460 books
—
158 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “The Song of Achilles” as Want to Read:
The Song of Achilles
by
The legend begins...
Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the kingdom of Phthia to be raised in the shadow of King Peleus and his golden son, Achilles. “The best of all the Greeks”—strong, beautiful, and the child of a goddess—Achilles is everything the shamed Patroclus is not. Yet despite their differences, the boys become ste ...more
Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the kingdom of Phthia to be raised in the shadow of King Peleus and his golden son, Achilles. “The best of all the Greeks”—strong, beautiful, and the child of a goddess—Achilles is everything the shamed Patroclus is not. Yet despite their differences, the boys become ste ...more
Get A Copy
Hardcover, 378 pages
Published
March 6th 2012
by Ecco
(first published September 20th 2011)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
The Song of Achilles,
please sign up.
Popular Answered Questions
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30

Start your review of The Song of Achilles

Jun 21, 2018
Virginia Ronan ♥ Herondale ♥
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favorites,
historical-romance
”We were like gods, at the dawning of the world, and our joy was so bright we could see nothing else but the other.”
This book!!!
Gosh I loved this book!!!
The moment I read the first page I was already certain of two things:
1.) This would become one of my all-time favourites and I’d gush about it like crazy.
2.) It wouldn’t only leave me devastated and heartbroken but also sobbing like a little child.
Well, both of those things came true, even way earlier than I had initially anticipated. I wa ...more
This book!!!
Gosh I loved this book!!!
The moment I read the first page I was already certain of two things:
1.) This would become one of my all-time favourites and I’d gush about it like crazy.
2.) It wouldn’t only leave me devastated and heartbroken but also sobbing like a little child.
Well, both of those things came true, even way earlier than I had initially anticipated. I wa ...more

Madeline Miller did what the movie producers of the film Troy (2004) were too cowardly to do; she stayed true to the homosexuality of Homer’s Iliad rather than writing a censored version of the story which stank of homophobia. Achilles and Patroclus were passionately in love, which resulted in their respective destructions. They were not cousins or man at arms, but soul mates. The watering down of this in the film Troy was an insult to the LGBT community. Nothing more. Nothing less.
The attract ...more
The attract ...more

Update: I did it. It’s done. I can finally say I read The Song of Achilles but... at what cost?
Will I finish this book or will it finish me first? That is the question.
Will I finish this book or will it finish me first? That is the question.

A new take on the Iliad, written by a high school classics teacher -- how could I not read this? The Song of Achilles retells the story of Greece's greatest hero from the point of view of his best friend Patroclus. The big twist: Madeline Miller casts the story as a romance between Achilles and Patroclus. While staying true to Greek legends and the works of Homer, Miller creatively and convincingly fills in the blanks, giving Patroclus a back story that makes perfect sense, and tracing the frie
...more

I hereby award The Song of Achilles, ALL THE STARS in the universe!!!
This story is equal parts charming, enchanting and heartbreaking.

I knew nothing about it going in, besides the fact that it is based off events in Homer's, The Illiad.
Despite the fact that I took 4-years of Latin in high school, I couldn't tell you the first thing about The Illiad.

I was completely floored by the absolute beauty of this story, which centers around the love between Achilles and Patroclus.
Admittedly, I am not an ...more
This story is equal parts charming, enchanting and heartbreaking.

I knew nothing about it going in, besides the fact that it is based off events in Homer's, The Illiad.
Despite the fact that I took 4-years of Latin in high school, I couldn't tell you the first thing about The Illiad.

