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I haven't had a novel move me to tears in a long while! I know it's fiction, I know the basics of the saga and yet it's such an original and moving retelling. Extremely well developed characters. I read this after Circe but had been meaning to read it for a long while because it had been listed for The Orange prize. So glad I finally got to read it.
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Of course I loved this book. Because I enjoy Madeline Miller's writing so much that she can re-tell my least favorite story of all time and I will love it.
It's not just that her use of language is exquisite; she tells the story in such a way that I actually care about it. She shows me Achilles the war hero (gag) through the eyes of Patroclus, who loved him and saw him as fundamentally good. What ultimately happened to them hit me so much deeper because I had gotten to know and love them both.
(vi ...more
It's not just that her use of language is exquisite; she tells the story in such a way that I actually care about it. She shows me Achilles the war hero (gag) through the eyes of Patroclus, who loved him and saw him as fundamentally good. What ultimately happened to them hit me so much deeper because I had gotten to know and love them both.
(vi ...more
Marvelous- fresh and bright in a way that honors the original, and has me slightly obsessed with Greek myths at the moment. Surprisingly romantic, and includes more mature content than I expected.
Updated 2019- I reread this as an audio book, and loved it all over again. Also, the narration by Frazer Douglas is wonderful.
Updated 2019- I reread this as an audio book, and loved it all over again. Also, the narration by Frazer Douglas is wonderful.
Winner of the 2012 Orange Prize for Fiction, The Song of Achilles is an attempt to construct, in novel form, the relationship between Patroclus and Achilles. As you may recall, Achilles is the hero of the Trojan war, presumably an unstoppable demigod, but is eventually killed when Paris shoots an arrow into the heel of the great warrior. Today, the phrase “Achilles’ heel” is used to represent one’s weakness.
In Miller’s retelling, she leaves out the heel altogether, and rather portrays Patroclus ...more
In Miller’s retelling, she leaves out the heel altogether, and rather portrays Patroclus ...more
3.95 - First half felt like a romantic romance but when they reach troy the story picked up.
All in All a good book and good writing though it felt like a retelling of an old story . Had the writer taken more freedom it would have been better . see Ilium
All in All a good book and good writing though it felt like a retelling of an old story . Had the writer taken more freedom it would have been better . see Ilium
Dec 17, 2012
Heather (DeathByBook)
marked it as to-read
Apr 07, 2017
Meenakshi Agarwal
marked it as to-read
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review of another edition
Shelves:
home-library,
e-collection
Mar 03, 2018
Leona
marked it as to-read
Jun 14, 2020
Natasha
marked it as to-read
Jan 24, 2021
Rebecca Huston
marked it as to-read
Sep 29, 2021
mussolet
marked it as 2024-shelf-challenge
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2021-sorted
Oct 23, 2021
Long
marked it as to-read
