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Madeline Miller

The Song of Achilles Paperback – 1 June 2012

by Madeline Miller (Author)

15,932 ratings

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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. But when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, Achilles must go to war in distant Troy and fulfill his destiny. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus goes with him, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.

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Product details

Publisher : Bloomsbury Paperbacks; 1st edition (1 June 2012)
Language : English
Paperback : 368 pages
ISBN-10 : 1408821982
ISBN-13 : 978-1408821985
Dimensions : 12.9 x 2.2 x 19.8 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 328 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 132 in Religion & Spirituality (Books)
- 250 in Historical Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
15,932 ratings

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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)

I loved it (J.K. Rowling)

Mary Renault lives again! A ravishingly vivid and convincing version of one of the most legendary of love stories (Emma Donoghue, author of number one bestseller, Room)

Original, clever, and in a class of its own ... an incredibly compelling and seductive read (Independent on Sunday)

A remarkably fresh take on one of the most familiar narratives in western literature (The Times)

Extraordinary ... Beautifully descriptive and heart-achingly lyrical, this is a love story as sensitive and intuitive as any you will find (Daily Mail)

Sexy, dangerous, mystical (Bettany Hughes)

If I were to give a prize for the best work of fiction I've read this year, this would be the runaway winner. As a first novel, it heralds the arrival of a major new talent (A.N. Wilson, Reader's Digest)

Inventive, passionate, uplifting and different. It will appeal to all ages. It's a book which despite some of the stiffest competition in the modern world is a truly worthy winner (Joanna Trollope, chair of the judges for the Orange Prize for Fiction 2012)

Book Description

A breathtakingly original rendering of the Trojan War
Winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction 2012

SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORANGE PRIZE FOR FICTION 2012

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4 star		15%
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2 star		1%
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Top reviews from Australia

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Absolutely awesome.

Reviewed in Australia on 17 April 2021

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This is a great book. I started reading it and couldn’t stop.

Madeline Miller is one of the greatest writers of our time to have written this, the best book I’ve read for years and years. Explaining this wondrous book is impossible as it covers so much. Best to buy it and read for yourself, you won’t be sorry.

I bought and read the book of Achilles via Kindle. It is so good I’m about to purchase a hard backed copy for my library.
I recommend it most highly to readers who love literature.

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Nick_Melbourne

A readable version of Homer's Iliad

Reviewed in Australia on 1 March 2020

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If I had not previously read Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker, I probably would have loved this book. It gives a fine readable version of the Iliad with extra emphasis on the relationship between the hero Achilles and his friend and lover Patroclus. However, having read the other book I knew the outline of the story and so little annoyances (at least to me) came to the fore. Among these were the narration near the end of the book, for which the author uses a trick popular in some recent books, but still disturbing. And I did not like having the Greek gods explicitly take part in the action; I would rather have them in the background just as possibilities in the minds of the characters. Those who, like me, loved the author's later book Circe should read this first and then the Silence of the Girls.

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C Bachmann

Stays With You For A Long Time

Reviewed in Australia on 26 July 2018

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I could not begin to say which lines are my favourite, which scenes I felt strongly about, because there were so many. The writing matches the ethereal language of the Illiad perfectly and captures the characters in a setting that feels more like an extension of the myth, an elaboration of the truth, than a re-telling. Madeline Miller has quickly become my favourite author, and I praise her ability to create a novel on mythology that offered both a great introduction for beginners and an exciting read for those well-versed with antiquity. There is absolutely no need for any previous knowledge in the myth of Achilles or the Trojan War. Those familiar with Greek mythology will be excited over all the subtle references that have been seamlessly incorporated in the story. Truly a novel for everyone.

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I was transported to the time of the ancients, and I loved every moment of my journey!

