If you’ve followed us along for a while, maybe you’ve realized how much I enjoy Greek mythology. From Percy Jackson, which I will get around to finishing, to the Odyssey, I just love all things Greek myth. While browsing the bookshelves of Target, Marissa and Roxy both said I needed to read The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. While not what I expected, towards the end of the book I could not put it down. Madeline Miller wrote a unique take on the classic tale of Achilles that I never expected.
The Summary
The story starts off with Patroclus telling us how his father views him as a disappointment. He is not as strong or as fast as the other boys. He cannot fight as well as the other boys and he isn’t as smart as the other boys. His father, King Menoitius forces him to try and court Helen, at the young age of 9. Odysseus convinces everyone that Helen should pick her suitor in exchange for all the other suitors’ loyalty in defending her choice.
King Menoitius forces Patroclus into exile to Phthia when Patroclus accidently shoves a bully down some stairs, killing him. In Phthis Patroclus meets King Peleus and his son Achilles. Achilles is a very attractive person and everyone gravitates towards him including Patroclus. Unlike everyone else, Achilles also gravitates towards Patroclus. They quickly become best friends and Achilles takes him as his companion. They do everything together from swimming, to hiking, to wrestling and even learning.
The two’s friendship soon becomes romantic, much to Achilles’s mother’s dissatisfaction. His mother, Thetis, decides to send him away to Chiron to receive hero training and also to get him away from Patroclus. Patroclus runs after him to Chiron where the two further their education to become heroes.
Two years later King Peleus sends for Achilles. Paris kidnapped Helen from Sparta and took her to Troy. Peleus wants Achilles to lead Phthia’s army against the Trojans. Thetis knows Achilles’ destiny and sends him away to Scyros to try and hide him. She knows if Achilles goes to Troy he will die. Patroclus figures out where Achilles went and chases after him.
In Scyros, Patroclus finds out Thetis forced Achilles to marry Deidamia. During Achilles’s time spent in Scyros he impregnated her. Patroclus feels upset but understands. Odysseus comes to Scyros to try and find both Achilles and Patroclus. He wants Patroclus to abide by his oath, while he wants Achilles to lead the Phthia army. The two finally agree to it and go to Troy.
While in the army Achilles sees himself above Agamemnon being the best warrior there causing issues between the two. While besieging Troy Achilles raids villages and realizes war is what he was born for. No one can stop him. While Achilles is off fighting, Patroclus attends the wounded and teaches captured women to speak Greek.
Agamemnon shorts Achilles again, causing Achilles to decline fighting anymore until he apologizes. This allows the Trojans to win battle after battle pushing the Greek’s back to their camps. Patroclus did not want to see the Greeks lose so he convinced Achilles to let him borrow his armor and pretend to be him. Achilles agrees telling him not to fight and approach the walls. This allows the Greek army to push the Trojans all the way back to the city. Hector ends up killing Patroclus in this skirmish. This enrages Achilles who rejoins the battles and wins battle after battle until finally he can defeat Hector.
Hector’s death was prophesied to be Achilles’s downfall. After winning more battles, Paris of Troy, with the help of the god Apollo, fires an arrow finally killing Achilles. The Greek army built a giant tomb to bury both Patroclus and Achilles in. However Achilles son did not want it to also be Patroclus’s tomb so Achilles was the only one named in the tomb. Patroclus couldn’t be sent to the afterlife without a proper burial so he witnessed the ending of the Trojan war. Finally, Thetis came to hear Patroclus talk from the afterlife until she allowed him to be laid to rest.
The Good
I enjoyed a lot of things from this book. Miller’s writing style was refreshing. I had an easy time reading and enjoying the story she painted. Oftentimes, Greek stories are scholarly, boring, and hard to read, but Miller’s simpler writing style kept the action moving and the story flowing. While not the traditional Greek story, it remained fresh throughout, considering the Trojan War has been recounted many times, many different ways.
Miller paints a better picture of Achilles than other stories do. In it, we see why Achilles paraded Hector’s body and why he refused to fight. Oftentimes, Trojan War stories show Achilles to be a brat without explaining why he acts the way he does. This story does the opposite in a new and unique way. She shows Achilles isn’t just a demigod, he is a human capable of loving and caring most stories do not address.
The Bad
There were only two things I did not like about this book. Patroclus, the main character, is the most uninteresting character in this book. He constantly talks about how weak he is compared to the other boys or how people are smarter, braver, and stronger than him. He says he is not destined to be a great warrior or hero like everyone else. This makes him hard to like or to find interesting. Most of the other characters were more likable than him.
Secondly, and this can be because I’m not a normal romance reader, the romance and descriptions of Achilles became repetitive. Miller mentions his golden hair and his muscles over and over again. She mentions how much Patroclus loves him and how everyone loves him. It becomes a little stale after a while. This is more prevalent during the first half of the book than the second half.
The Review
Miller paints a new and refreshing take on a classic tale, one of friendship, companionship, and love. The writing style makes the book easy to read and enjoy. Oftentimes. Achilles is painted as a spoiled teen but here we look at a more in depth teen who feels just like everyone else. While some of the romance seemed repetitive, it did not take away too much from this great story. This book is recommended to late teens and adults who like Greek mythology. There are a few sex scenes and suggestive language along with the normal horrors of war, death, plague, slavery, and the likes. If that’s something you are squeamish about, the book probably is not for you.
7/10 A good read.
Have you read this book? Did you enjoy it? What should our next Greek mythology book be? Let us know down below in the comments we love to hear from you!
As always, happy reading!