No book has made me cry as much as the Song of Achilles had. The novel is so beautifully written, the story and flow is perfect. The novel follows the life of Patroclus and how he meets his childhood friend and lover Achilles. It follows the Trojan war, about how and why it started. The first half of the book is about Patroclus, how he is cast away from home, how he meets and befriends Achilles. It follows how they grow up together, and train for war. It talks about Achilles and his family, and his connection to gods. However, most importantly it follows how the two fall in love. The second half takes place outside of Troy. It shows what war is like, how if tears people apart, how greedy others can be. The book is accurate to the actual story of the Trojan war, including the same people and places, and is accurate about how certain came to occur.
The Song of Achilles is a masterpiece in my opinion. I went into the story knowing how it ended in tragedy, yet still it gave me hope everything would be fine. Reading passages of how the two love each other brings me to tears. I highly recommend this book to anyone who knows the story of Achilles and those just getting into Greek mythology. It’s a great book for any LGBTQ+ teens, and anyone who wants to be completely immersed into ancient Greek history. I rate this book a 5 out of 5