Reviewed in Australia on 19 November 2016

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From the very first page I was transported to a vivid, very real and believable time, and I couldn't stop reading. The writer clearly knows her classics, being a scholar and teacher of it. I loved this interpretation of the story of Achilles, told through the voice and eyes of his companion Patroclus. Written in clear, everyday language this story is highly readable, and tells of the ancient gods, giants and men, battles and mythical creatures like Chiron the centaur. Names are vaguely familiar but appear fresh and new, being brought to life again by a vivid, cleverly woven tale. I loved it.

2 people found this helpful

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A classic story retold with a gentler voice

Reviewed in Australia on 17 April 2020

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Thank you Angela Cooney for leading me to this book!

It's a familiar story, told with a gentler voice. Patroclus, paramour of the great Achilles, narrates Achilles' story. The prose is economical with not a wasted word and yet is none the poorer for it.

Five stars for anyone who likes Greek myths, four stars for everyone else (who doesn't like a cracking tale?).

👍🏼

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freelunch

"The best the gods have ever made"

Reviewed in Australia on 31 March 2019

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So much I didn't know about Achilles and Patroclus and the Trojan War.

This was a great read that brought made the characters feel alive and relatable. Really looking forward to reading more from Madeline Miller, and on this era of history/folklore.

"You can use a spear as a walking stick, but that will not change its nature."

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Meychea Sen

Good book but boring for me

Reviewed in Australia on 7 April 2021

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Tedious and boring for me. I like the story but it wasn’t interesting enough for me to get through it very quickly. I read it because I heard people said it’s sad and it made them cry. However, I didn’t cry and was disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, I love the book, it’s just that it was hard to get through.

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History-making Myths Come Alive

Reviewed in Australia on 27 May 2018

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One of the most powerful and moving re-telling/translations of stories and characters already significant in the Trojan War - Achilles and Patroclus - aspects of their deep friendship never before written about so clearly and passionately - another David and Jonathan! Brava Madeline Miller!

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Theo

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 March 2019

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I’m going to assume that you’re familiar with the Iliad because it’s been out a while, so, Spoilers, I guess?

The Song of Achilles is a retelling, one which takes the myth and runs with it. Here Achilles really is the son of a sea nymph, he is trained by a centaur, and gods play their part in the lives of man.

I used to know my Classics a lot better that I do now - Roger Lancelyn Green’s books were a staple of my childhood library - so this was a book which unfolded for me. I remembered each plot point as we hit it, so I’m entirely the wrong person to ask if it makes any logical sense. It probably doesn’t. It certainly could have done a better job of selling ancient motivations to a modern audience.

The story is told by Patroclus, a prince and, when he begins this story, unlikely candidate for Helen’s hand in marriage. I am super here for a room full of men deciding what will happen to a teenage girl, as you can imagine. This is a male story, though, and Miller doesn’t attempt to change that.

However, when Patroclus inadvertently kills another boy, he is exiled to the court of Peleus where he falls swooningly in love with Mary Sue Achilles, who’s super perfect at everything (as one expects from a demi-god). Thetis, Achilles’ mother, really hates Patroclus. The boys go off to learn things on a mountain. They are swoonily swoony. They come back. Thetis hates Patroclus. Then she hides Achilles because she doesn’t want him to go to Troy as he will be killed.

Once the war actually begins, a good half way through the book, things improve, in part because there’s actually things happening. There is air of inexorability to the whole thing which really gets into its stride in the last third as we make the drive towards what is fated to happen (and we’re no longer reading rambling scenes about how swoony teenage Achilles is).

When Miller hits the predetermined narrative events, she’s good. When she’s making her own way between, she’s… less good.

For a book which treats the gods as real, there’s an awful lot of “something’s happening because the gods are displeased” conversations, followed by “here’s the solution to that” conversations. Obviously there’s no one correct version of many of the myths, but sometimes Miller takes the path of most boredom, such as the demand for the sacrifice of Iphigenia. Apollo’s appearance on the walls of Troy especially charmed me, so the omission of the gods involvement in other ways, even as a background, felt disappointing.

I am also critical of the characterisation. Odysseus is great, true, but everybody else? Eh.

