The Song of Achilles

by Madeline Miller

Hardcover, 416 pages

English language

Published Nov. 7, 2012 by Ecco Press.

ISBN:: 978-0-06-206061-7
OCLC Number:: 773303923

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.

31 editions

𝓣aarion 📕 reviewed Das Lied des Achill by Madeline Miller

Neue Perspektive auf die Ilias

3 stars

Ein neuer Blick auf Achilleus in einer neuen Perspektive. Der griechische Held wird menschlicher beschrieben als von Homer. Sein geliebter Patroklos dient als Erzähler der Geschichte.

Im Gegensatz zu "Ich bin Circe" der gleichen Autorin bin ich aber mit dem Buch nicht richtig warm geworden. Ich weiß aber nicht warum. Sprachlich ist es gut geschrieben. Allerdings hätte ich das Buch mit dem Tod Patroklos abgeschlossen und ihn nicht noch als Geist weiter berichten lassen.

Ein neuer Blick auf Achilleus in einer neuen Perspektive. Der griechische Held wird menschlicher beschrieben als von Homer. Sein geliebter Patroklos dient als Erzähler der Geschichte.

KnitAFett reviewed The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Lived up to the hype.

5 stars

One of the rare cases that I absolutely loved a book that I have seen heavily recommended on social medias. This was a fantastic read. I never read The Iliad (and obviously really should, reading more book revolving around the gods would be a fun challenge for next year), so I cannot speak on how it holds up against that. But from my understanding, this is a retelling of the tale from Patroclus' perspective.

The wording was beautiful and there were no wasted moments that were plugged in to elongate the book. Truthfully there was a lot of time that was skipped over to be able to stick to the major moments. I also very much appreciated that the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus was not watered down or skirted around. It was the driving factor behind this book and the story would not have worked without it.

…

Overall very glad I read it, would recommend, plan to read the original, and really want to delve into other stories that involve Greek mythology.

Heather Freeman reviewed The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

God fucking damnin, I'm not crying, you're crying.

5 stars

Absolutely stunningly beautiful and heartbreaking book. It's one of those books I want everyone to read because it's just so full of feelings and humanity (and wonderful storytelling as a bonus.)

Verglas reviewed The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Wonderful romantic interpretation of the Iliad

4 stars

This is a really lovely (re-)interpretation of the Iliad through the lens of romance writing. I really enjoy how the author has made the characters come to life in an unexpected way. Really easy and stress-free read. Absolutely recommend this book.

Max Smooth reviewed La canzone di Achille (Universale Economica Feltrinelli)

Review of 'La canzone di Achille' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

La storia tra Patroclo e Achille, raccontata dal punto di vista del primo e non dell'eroe greco.
Una storia toccante e delicata, con la guerra e i combattimenti in secondo piano, e in primo piano invece i sentimenti di Achille, il più grande tra i greci, e Patroclo, il più grande di animo.
Libro bellissimo, anzi di più.
"Non sono riuscita a far di lui un dio"
"Ma hai fatto lui"