The Song of Achilles: A Beautiful Re-Telling
SYNOPSIS
Achilles, "the best of all the Greeks," son of the cruel sea goddess
Thetis and the legendary king Peleus, is strong, swift, and beautiful irresistible to all who meet him.
Patroclus is an awkward young prince, exiled from his homeland after an act of shocking violence.
Brought together by chance, they forge an inseparable bond, despite risking the gods' wrath. They are trained by the centaur Chiron in the arts of war and medicine, but when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, all the heroes of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows. Little do they know that the cruel Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice.
Title: The Song of Achilles
Author: Madeline Miller
Page Count: 352 pages
Genre: Fiction // Historical Fiction // Greek Mythology
Rating: 5 stars
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Release Date: September 20, 2011
Buy It: Chapters Indigo // Book Depository
MILANA'S REVIEW
After a week of processing The Song of Achilles I’m sitting here trying to formulate words to make you understand my love for this book but I’m afraid no words will ever be enough. This novel was so wonderful that it shot into my favourite’s shelf as soon as I read the first page.
As a fan of Greek Mythology I knew the story of Achilles and was a bit skeptical about reading a re-telling about a story so widely known however, even knowing everything I knew this version was so wonderful and the tears were real. Madeline’s writing has a certain quality to it that the words just flow through your mind like silk.
Going into this one remember that the point of view is not through Achilles but is instead through the eyes of awkward, kind, shy Patroculus. You fall in love with this character so deeply that knowing what happens makes you believe you may be ready for the ending, but trust me, you won’t be ready for anything this story throws at you.
I love being able to say with complete confidence that this book is a 5 star read! The only negative comment I have is that IT ENDED. I cannot wait for the next book this author writes for us because I know it’ll be wonderful.