Achilles lives his whole life chained to the prophecies made about him, but whatever this does to him remains unexplored. He’s just some guy. Admittedly one who is super good at everything and jolly good looking. And when we’re reading the narrative of a boy, then man, who is in love with him, I’d really have preferred to grasp the appeal.

Thetis is especially poorly done. Like her son she is chained to the pronouncements of the Fates, but here she is a pure JustNoMil. She’s such a central figure in the original myth - the Trojan war begins because of a prophecy made about her: the son of Thetis will be greater than his father, hence “marriage” to Peleus, hence somebody not doing the invitations right, hence golden apple etc etc etc

I was also unreasonably annoyed that Miller chooses to not use the one thing everybody knows about our demi-god: that he really should have invested in some foot armour. Google assures me Homer doesn’t include the story of Thetis’s attempt to make her son invulnerable and immortal, but Homer doesn’t include Achilles’ death, either. Or the romantic relationship between him and Patroclus. It felt like a massive oversight rather than a deliberate decision.

The beginning was interesting if not grippy. Then it got a bit dull. Then a bit duller. Then, by the end, it was very good indeed. I don’t rule out reading Circe, Miller’s second full length novel, but I could just as easily not. Overall?

3 stars

81 people found this helpful

H J Mac

I can't gush enough about this book.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 July 2018

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OMG, I held my breath for the second half of this book. My memory of the events was enough to know what had to happen, but that simply doesn't spoil a thing.
She's managed to take everything we know of the story from the existing texts and build a world that is thoroughly absorbing and beautiful. It's a story of epic soul binding love, so beautifully rendered.
I really enjoyed how there was no modern lens put onto the story. She just tells it. Ideas and concepts that mean something to us would have been meaningless to the ancients, and behaviours we find unacceptable were normal. So some bits are difficult, there's human sacrifice, and slavery including sexual slavery, but nothing is gratuitous or too graphic.
Just read it it's beautiful.

58 people found this helpful

READ IT

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 August 2016

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A very short review, I'm afraid. Not worthy of this book.

Does this count as historical, or mythological, or pure fantasy? Don't care - brilliant, brilliant book. It was positively painful to read it if I'm honest but I couldn't put it down. One of those books that I felt a true and consuming sense of loss for a few days after reading it. Recommended to EVERYONE.

98 people found this helpful

Trish Pea

I wasn't looking forward to reading this book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 October 2018

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I didn't choose to read this book. It was chosen for me as a book-club read. I don't like books about mythology (school in the 1960s put me off for life.) Or ancient history, or wars in any period of history, apart from maybe the two world wars. So, I bought this book with trepidation, not knowing what to expect. I didn't quite believe all the good reviews, and thought I would hate it.

I actually loved it. This is a beautifully-written, very descriptive book. It was easy to read, and a real page turner. I felt that I learned a lot about ancient Greece and the Trojan war. I can't fully remember the story of Achilles from school (it has been erased from my memory, along with Jason and the Argonauts, and the Minotaur) but I loved this re-telling and couldn't put the book down. The simple, striking cover is beautiful too and I would thoroughly recommend this book. A wonderful read.

31 people found this helpful

Phyllis May

Poignant, intelligent and readable. One of my top 5 books of all time

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 November 2017

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This is one of my favourite books of all time. I've actually got quite a few copies and just purchased the new classic cover release because it's beautiful. This story is a re-telling and very readable version of a classic myth from the Illiad. Miller's prose breathes life and very relatable romance into this myth in a way that will grip you. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who loves greek myths, to people studying classics and to people who ever wondered how long men have been loving men. Its a real work of art and one that's so easy to read again and again. It's also a great time to re-read miller because she's about to release her second book (FINALLY). Also Miller knows what she's talking about and her work is heavily researched and intelligent so for all those hoping it's not a sloppy mistelling of a Greek myth- it's absolutely not. I wish i could read it for the first time again.

33 people found this helpful

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The Song of Achilles Paperback – 1 June 2012

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