The Song of Achilles in Around the World in 80 Books

Aug 27, 2012 Sam rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 1-contemp-literary, young-person-protag, read-2012, reviewed, tournament-of-books13

What a lovely and satisfying read this was. I haven’t been near the Greek classics since high school, so wondered whether I’d appreciate Song of Achilles or whether I’d find it a bore. Once I started, however, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to slip into this world to which Miller was reintroducing me. This is not simply “the Iliad for dummies,” but rather an evocative expansion of an oft-overlooked piece of a story that’s familiar to most of us. It’s a moving story that can stand What a lovely and satisfying read this was. I haven’t been near the Greek classics since high school, so wondered whether I’d appreciate Song of Achilles or whether I’d find it a bore. Once I started, however, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to slip into this world to which Miller was reintroducing me. This is not simply “the Iliad for dummies,” but rather an evocative expansion of an oft-overlooked piece of a story that’s familiar to most of us. It’s a moving story that can stand on its own, but also inspired me to go back to read the Iliad and the Odyssey.

Miller's story of Achilles and his faithful companion, Patroclus, is beautiful. The novel is full of quiet moments that build on one another to show us a portrait of love—the awkwardness and shyness related to the uncertainty of whether this love would be returned, the gladness when it is reciprocated, the strength to face the world when you know that you're loved, and even the shocking fall the first time your loved one disappoints you. Miller is able to capture this and more in Patroclus and Achilles’ relationship, and is able to do so without resorting to making it feel trite or artificial. One newspaper review disliked the love scenes, of which there were just a few fleeting glimpses, disregarding them as full of “purple prose.” I could not disagree more. Those moments feel like a natural extension of their love, and don't seem hampered by overwrought, eye-rolling descriptions at all. There is nothing there to be squeamish about in my opinion.

It’s through the lens of this love story that leads up to and is shaped by what happens in the Trojan War that we get to revisit the themes of loss of innocence, fate and destiny, honor and glory, loyalty, sacrifice, and heartbreakingly, the sin of pride. The story elicits so many different emotions as readers experience the machinations of the gods, life’s ironies, and the grim reality of war. With such richness and depth in Greek mythology, to say that Miller had a great foundation to work with is an understatement, of course. But great source material or not, she could’ve messed this up in a number of ways, ruining it either by deviating too much from the stories we’re familiar with or by adhering so closely to it as to be rendered milquetoast and useless. In teasing out the love story through Patroclus’ view point as well as giving it as much weight (and pages) as the actual Trojan War, Miller enhances the older tales with a sense relevance and freshness.

Lots of the other legendary figures, both mortals and gods, mill about the background and sometimes join Patroclus and Achilles front and center. Even though their appearances are quick hits, I like how Miller was still able to imbue them with personalities and their trademark qualities. If you’re familiar with them, you’ll know that even though they play bit parts here, their lives and destinies are clicking into place beyond the focus particular story. I’m thinking of Odysseus and his upcoming journey home especially.

Miller’s prose is straightforward without any jaw-dropping feats of lyricism. Indeed, sometimes bland descriptions would be repeated several times over (like the golden light of Achilles’ hair, or some such cliché). And yet, there is a hypnotic rhythm that keeps readers mesmerized. I can’t quite pinpoint how Miller does it, but it worked. As we’re reading, there’s this sense that we’re viewing things behind a light haze, so it’s a world that’s a bit dreamy (centaurs and gods) but also very real.
...more

Like · see review

Dec 23, 2019 Julie rated it it was amazing

Fantastic! Beautifully written, lyrical in tone and epic in scope, I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time. It really is so good, if you like mythology or a well written story, read this book ASAP!

Like · see review