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The Song of Achilles: A Novel
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The Song of Achilles: A Novel
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The Song of Achilles: A Novel
Ebook393 pages6 hours

The Song of Achilles: A Novel

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

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About this ebook

“At once a scholar’s homage to The Iliad and startlingly original work of art by an incredibly talented new novelist….A book I could not put down.”
—Ann Patchett

“Mary Renault lives again!” declares Emma Donoghue, author of Room, referring to The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller’s thrilling, profoundly moving, and utterly unique retelling of the legend of Achilles and the Trojan War. 

A tale of gods, kings, immortal fame, and the human heart, The Song of Achilles is a dazzling literary feat that brilliantly reimagines Homer’s enduring masterwork, The Iliad. An action-packed adventure, an epic love story, a marvelously conceived and executed page-turner, Miller’s monumental debut novel has already earned resounding acclaim from some of contemporary fiction’s brightest lights—and fans of Mary Renault, Bernard Cornwell, Steven Pressfield, and Colleen McCullough’s Masters of Rome series will delight in this unforgettable journey back to ancient Greece in the Age of Heroes.

Editor's Note

An entertaining epic…

An imaginative reinvention of a classic epic, this entertaining foray into Ancient Greece will satisfy lovers of literature and poetry alike.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperCollins
Release dateMar 6, 2012
ISBN9780062060631
Author

Madeline Miller

Madeline Miller is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of two novels: The Song of Achilles, which won the Orange Women’s Prize for Fiction 2012, and Circe, which was short-listed for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2019. Her books have been translated into over thirty two languages. Miller holds an MA in Classics from Brown University, studied in the Dramaturgy department at Yale School of Drama, where she focused on the adaptation of classical texts to modern forms, and taught Latin, Greek, and Shakespeare to high school students for over a decade.

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Reviews for The Song of Achilles

