The Song of Achilles in AMS Book Club at UBC

Jul 03, 2017 Bella Dufresne rated it it was amazing

The first time I read this I rated it 5 stars. Upon reading it a second time, I thought I really liked the first half but I thought the second half dragged little—it was sad but not as sad as I remembered. It was definitely a good book, but maybe only a 4/5 the second time around. Then I got to the last 5 pages. Out of nowhere, I was sobbing. Hard. Madeline Miller really got me. 5 stars.

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Jan 15, 2023 Jerlyn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction-favourites, mythology-fiction

Alright, here it is.

It's shouldn't be a surprise to anyone when I say this book absolutely destroyed me. Ripped me into shreds and put me back together with used tape so I could easily fall apart again when needed. How is it possible that every word in this book, including ones that expressed love and joy, is also be laced with such intense grief? Reading this felt like longing for sunlight in the dead of winter. There is something so lonely and so sad about this story of two boys who were never Alright, here it is.

It's shouldn't be a surprise to anyone when I say this book absolutely destroyed me. Ripped me into shreds and put me back together with used tape so I could easily fall apart again when needed. How is it possible that every word in this book, including ones that expressed love and joy, is also be laced with such intense grief? Reading this felt like longing for sunlight in the dead of winter. There is something so lonely and so sad about this story of two boys who were never allowed to love as they wished. But god, does Madeline Miller do a good job of telling that story.

Madeline Miller, thank you for retelling the story of Achilles and Patroclus in a way that... just makes sense. Thank you for letting them love each other in ways that nobody has ever allowed. And thank you for letting us have a glimpse of their joy despite the sorrows they faced (shoutout to Chiron). It still boggles me how people can read their story and think "aw such good friends" when Achilles was literally like please mix my ashes with Patroclus's I want to live with him forever in death!!!!! The criticisms I've seen of these two not being lovers is always first on the basis of them never having sex in Homer's writings. Which..... sigh. Don't speak to me of queer love or romance if you've ever thought the same. In fact, you should probably never speak to anybody if you think love is determined by sex alone. But I digress.

The way this book was written - especially the ending - was so interesting to me. I understand why some people were disappointed by the lack of a big, tragic end but for me it fit just right. Because.. here's
the thing - when you are living in a world where your love (queer love) is not the standard, sorrow is ever-present. And I felt this sorrow throughout the entirety of the book. Odd reminders of highschool and hiding.... hiding, hiding, hiding so I wouldn't be reprimanded, so I could still love the way I wanted to (lol not to get personal or anything 🤧). The grief is always there! And I appreciate that this book focused on the sadness of love and not just of war, fame, and expectations.

I do wish some parts were more developed though, particularly in the years that flew by during the war. Then again, this may just be me feeling selfish and wanting to scrape together as many tidbits of Achilles and Patroclus's relationship as possible :"). In an alternate universe I like to believe they never left Mt Pelion, and they continued to thrive and be happy by each others' sides. No war, no drama with the gods, no death. Just two boys and their horse man guardian (who i am definitely, totally, not in love with).

Anyways, I don't know what else to say other than I love this book and I'm so glad I read it. Oh, and also that Apollos was so homophobic for what he did and no one can tell me otherwise :)).

Thank you Madeline Miller for this masterpiece!! I cannot wait for Circe and all of your other books to come 🧡 ...more

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Jul 08, 2016 Tshepiso rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Read 2: January 22nd, 2023
The Song of Achilles is an absolute revelation. It's the kind of book that has only gotten better with time for me. When I was fourteen my primary takeaway from the story was its beautifully tragic romance. And while I don't look down on my younger self for having a narrow appreciation for this story, with time I've come to fully see the richness and complexity of this text.

One of the things I loved delving into on this reread was noticing how rooted Madeline Miller's s Read 2: January 22nd, 2023
The Song of Achilles is an absolute revelation. It's the kind of book that has only gotten better with time for me. When I was fourteen my primary takeaway from the story was its beautifully tragic romance. And while I don't look down on my younger self for having a narrow appreciation for this story, with time I've come to fully see the richness and complexity of this text.

