Another person that landed on my shit list! *lol* I really, really disliked her too! I mean I understand that she was Achilles mother and only wanted the best for her son, but it was more than just obvious that the best was Patroclus and I hated her for always trying to drive a wedge between them! Without Thetis half of their troubles wouldn’t have even existed and even though she kind of redeemed herself in the end I still don’t like her! Sorry Thet, but you’ll never get a thumbs-up from me! #SorryNotSorrry

The Song of Achilles - Hardback by Madeline Miller (Paperback) The Song of Achilles - Hardback by Madeline Miller (Paperback)

Then you are a traitor to this army, and will be punished like one. Your war prizes are hostage, placed in my care until you offer your obedience and submission. Let us start with that girl. Briseis, is her name? She will do as a penance for the girl you have forced me to return.” MISOGYNY, PART II could go on for years about how much I hate how Miller writes women (for more of that, see Circe), but it can be easily summarised: Miller has two types of woman, “plain supportive non-threatening wing(wo)man” or “conventionally attractive evil jealous bitch,” and those are the only female characters she writes.Patroclus.’ It was the name my father had given me, hopefully but injudiciously, at my birth, and it tasted of bitterness on my tongue. ‘Honour of the father,’ it meant. Thetis is rather annoyed at his choice. She doesn’t feel that Patroclus is good enough to spend so much time with her son. Her favorite greeting for Patroclus is: ”You will be dead soon enough.” With Patroclus being the narrator of this story, it is rather poor judgement on her part. Any quest I’ve been on I have always plied the narrator with honeyed wine and the most succulent figs in the hope that I would be rewarded in the prose and poetry of his/her telling of the tale. So it shouldn't be surprising to anyone who is familiar with me that this book didn't make me feel much of anything. From a ferociously talented writer, praised as “the fire, in my opinion. And the light," by Junot Diaz, comes a blazing portrait of one woman’s rise from courtesan to world-renowned diva.

Editions of The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller - Goodreads

Following the legendary story of Helen of Troy, Achilles is asked to join Agamemnon’s forces to defend his brothers honour after Paris steels the beautiful Helen from her home. And now Achilles must fight for the honour of the most beautiful woman in the world, against the mightiest city of the east. A journey to Aulis and then Troy that will seal the fate of these two men. Though the Greeks are in trouble from the beginning (Agamemnon has to sacrifice his own daughter to get Artemis to give them wind to sail to Troy), Achilles’ gift of speed allows the Greeks to gain the upper hand in the first raids and battles of the war. Patroclus fears for Achilles, but he’s comforted by the knowledge that Hector is destined to die first—as long as Hector lives, Achilles will live. This goes on for years. Patroclus encourages Achilles to take many women as war prizes to save them from rape and servitude, and one of these is Briseis, an Anatolian woman who Patroclus grows to consider part of his family. The mythology of this is fairly accurate and interesting– sure, some of the plot points around Briseus were far-fetched, but nothing here is disproved by the mythological canon. That made me really happy, although I know many won't really care. For those of you who need reference on key players:

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Miller is a classics scholar and teacher and knows her stuff. What she has done here is take the eternal tale and re-tell it in a manner that is easy to read. In fact it is so easy to read that it felt like a YA title to me. Maybe too easy? She does teach high-schoolers, so I expect that was her target demographic, but it still seemed a bit young to me. Countless amazing things have been raised and sang for the Miller’s craft on The Song of Achilles and Circe, and that speaks volumes on how ridiculous it is that it took me this long to finally get around to reading it. In truth, there was a hesitancy inside me; The Illiad, the stories of Achilles, Hector, and Odysseus are stories that I’ve read and heard about so many times before in several mediums. In my mind, before I read this book, I simply didn’t think that I would love reading another retelling surrounding this tale again. As you can guess from my high rating, Miller has righted the wrong notion that nestled deep in me. There was more to say, but for once we did not say it. There would be other times for speaking, tonight and tomorrow and all the days after that. He let go of my hand.” I just knew from my level of attachment that this one wasn't going to end well for me. I was fully anticipating to end up as a puddle on the floor. They grinned, loving every inch of their miraculous prince: his gleaming hair, his deadly hands, his nimble feet. They leaned towards him, like flowers to the sun, drinking in his lustre. It was as Odysseus had said: he had light enough to make heroes of them all.”

