bold move - but it has paid off superbly. I read this book awestruck with admiration for the quality of its writing, its narrative pace and its imaginative depth. If I were to give a prize for the best work of fiction I've read this year, this would be the runaway winner. As a first novel, it heralds the arrival of a major new talent.'
--A.N. Wilson
'I loved the book. The language was timeless, the historical details were slipped in perfectly. I hope Song of Achilles becomes part of the high school summer reading lists alongside Penelopiad.'
----Helen Simonson
'Mary Renault lives again! A ravishingly vivid and convincing version of one of the most legendary of love stories.'
--Emma Donoghue - author of no 1 bestseller ROOM
`I so much enjoyed The Song of Achilles. I kept harking backing to the years I spent reading Homer in the original Greek for Classical Honour Moderations at Oxford! If I had read the Song of A before or during that time, that whole mighty effort would have been transformed into something much more meaningful. I am not sure I even worked out, back in 1959, that Achilles and Patroclus were lovers! Now I feel that I know almost everything there is to know!' --Stanley Johnson
"The Song of Achilles is at once a scholar's homage to The Iliad and startlingly original work of art by an incredibly talented new novelist. Madeline Miller has given us her own fresh take on the Trojan war and its heroes. The result is a book I could not put down." --Ann Patchett
"The Iliad turns on Achilles' pride and his relationship with Patroclus, but Homer is sparing with the personal--so much so that, though we believe in their friendship, we do not understand it. The Song of Achilles brings light to their love. This is a beautiful book." --Zachary Mason, author of The Lost Books of the Odyssey
`To rewrite Homer's Iliad as a modern novel was a bold move - but it has paid off superbly. I read this book awestruck with admiration for the quality of its writing, its narrative pace and its imaginative depth. If I were to give a prize for the best work of fiction I've read this year, this would be the runaway winner. As a first novel, it heralds the arrival of a major new talent.'
--A.N. Wilson
'I loved the book. The language was timeless, the historical details were slipped in perfectly. I hope Song of Achilles becomes part of the high school summer reading lists alongside Penelopiad.'
----Helen Simonson
Product Description
Greece in the age of Heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the kingdom of Phthia. Here he is nobody, just another unwanted boy living in the shadow of King Peleus and his golden son, Achilles. Achilles, 'best of all the Greeks', is everything Patroclus is not - strong, beautiful, the child of a goddess - and by all rights their paths should never cross. Yet one day, Achilles takes the shamed prince under his wing and soon their tentative companionship gives way to a steadfast friendship. As they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into something far deeper - despite the displeasure of Achilles's mother Thetis, a cruel and deathly pale sea goddess with a hatred of mortals. Fate is never far from the heels of Achilles. When word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, the men 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, Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows Achilles into war, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they have learned, everything they hold dear. And that, before he is ready, he will be forced to surrender his friend to the hands of Fate. Profoundly moving and breathtakingly original, this rendering of the epic Trojan War is a dazzling feat of the imagination, a devastating love story, and an almighty battle between gods and kings, peace and glory, immortal fame and the human heart.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Trojan War - bought to life,
By
This review is from: The Song of Achilles (Hardcover)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
The Song of Achilles is the first novel by Madeline Miller. It tells the story of the loving relationship between Achilles and the exiled Prince Patroclus. After accidently killing another boy, Patroclus is exiled to Phthia, which is the kingdom of King Peleus. There he is brought up alongside the King's son Achilles, who is also the son of the sea goddess Thetis. Achilles takes shy, awkward Patroclus under his wing and they develop a deep and what becomes a lifetime, friendship. A few years on, Helen of Sparta is kidnapped and taken to Troy and this is the cause of the legendary Trojan War. Achilles, strong, swift and skilled in the arts of war, becomes the great hope for the many armies who come together for this war. Patroclus fears for Achilles and cannot bear to be parted from his friend, so together they journey to a war that is to last many years. I have to say that this is a spectactular retelling of this classic tale. Madeline Miller has produced a moving, magical account of the famous war, focusing mainly on the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus. Her beautifully worded narrative brings the story to vivid life and I enjoyed reading it immensely. Recommended.