Rating: 4.579601990049751 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

1,608 ratings287 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Not quite as polished and fully realized as Circe, Miller's later novel, but gripping and peopled with compelling, dynamic characters all the same.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I liked this a lot. Very touchingly depicted story of love and loss with a familiar mythological overlay. I really enjoyed the narrative device and the interactions of the characters with gods - especially Thetis. If you want a beautiful boy loving a beautiful boy type story, this is a high recommend.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This was more romance novel than a retelling of the story of Achilles and the Trojan War. There was just so much of Patroclus mooning over Achilles that I could take. The writing was fine, but I was bored by a lot of it and really preferred the author's "Circe".
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Excellent. Both personal and moving. A very approachable story of characters that are typically larger than life.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Miller’s book is narrated by Patroclus. She begins with his childhood: snubbed by his father, who thinks him simple, he has a lonely time of it until, after accidentally killing another boy, he is exiled to Peleus' court in Phthia. Here he meets the king's son Achilles and eventually becomes his companion. From there we move into familiar territory: Cheiron’s teachings on Mount Pelion; the court at Scyros; the mustering of the Greeks at Aulis and the voyage to Troy. Other recent retellings of the myth have shown a tendency to focus on the human side of the conflict and to play down the role of the gods. Miller, on the contrary, simply presents us with the myths in all their original strangeness. Cheiron is actually a centaur; Apollo leans down from the walls of Troy and sends his plague-arrows among the Greeks; and Thetis is a goddess rather than a priestess, as Age of Bronze makes her. She was one of the things I liked best about the book. I’ve always imagined the gods and goddesses as being bright and dazzling, but Miller’s Thetis is a dark, vindictive sea-demon, enveloped by the smell of the surf, sharp-toothed and jealous. I actually felt a wonderful wash of dread whenever she appeared on the scene. Despite my misgivings about putting Greek gods on film, I’d love to see what Guillermo del Toro could do with her.Miller obviously has a thorough knowledge of the period, as she has an MA in Classics, but she wears her learning lightly. I like her emphasis on ritual and protocol, and I thoroughly enjoyed her episode on Scyros – Achilles and the daughters of Lycomedes is one of my favourite subjects in art. Indeed, I have to say that I felt there was much more life to the early part of Miller’s book than there is later on, when (like the Iliad itself), it all seems to boil down to lists of names and gory descriptions of spears breaking through bones. Perhaps it’s because she had a slightly freer imaginative rein at that stage - and, let’s be honest, of all the heroes Achilles has perhaps the most eventful adolescence. Two things niggled, though. I felt that the first half of Miller’s book was heavily influenced by Mary Renault’s Fire From Heaven. The feel of Peleus’ court; the growing friendship between Achilles and Patroclus; the very descriptions of Achilles; they all had a strong family resemblance to Renault’s descriptions of the young Alexander and his relationship with Hephaistion. Having said that, Mary Renault is my benchmark for historical fiction set in Ancient Greece and so the very fact that Miller’s book brought her to mind is high praise. But it just all felt quite similar. (It may be that Miller has never read Fire from Heaven, but I’d be extremely surprised if that were the case.)My other concern was the characterisation of Patroclus. It’s fine when he’s a boy and his role consists mainly of rhapsodising over Achilles with greater or lesser amounts of teenage angst – although parts of this do have the breathless feel of well-written fan-fiction. Later, however, Miller would have us believe that Patroclus is a fairly poor fighter and that his time at Troy is divided between helping the medics and keeping the tent tidy. This, I don’t buy. To the society that Miller describes, such a man would be considered little better than a woman and I would expect her Patroclus to be treated much worse than he is. Instead, everything is explained away by the fact that Achilles is ‘looking after him’. To me, this felt false. One minute Miller’s gentle, home-loving soul is doing his best to stay away from the battlefield; the next he suddenly offers to ride out in Achilles’ armour to strike fear into the hearts of the Trojans. In the Iliad, Patroclus is a respected warrior in his own right, referred to with the word 'illustrious' and quite capable of smashing into the Trojans (he was one of the Myrmidons after all!). So that left me a little bit dissatisfied.Bear in mind that I am an incorrigible nit-picker with historical fiction. Overall this was an enjoyable book, incredibly readable and a welcome retelling of Achilles' story.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Beautiful, The best novel I've read it quite sometime. Even though I knew most of what was going to happen I still was thrilled completely. It's hard to believe that this is a debut novel, the writing is wonderful, poetic. A touching love story, very sad, they way the best love stories always are.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I was never a fan of greek mythology and other ancient literary works and even movies with these themes. A fanfiction brought me here, and I thank all the gods for that.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Beautifully written, this book is perhaps the best historical fiction I have read since Kiran Nagarkar's 'Cuckold'. And its even more special at this time just after the Indian Supreme Court has struck down the centuries old anti-sodomy law (Section 377 IPC). The book is achingly beautiful, breathtakingly passionate, and horribly brutal, all rolled into one roller coaster. Highly recommended.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    im emotionally wrecked now, thanks. my soul is crushed, my sanity is gone. but all in a good way.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Fantastic retelling! I could not put it down and it left me with a book hangover!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Great best job best write I liked this a lot.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I am Greek and bisexual. This book fit my taste and I am glad I read it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was emotionally damaging. The last few chapters will forever reaming with me. The first person narration at the end just gets more and more heartbreaking.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    You will keep truing the pages once you start reading
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Historical fiction that has been kissed with mythology. Accurately recalls the stories of old by using a mixture of idioms from our day. I read this rather than listen to audiobook because I found some passages unsavory, but that is a personal matter.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The author's love for and knowledge of the Iliad and the Odyssey shown through her story. Splendid first book!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Wonderfully written but did not leave me in tears as I was promised.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Boring and underwhelming. Reading it felt more like a chore than for fun.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Excellent story. Very emotional. I was crying my eyes out in the end. You should listen to it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    just beautiful, the writing is excellent and the story just keeps you hold onto it looking for what comes next, a whirlwind of emotions through and through, great retelling of the myth
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    For me a little too much (gay) romance novel than mythology, especially the first half book. Overall decent book.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    bawling my eyes, this truly is a work out of this world
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Loved this even more than Circe. Beautiful writing and a very engaging retelling of this story.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was a beautiful retelling, I certainly loved this side of the classic story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I really don't know what to say about this one but oh my gosh i had such a good time reading and also felt so disgusted about how some characters did some choices or acted facing "troubles" that didn't meant that much, but i understand all that happened in the story. It was good and also sad but worth reading, a immersive experience
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I really liked this book. It is very entertaining and you learn a little about Greek mythology which I had no previous knowledge of.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What an experience this book has been ❤️ A masterpiece!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Charming and poetic. This book kept me hooked up till the very end!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book is just great not much else to say. Written beautifully, love story, action, feels like you're a part of the story. I would recommend to anyone who wants to fall deeply inlove with characters
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I am not familiar with Greek mythology but its easy to go through this book. I don't have to pause and Google who is who.
    I love the author's writing. And this book broke me.