I was completely floored by the absolute beauty of this story, which centers around the love between Achilles and Patroclus.
Admittedly, I am not an ...more

‘we were like gods at the dawning of the world, and our joy was so bright we could see nothing else but the other.’
i must be a masochist because i can think of no other reason to endure the emotional and stunning pain of this story for a fourth time. but here i am. crying for my sweet, sweet patroclus. the best of men. the best of the myrmidons. <3
______________________________
its been nearly 12 hours since i finished this and i still am at a loss for words at the beauty of this book. i dont ...more
i must be a masochist because i can think of no other reason to endure the emotional and stunning pain of this story for a fourth time. but here i am. crying for my sweet, sweet patroclus. the best of men. the best of the myrmidons. <3
______________________________
its been nearly 12 hours since i finished this and i still am at a loss for words at the beauty of this book. i dont ...more

"Achilles. Who was he if not miraculous, and radiant? Who was he if not destined for fame?"

Reading this is like reading Romeo and Juliet. We all know the story. We all know the outcome. We all know that our desperate prayers for someone, anyone to step in and save these characters from themselves will fall on deaf ears.
Gods. What a bloody trainwreck. Even though I knew how it was going to end, I was not prepared for how much I cared.
This is the story of the fall of Troy. Or rather, a part o ...more

yall remember tht part where it was like:
achilles: lol listen my mom can’t spy on us anymore 👅
patroclus: 👀
achilles: 👀
achilles: lol listen my mom can’t spy on us anymore 👅
patroclus: 👀
achilles: 👀

”He was a marvel, shaft after shaft flying from him, spears that he wrenched easily from broken bodies on the ground to toss at new targets. Again and again I saw his wrist twist, exposing its pale underside, those flute-like bones thrusting elegantly forward. My spear sagged forgotten to the ground as I watched. I could not even see the ugliness of the deaths anymore, the brains, the shattered bones that later I would wash from my skin and hair. All I saw was his beauty, his singing limbs, the
...more

Mar 07, 2021
Tharindu Dissanayake
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Tharindu by:
☾Sabrina♡༄
Shelves:
favorites-fiction
"The never-ending ache of love and sorrow."
There are a few books I come across everyday while going through my GR feed, and The Song of Achilles is at top of that list. Rightly so, I have to agree, the heart-wrenching ending notwithstanding. Spoiling this book for future readers would be a crime, so while I'm sharing my thoughts, I'll do my best not to overshare.
"We obey our kings, but only within reason."
Patroclus - the lesser known hero - being the protagonist helps narrate the story of Achill ...more
There are a few books I come across everyday while going through my GR feed, and The Song of Achilles is at top of that list. Rightly so, I have to agree, the heart-wrenching ending notwithstanding. Spoiling this book for future readers would be a crime, so while I'm sharing my thoughts, I'll do my best not to overshare.
"We obey our kings, but only within reason."
Patroclus - the lesser known hero - being the protagonist helps narrate the story of Achill ...more

patroclus: constantly gushing about achilles' outer and inner beauty, like 80% of the time
me: *remembering brad pitt's chiseled abs and legs in troy (2004)* same boi ...more
me: *remembering brad pitt's chiseled abs and legs in troy (2004)* same boi ...more

4.5/5 stars
Beautifully heartbreaking and tragic, Madelline Miller’s first novel burst with palpable emotions.
Countless amazing things have been raised and sang for the Miller’s craft on The Song of Achilles and Circe, and that speaks volumes on how ridiculous it is that it took me this long to finally get around to reading it. In truth, there was a hesitancy inside me; The Illiad, the stories of Achilles, Hector, and Odysseus are stories that I’ve read and heard about so many times before in sev ...more
Beautifully heartbreaking and tragic, Madelline Miller’s first novel burst with palpable emotions.
Countless amazing things have been raised and sang for the Miller’s craft on The Song of Achilles and Circe, and that speaks volumes on how ridiculous it is that it took me this long to finally get around to reading it. In truth, there was a hesitancy inside me; The Illiad, the stories of Achilles, Hector, and Odysseus are stories that I’ve read and heard about so many times before in sev ...more

ACHILLES, it reads. And beside it, PATROCLUS.