The Song of Achilles - Booktopia The Song of Achilles - Booktopia

This has one of the best endings I've come across in a long time. It isn't so much what happens as the way it is written. Visceral and gut-wrenching, it builds in power and emotion until I was good and blubbering. It gave me all the feels. In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. Circe is a strange child – not powerful and terrible, like her father, nor gorgeous and mercenary like her mother. Scorned and rejected, Circe grows up in the shadows, at home in neither the world of gods or mortals. But Circe has a dark power of her own: witchcraft. When her gift threatens the gods, she is banished to the island of Aiaia where she hones her occult craft, casting spells, gathering strange herbs and taming wild beasts. Yet a woman who stands alone will never be left in peace for long – and among her island's guests is an unexpected visitor: the mortal Odysseus, for whom Circe will risk everything. ACHILLESThe first line (nay word) of the Iliad identifies the crux of the story: rage. Achilles’s rage is his defining characteristic, not his warmth or his kindness or his gentleness. His moments of affection (typically involving Thetis) are always filtered through anger. Even Patroclus calls out Achilles on his shitty behaviour. Part of what makes Achilles such a fascinating character is his flaws: his anger, his intolerance, his blind fury. I’d concede that some of it might be misguided love, but the majority is rage. He’s got some anger issues, okay? Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. Despite their differences, Achilles befriends the shamed prince, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into something deeper - despite the displeasure of Achilles's mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess.His eyes, green as spring leaves, met mine. “Patroclus. I have given enough to them. I will not give them this.” THE RELATIONSHIP, PART III: HOMOPHOBIAAnyone who says that ancient Greece was 100% accepting of homosexual relationships is factually incorrect. Our modern idea of sexuality cannot be applied to ancient societies (the term for this is presentism). Although same-sex relationships between men were indeed commonplace, they were not typically considered on the same level as heterosexual relationships (often associated with marriage—love and marriage were discrete topics throughout much of history). What was common amongst men was pederasty, a relationship dynamic in which the older man, typically more knowledgeable and experienced, was the erastes (active partner) and the younger man, typically less-experienced and more effeminate, was the eromenos (passive partner). Obviously the notion of top/bottom dynamics has persisted into modern queer relationships, although in reality it’s rare that one person will prefer being exclusively one or the other. Patroclus loves Briseis and is horrified by this, then even more horrified when he realizes Achilles is going to give Briseis up. Achilles hopes that Agamemnon will rape Briseis, giving Achilles leverage to overthrow Agamemnon and get revenge for this slight to his honor. To protect Briseis, Patroclus tells Agamemnon all of this; while Achilles is briefly furious at Patroclus’s betrayal, he can’t stay angry with his love for long. Besides, he has conspired with Thetis to convince Zeus to stop “balancing” the war, so things are about to get very bad for the Greeks. Achilles will only help them if Agamemnon personally apologizes.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller | Waterstones

This story looks at the life and relationship between Patrocleus, Achilles' Brother-in-Arms and Achilles himself. Apparently, now that I have looked up additional information on the Iliad and general Greek mythology, and re-watched Troy, Patrocleus and Achilles may have been lovers. Or they may have just been very very close friends (The movie Troy portrays them as cousins). Madeline Miller has written her book as a love story between the two from Patrocleus' point of view. Obviously taking a few liberties as the Iliad does not speak directly to the intimate relationship between the two, Miller stays very close to the lore of the Iliad. It took me a little bit to get comfortable with the intimate relationship portrayed here - I am not accustomed to reading about intimate male relationships, but she allowed the reader time to get accustomed to the idea throughout the book. It worked for me and I too really appreciate that this type of relationship can and does exist. As I was finishing the first half of the book, it didn't feel that eventful or impressive in itself. Sure, it was interesting and had a nice flow to it, with some intricate details about both Achilles and Patroclus, but it didn't feel like anything new: a regular romance novel. But as you finish through the last chapters, those seemingly uneventful - though quite emotional - first half will deepen the reader's emotions profoundly. I think a re-read of this might prove very difficult, especially with the first half, with being familiar with the ending. Still, you'll definitely re-read this. Then it is darkened.” His jaw shot forward, stubborn. “They are fools if they let my glory rise or fall on this.” A captivating retelling of the Iliad and events leading up to it through the point of view of Patroclus: it's a hard book to put down, and any classicist will be enthralled by her characterisation of the goddess Thetis, which carries the true savagery and chill of antiquity (Donna Tartt The Times Christmas Books)Unknown time passes, and eventually Thetis comes to visit Achilles’ grave. Pyrrhus is dead, killed for raping Agamemnon’s son’s bride. Thetis asks Patroclus to share his memories of Achilles, the ones unrelated to bloodshed, and Patroclus does. In return, Thetis shares her own painful memories of being raped, then watching Achilles die a mortal. At the end of the day, Thetis carves Patroclus’s name into the tomb, freeing him to join her son forever in the underworld.