Book #1 - Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

I started reading Madeline Miller's Song of Achilles on March 11, 2022, and finished on March 12, 2022. This is the first book in my 100 Book Fantasy Challenge!

I had a lot of recommendations for this book, and I just recently finished reading all of Rick Riordan's books, so I was looking for some mythology-inspired reading.

Song of Achilles follows the famous hero Achilles through his youth and training, told from the perspective of Patroclus, his close friend and lover. Patroclus reveals his innermost feelings, his exile from his own kingdom where he was prince, his budding friendship with Achilles, and their eventual loving relationship. Achilles' journey from princeling to warrior is shown through Patroclus' loving eyes, following his beloved all the way from the age of 9 through to their deaths. (It's not a spoiler if the story is 3000 years old, OK?)

Initial Reaction

As I delved into Song of Achilles, I knew more or less how the story would go - it's the Iliad, basically. Having not actually read the Iliad, all I knew about it was that it was about the Battle of Troy. I knew about the Achilles' Heel and other fun facts about this myth - but Miller takes you in a completely different direction. This is not a story of battle, but of love and relationship.

What's Important?

To me, the most important thing in this book is the relationship building between Patroclus and Achilles. The absolute trust between the two of them is absolutely heart wrenching, and the depth of Patroclus' love for Achilles is evident in every page, every breath.

Another interesting part of the book is how very little war and battle is actually shown in the book, given that Achilles is historically known as a great warrior. Instead we see what Patroclus sees: a beautiful, honest, and loving person.

My Favourite Quotes

Whenever I read a book, I like to keep track of lines that particularly stand out to me. Here are some of my favourites from Song of Achilles:

"When he died, all things swift and beautiful and bright would be buried with him."

"Powerful strides took him swiftly up the beach. His anger was incandescent, a fire under his skin. His muscles were pulled so taut I was afraid to touch him, fearing they would snap like bowstrings."

Achilles on why he chose Patroclus for his companion: "He is surprising."

"His fingers touched the strings, and all my thoughts were displaced. The sound was pure and sweet as water, bright as lemons. It was like no music I had ever heard before. It had warmth as a fire does, a texture and weight like polished ivory. It buoyed and soothed at once."

Rating

I'll give every book that I read a rating out of 5 stars, and a recommendation as to who I think would most enjoy that book.

I give Song of Achilles 4.5 stars. The half-star reduction is only because one aspect of the famous Achilles myth that I know (the "Achilles Heel") was not included; but it all made sense in the context, and brought a different feel to the story.

This story of a great love that is often written off by male heteronormative historians as a "great friendship" was both refreshing and heart breaking to read. The final chapters of the book, from the perspective of Patroclus' soul, made me cry ugly, ugly tears, even though I knew that everyone died at the end (it is a Greek tragedy, after all).

Anyone with an interest in history or Greek mythology looking for a refreshing take on a traditional myth and a beautiful representation of a love story would be well pleased by this book. It truly deserves all the hype that it gets.

BEWARE: HERE THERE BE SPOILERS

Okay so I'm now sitting up and thinking about this book and I've come to the conclusion that I need to wait at least 24 hours before writing these reviews, because I've had so many realizations that I should have included in this review. There are, however, some spoilers other than "they die" beyond this point. Read at your own discretion.

Some more quotes that emphasize the relationship between Patroclus and Achilles:

"There was nothing in the world I wanted more than to hear what he had not said."

"He is half of my soul, as the poets say."

"Bring him back to me." (Achilles when Patroclus goes into battle wearing Achilles' armour. Patroclus did not come back.)

"If you have to go, you know I will go with you."

Things I realized that broke my heart a little bit more:

Patroclus died before Achilles, but his soul wandered, unrested, for many years because Thetis and Pyrrhus refused to have Patroclus' name on the grave marker marking the spot where the ashes of the two lovers were buried, despite the objections of Odysseus. That means that Achilles, who sought death almost desperately after the death of Patroclus, arrived in the Underworld expecting to see his beloved. He did not find him.

When Patroclus' body is returned to Achilles, Achilles reaches for his sword - not to slay Odysseus, who bore the news, but to slay himself. He cannot - he gave his sword to Patroclus. So, he seeks his death on the battlefield, to kill Hector and fulfill the prophecy.

"Achilles weeps. He cradles me, and will not eat, nor speak a word other than my name."

King Priam sees Patroclus' body when he comes to beg Achilles to return Hector's body, and he says "That is - your friend?" and Achilles snaps right back at him with philtatos - most beloved.

Patroclus, who was still clinging to the belief that Achilles could not die if Hector lived, says that "there would be other times for speaking, tonight and tomorrow and all the days after that." They both died not long after. Who knows what things lay unsaid, that might have been said in all those tomorrows that did not come.

Chiron, telling Patroclus and Achilles the story of how Heracles went mad and killed his wife and children, foreshadows Achilles' own madness. "And perhaps it is the greater grief, after all, to be left on earth when another is gone."

Patroclus watched Achilles go slowly mad after the fight with Agamemnon. He watched as his kind, thoughtful lover descended into a sort of fame-driven insanity and refused to help the army of Agamemnon until he got an apology, allowing hundreds and thousands of men to die.