Can anyone please call my boss and let her know I may not go to work for a week or so? I need time to recover from this book that m u r d e r e d me.
No kidding, here. I think getting a Brazilian wax wouldn't have hurt this much.
I'm an ugly sobbing mess, running nose and hair pulling included.
Wow.
What a-wow! I have no words.
I can't remember the last time a book made me weep so much.
This is honestly the kind of book I prefer: zero dull ...more

Jan 08, 2014
anna (½ of readsrainbow)
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
1-fantasy,
favourites,
3-chosen-one,
soft,
2-mlm,
3-found-families,
1-retellings,
2-protags-of-color,
4-mythologies,
2-lgbt
the vibe of "i feel like i could eat the world raw" vs. "i will kill u & eat u raw"
but actually, the only thing that was eaten raw was my heart
rep: mlm couple ...more
but actually, the only thing that was eaten raw was my heart
rep: mlm couple ...more

Mar 26, 2018
lily ☁️
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to lily ☁️ by:
clara
Shelves:
historical,
lgbtqiap-rep,
fantasy,
romance,
to-reread,
beautiful-prose,
best-romance,
tolino,
retelling,
adult
“When I die, bury my ashes with this book.”—every person who finished reading The Song of Achilles, ever.
Blog | Bloglovin’ | Instagram | Tumblr | Twitter ...more
“IN THE DARKNESS, two shadows, reaching through the hopeless, heavy dusk. Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood like a hundred golden urns pouring out of the sun.”
Blog | Bloglovin’ | Instagram | Tumblr | Twitter ...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

Mar 07, 2017
✨ jamieson ✨
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2017-reads,
young-adult,
fave-couple,
favorites,
tragedy,
bi-mc,
historical-fiction,
lgbtqiap,
retelling,
gay-mc
“We were like gods at the dawning of the world, & our joy was so bright we could see nothing else but the other.”
way back I said there was a review of this beautiful book to come and I never did it. So now it's June and finally, finally I am ready to review this book.
deidamia: marry me ach-
achilles: in case you haven’t noticed, i’m gay. i’m gay as fuck. i don’t like girls and i don’t want to... like girls. have you ever seen me without patroclus standing right beside me? that’s gay
In a ...more

“Why would I kill Hector? What has Hector ever done to me?”
Fun Fact of the Day: I was in a Latin class my freshman year where the teacher mentioned how gay Achilles was every single sentence. She could not bring up these two without mentioning that they were believed to be in a romantic relationship. That's honestly at least half the reason I picked this book up, so thanks, Magistra Vasquez, for being so extra. Can't wait to have you again next year for AP Latin. Can probably wai ...more

Aug 23, 2012
K
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to K by:
Orange Prize and high goodreads rating
I am going to disagree with the Orange Prize committee. I am going to disagree with thousands of goodreads reviewers. This book is crap.
Okay, all you trolls. Go ahead and tell me what a philistine I am, how ignorant I am of Greek literature and mythology, and how my failure to appreciate this book reflects my limitations rather than those of the book. You don't really need to bother defending this book, because the masses seem to agree with you.
But if you ask me, this was a Harlequin. Boring Pa ...more
Okay, all you trolls. Go ahead and tell me what a philistine I am, how ignorant I am of Greek literature and mythology, and how my failure to appreciate this book reflects my limitations rather than those of the book. You don't really need to bother defending this book, because the masses seem to agree with you.
But if you ask me, this was a Harlequin. Boring Pa ...more

Jun 23, 2018
may ➹
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommended to may ➹ by:
dyl
Shelves:
read-2018,
library,
adult,
buddy-reads,
diverse,
my-soul-hurts,
rep-lgbtqiap-mlm,
ebook,
rep-lgbtqiap,
favorites
5/9/20: yes it’s 5pm on a regular Saturday evening and I’m thinking about “I would know him in death, at the end of the world” and crying..... no one talk to me
——————
3/16/20: this is one of those books that get better every time you reread it and by better I mean worse because you will cry over every little thing that happens
——————
3/7/19: imagine being me and rereading this and having no care for my own emotions and wondering why I’m crying at 2 am
(I already want to reread it again)
——————
3/16/20: this is one of those books that get better every time you reread it and by better I mean worse because you will cry over every little thing that happens
——————
3/7/19: imagine being me and rereading this and having no care for my own emotions and wondering why I’m crying at 2 am
(I already want to reread it again)