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A love short but glorious,
By Selene (New Zealand) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Song of Achilles (Hardcover)
Those who pick up this novel expecting the sort of rousing martial adventure usually associated with the name Achilles will be in for a shock. This is a same-sex love story; achingly tender and as fraught with fate as that of Romeo and Juliet.Patroclus is used to being a disappointment. His father is "a king and the son of kings", but his son is scrawny and unprepossessing: "I was not fast. I was not strong. I could not sing". The ideal son is like handsome, athletic Achilles, a boy his own age who takes the winner's garland at the games held by Patroclus' father. "His father comes to claim him, smiling and proud. My own father watches in envy. He turns to me. `That is what a son should be.' I watch King Peleus embrace his son. I see the boy toss the garland in the air, and catch it again. He is laughing, and his face is bright with victory." Little wonder that when he's exiled to King Peleus' court at the age of ten, Patroclus bitterly resents charismatic, golden-haired Achilles with his preternatural skills and admiring sycophants. No one is more surprised than Patroclus when Achilles chooses him as his companion. Achilles recognizes a kindred-spirit, he too is lonely - who can a prince trust? As their cautious alliance develops into true friendship, Patroclus blossoms; for the first time in his life he has someone who values him, cares about him. The two grow up together, inseparable, and during three carefree years spent studying in isolation with the wise centaur Chiron, they become lovers as well as friends. But inevitable war with Troy brings an end to their idyll, and Patroclus must watch his soul-mate fulfill his implacable destiny as "the greatest warrior of his generation". Their love remains steadfast, though as Achilles grows increasingly ruthless and iron-hearted, it will be tested. Patroclus recalls Odysseus' warning words: "He is a weapon, a killer. Do not forget it. You can use a spear as a walking stick, but that will not change its nature." There is no sense of fantasy about Miller's Bronze Age world. That gods walk among men is a reality taken as a given, if an unnerving and sometimes terrifying one. "The Song of Achilles" is a gem of a story, luminous and engaging, written with spare elegance and a heart-breaking ending which had me sniffling on cue. I loved it, but (and here I step into politically incorrect territory), I would - I'm a woman. Women will adore this tale. Irrespective of the gender of the lovers, it's pure, classic romance of the all-consuming sort which tragedy makes deathless - a love that time will never reduce to a state of comfortable mediocrity. Did it ring true for me? Not with total conviction. Miller's Patroclus is thoughtful and caring, a healer. He has no inclination or aptitude for fighting and avoids it where possible. Let's face it, however disarming, he's frankly a bit of a nerd, a sensitive New Age Achaean. I had difficulty reconciling him with the image I take from the "Iliad" of a companion who is sword-brother as well as heart-brother. Can I see this Patroclus donning Achilles' armour and flying into a battle frenzy, killing all in his path and attacking the very walls of Troy? Not really. Maybe I have to believe that he has stepped out of character at the will of the gods so that events can fall as predicted? The wonderful thing about the great, enduring stories like the "Iliad" is that they can be endlessly reinvented and interpreted in fresh ways. This is a very different vision, the quintessentially masculine world of the "Iliad" seen through the soft-focus lens of a romantic female sensibility; compelling, but at times disconcertingly alien.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well written, but...,
By
This review is from: The Song of Achilles (Hardcover)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
This book is very well-written and very involving in places but I did have my reservations about it. Patroclus's narrative voice is believable and gives a convincing account of his childhood misfortunes, the events which lead up to the Trojan War and the War itself. I like the depictions of characters like Odysseus and Agamemnon very much, place and mood are very well evoked, and there are some exciting and very interesting episodes.Madeline Miller is very keen to portray the relationship between Patroclus and Achilles as one of deep, enduring love, both spiritual and sexual. Whether or not this is justified by the source texts is arguable, but it is a noble aim. However, what we actually get is long, long periods where Patroclus, moons around after Achilles like a love-sick puppy, to the point that I felt that the author herself was the one in love with Achilles and wasn't going to miss an opportunity to write a beautifully constructed sentence about his muscles, his hair, the curve of his chin or the soles of his feet (which seem to hold an endless fascination for her) and so on, which I eventually found almost unendurably tedious in places. There were sufficient good things about this book to make a three-star rating seem very churlish, but it's only just four stars for me. Many other reviewers here have obviously enjoyed it very much, but I can only give it a qualified recommendation.
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