Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Reviewed by: Jasmine gr 11
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 5/5
Song of Achilles is a novel about love, fate, and youth; as Achilles, known as the ‘Best of all Greeks’, and Patroclus, an exiled prince, fight for their love despite all the odds and fate stacked against them. Even though this book is an adaptation of the tale of Achilles and the Trojan war, no prior knowledge about Greek mythology or history is needed, as Madeline Miller expertly teaches the reader along the way. A real highlight of the novel was Madeline Miller's exceptional writing. The entire book, each word and phrase, was beautifully written and thought out. The way Miller sets scenes and describes characters and their bonds, as well as concepts such as friendship, lust, and love, was absolutely whimsical and very romantic. She is able to slowly build the characters through little actions and events throughout the text, allowing you to grow with them and personally experience the feelings of love, grief and so much more. She is able to make the reader feel like they know the characters on a personal level. There were many moments where I had to read a phrase multiple times because it was just so ethereally beautiful and jaw-dropping. There are definitely many quotes from the text that will stick with me forever. Unfortunately, I was not as emotionally affected by the novel as I expected to be; however, that does not take away from the fact that this was a fantastic read. I would recommend this to anyone.