One of the things I loved delving into on this reread was noticing how rooted Madeline Miller's storytelling was in Patroclus's perspective. Seeing the way his love for Achilles coloured his every breath obviously made for an aching tender romance. But I also loved seeing the way Miller used Patroclus' inherent otherness among men to craft a unique character for this setting. Patroclus' history of being made to feel small and powerless by a brutish father and cruel peers gave him an empathy for other marginalized people and his fellow soldiers that contrasted sharply with Achilles growing ego. This nuance and detail illustrate how stellar Miller's writing is throughout.

Patroclus's empathy with the women around him also provided an in for Miller to depict some fascinating female characters. My favourite was the intimate bond between Patroclus and Briseis. Her quiet strength, intellect, and bond with deep Patroclus were beautifully rendered. Her story highlights how all-encompassing the tragedy of this story was. Not only was the death of the two lovers devastating but Briseis's murder when she was just on the precipice of a happy ending was crushing. However, I will highlight that Miller never allows Patroclus' empathy to veer into anachronistic proto-feminism. While he can empathize with women around him, even ones who antagonize him like Achilles' wife Deidamia, his perspective is still realistically narrowed by his access to power under patriarchy.

The other striking female character in this book for me was surprisingly Thetis. I remember seeing her as a simple obstacle to Achilles and Patroclus's romance on my first read. But on reread I was bowled over but the stunning portrait of motherhood Miller rendered in Thetis' character. Miller's depiction of Gods throughout this story is fascinating. She captures a true otherness to them that was vivid to see portrayed. But more than simple villainy Miller wrote Thetis with empathy and understanding that made her one of my favourite characters in the book. The ending of this book is so impactful because we see her finally accept the beauty her son managed to eke out in his tragically short life. That moment of connection between her and Patroclus was beautiful beyond words.

Honestly, I could talk about every aspect of this story for ages (and I did in the excellent book club meetings we had for Song of Achilles in January) but all I can say now is I can't wait to reread this in another 7 years and see what more I uncover about this excellent story.

Read 1: July 10th, 2016
This book was super good and also super gay and well-written. Patroclus and Achilles are now in my top five favourite literary couples. I can't stress how much this book made me feel for these two boys who were doomed from the start. ...more

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May 18, 2022 Robin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own, favourites

still can’t articulate my thoughts on this one. all i know is it’s the best book i’ve ever read and i am dead inside.

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Jun 23, 2022 Mona rated it really liked it

This took me forever to get through, and I would’ve given up on it if my bestie didn’t lend me the copy and urge me to finish… but I’m glad I did because the ending and moral was really great.
Overall, the story was interesting, and I loved the main character. I just found it really slow in a lot of parts. The love story between the main characters was so cute though. Also, this was the first time I read any Greek mythology-related literature, and I’ve never really understood the whole gods/godd ...more

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May 05, 2021 Laura♡︎ (SleepyPages) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

i guess i’m going to cry myself to sleep ;(

“This, and this and this. We were like gods at the dawning of the world, and our joy was so bright we could see nothing else but the other.”

UGH. This Book. I can’t even being to describe this masterpiece. Romeo & Juliet WHO? who is she because I don’t fucking know her. Achilles & Patroclus will always be OG superior romantic tragedy.

i’m not going to lie I was a little skeptical going into this book and I thought I wouldn’t be as enamoured as other reade ...more

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Dec 31, 2016 jing | aperipateticbibliophile rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: i-cried, favourites, swoon-worthy, beautiful-prose

98% — 4.9 stars

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Jan 04, 2023 manasa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favs

i finished this book in november 2021, but i'm giving it a review anyways cause it was fckn incredible.

this made me cry so hard. to this day that ending is the worst and best thing i've ever read. one of my favourite books of all time no questions asked. ...more

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