“In the darkness, two shadows, reaching through the hopeless, heavy dusk. Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood, like a hundred golden urns pouring out the sun.”
I read The Song of Achilles many years ago, before I got into book reviewing, but it always bothered me that I didn’t have a proper review for this beautiful book. I was a little apprehensive about rereading it, because I wasn’t sure if it would hold up and impact me the way it did many years ago. But, friends, this s ...more

*This review is dedicated to Kelly without whose question I would not have thought so hard about why I loved this book.
Miller has called this book “The Song of Achilles”. The title could refer to a song sung by Achilles. It could also refer to a song sung about Achilles. This double meaning is significant as the book retells the story of the Illiad but with a very different focus. The title is significant too because it deliberately recalls the start of the Illiad: “Sing, goddess, of the wrath ...more
Miller has called this book “The Song of Achilles”. The title could refer to a song sung by Achilles. It could also refer to a song sung about Achilles. This double meaning is significant as the book retells the story of the Illiad but with a very different focus. The title is significant too because it deliberately recalls the start of the Illiad: “Sing, goddess, of the wrath ...more

I'm sorry, but I didn't like this at all. DNF.

To all the trolls who constantly leave disparaging comments below:
This is my opinion. Leaving insults down below isn't going to change my mind. This isn't my preferred Iliad retelling, and there's nothing you can do to change that. All it's going to do is get your comment deleted and your profile blocked. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ...more


To all the trolls who constantly leave disparaging comments below:
This is my opinion. Leaving insults down below isn't going to change my mind. This isn't my preferred Iliad retelling, and there's nothing you can do to change that. All it's going to do is get your comment deleted and your profile blocked. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ...more

We despise spoilers. We avoid them at all costs, cover them with spoiler tags, and castigate those who share them. But a great book is one that we can appreciate even when we already know the ending. That's how it was with The Song of Achilles: I knew the fates of the characters beforehand, but no matter how much I tried to brace myself, the last few chapters still broke my heart in the best possible way.
What had Deidameia thought would happen, I wondered, when she had her women dance for me? Ha ...more
What had Deidameia thought would happen, I wondered, when she had her women dance for me? Ha ...more

me and madeline miller just don't get along.
review to come / 3 stars
-----------
that day has arrived.
-----------
saving this for a day i want to cry during ...more
review to come / 3 stars
-----------
that day has arrived.
-----------
saving this for a day i want to cry during ...more

I still do not have the words to describe how broken I am right now. I knew what would happen, I knew it already, and yet you know who is lying in two broken pieces on the floor? I AM. I won't be getting up don't wait for me. 😭😭
I think the two things I can possibly cobble together are:
(1) my unending love for the first half of the book. How deeply and wholly Patroclus and Achilles loved each other, as silly little boys and then as gangly teens and then as proud young men. They made each other w ...more
I think the two things I can possibly cobble together are:
(1) my unending love for the first half of the book. How deeply and wholly Patroclus and Achilles loved each other, as silly little boys and then as gangly teens and then as proud young men. They made each other w ...more

“ACHILLES, it reads. And beside it, PATROCLUS”

“IN THE DARKNESS, two shadows, reaching through the hopeless, heavy dusk. Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood like a hundred golden urns pouring out of the sun”
This book was just utterly heartbreaking and breathtakingly beautiful. I’m in love with every aspect of it.
The end, the end broke me💔! In the best and worst way possible.

