Review of Song of Achilles

Book Cover

“Name one hero who was happy”

Words coined from the book The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. If you are into Greek Mythology, then this is one book for you. The book was both beautiful and sad.One of the best genres to read is Greek Mythology!

About The Book;

The book is a Greek Mythology retelling of the Trojan war through the view of Patroclus, Achilles‘s companion. Achilles was a result of the union between an unwilling god and a human. So it was Achilles’s story told by Patroclus, an exile prince. An unpopular story retelling that was not only informative but fascinating. Achilles’s story is quite fascinating and satisfactory.

What I Loved About The Book;

It is how the writer managed to tell the story of Achilles, as such a caring and compassionate character despite the negative way he was portrayed by the Greek Mythology tales. If you don’t know about Achilles, the book will make you wonder who he was, the image painted in the book is quite contrary to reality. A lover and a companion.

The sad tragic fate of both of them! Why Achilles snapped like that is very understandable.The book was emotional. The Song of Achilles is about the love and friendship between Patroclus and Greek god Achilles.

Despite being a god, we got to see his human side because of Patroclus 

The book was captivating till the end. Another cool thing about the book is that you don’t need to have knowledge of Greek Mythology to enjoy the book.

One theme of the book is pride. Achilles had pride and that was the cause of his downfall. Achilles as a Greek god had pride that was why he refuses to go to war and his lover Patroclus goes to war in his place and dies.

It is a queer book. Patroclus and Achilles were both guys who loved each other despite the displeasure of Achilles’s mother. It was a tragic love story.

Would I recommend?

100% recommended for Greek Mythology lovers and just for a good read. It gets a rating of 4.5 stars.