BR with Khadidja (sorry, I just couldn't wait, had to finish this💗). ...more

“IN THE DARKNESS, two shadows, reaching through the hopeless, heavy dusk. Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood like a hundred golden urns pouring out of the sun”
This book was just utterly heartbreaking and breathtakingly beautiful. I’m in love with every aspect of it.
The end, the end broke me💔! In the best and worst way possible.

BR with Khadidja (sorry, I just couldn't wait, had to finish this💗). ...more

This Review ✍️ Blog 📖 Twitter 🐦 Instagram 📷
🌟 I have heard a lot of great things about Madeline and this book and I did not read it for the longest time. When she released her second book, I jumped immediately into it and I liked her writing but I was a bit bored and the plot could not capture my full attention then. I decided to give this book a ch ...more
“Chiron had said once that nations were the most foolish of mortal inventions. “No man is worth more than another, wherever he is from.”
🌟 I have heard a lot of great things about Madeline and this book and I did not read it for the longest time. When she released her second book, I jumped immediately into it and I liked her writing but I was a bit bored and the plot could not capture my full attention then. I decided to give this book a ch ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
---|---|---|---|---|
✨Bookmarked✨: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller | 40 | 70 | Apr 20, 2021 08:22AM | |
The garden of books: The Song of Achilles: • Ari •, Shreya & noor | 35 | 20 | Apr 04, 2021 05:19PM | |
Ranters and Revie...:
![]() |
18 | 44 | Mar 31, 2021 05:12AM | |
The Bookworm Soci...:
![]() |
26 | 52 | Mar 26, 2021 05:49PM | |
Ultimate Popsugar...: March Group Read Discussion: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller | 41 | 349 | Mar 25, 2021 05:49PM | |
❀The Never-ending...: The Song of Achilles | 13 | 14 | Mar 25, 2021 01:55AM |
Madeline Miller was born in Boston and grew up in New York City and Philadelphia. She attended Brown University, where she earned her BA and MA in Classics. For the last ten years she has been teaching and tutoring Latin, Greek and Shakespeare to high school students. She has also studied at the University of Chicago’s Committee on Social Thought, and in the Dramaturgy department at Yale School of
...more
Articles featuring this book
Dragons, demons, kings, queens, and the occasional farm boy (with a special destiny, of course): Fantasy literature has it all! To celebrate...
462 likes · 286 comments
11 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
“I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world.”
—
3801 likes
“Name one hero who was happy."
I considered. Heracles went mad and killed his family; Theseus lost his bride and father; Jason's children and new wife were murdered by his old; Bellerophon killed the Chimera but was crippled by the fall from Pegasus' back.
"You can't." He was sitting up now, leaning forward.
"I can't."
"I know. They never let you be famous AND happy." He lifted an eyebrow. "I'll tell you a secret."
"Tell me." I loved it when he was like this.
"I'm going to be the first." He took my palm and held it to his. "Swear it."
"Why me?"
"Because you're the reason. Swear it."
"I swear it," I said, lost in the high color of his cheeks, the flame in his eyes.
"I swear it," he echoed.
We sat like that a moment, hands touching. He grinned.
"I feel like I could eat the world raw.”
—
2347 likes
More quotes…
I considered. Heracles went mad and killed his family; Theseus lost his bride and father; Jason's children and new wife were murdered by his old; Bellerophon killed the Chimera but was crippled by the fall from Pegasus' back.
"You can't." He was sitting up now, leaning forward.
"I can't."
"I know. They never let you be famous AND happy." He lifted an eyebrow. "I'll tell you a secret."
"Tell me." I loved it when he was like this.
"I'm going to be the first." He took my palm and held it to his. "Swear it."
"Why me?"
"Because you're the reason. Swear it."
"I swear it," I said, lost in the high color of his cheeks, the flame in his eyes.
"I swear it," he echoed.
We sat like that a moment, hands touching. He grinned.
"I feel like I could eat the world raw.”