The Song of Achilles
Ratings1,541
Average rating4.3
The Song of Achilles is a retelling of the tale of Achilles from the point of view of his friend and lover, Patroclus.
As with all books that provide a modern interpretation of Greek mythology, this one also shows the gods as the evil ones. Additionally, it also questions whether ambition is good and when does it become destructive.
There's a lot of not subtle foreshadowing in the narrative but that liberty is taken because most people are already aware of the tragic myth.
i can see why someone else would like it but i hated how the book was just Patroclus obsessing over Achilles without any further depth to the world or to the other characters
felt like i was just reading a fanfiction honestly; I do LOVE fanfiction, but I was expecting more from this book
i didn't cry trough the whole book. i already knew the history, so patroclo's dead didn't catch me out of guard. but that last chapter, omg. realising that the whole history was the things patroclo told tetis to convince her to let them reunite destroyed me. i don't know why, but i literally cried my heart out the moment when i put the book down. what a fucking beautiful story, i love how this woman writes, i can't wait to read circe
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Technically good, and/or I enjoyed it a lot
4.5 - Loved it, I wanted to highlight lines in the book but still with notes
5.0 - Loved it, I wanted to highlight lines in the book, and notes are very positive
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I know that The Song of Achilles is a well rated book but never had the urge to read it immediately. However, I saw a 1-star review that basically said that Patroclus was a “Bella” to Achilles’ “Edward”.
As a person who has vowed to avoid anything resembling Twilight, I was disappointed because that meant the book was not something I’d like. But then I was intrigued. Can The Song of Achilles be that bad? How can it be rated that high but still have Twilight vibes?
I resolved to borrow it from my local library and find out for myself.
So, was it true that Patroclus was “such a Bella”? In a way, yes. But at the same time, no.
Patroclus was very much in love with Achilles. He followed Achilles even when it was more convenient, and safer, for him not to do so. But his devotion was more understandable compared to Bella’s. The relationship between Patroclus and Achilles developed through time. This was not a high school crush that speed up from interest to full on obsession in a matter of weeks. There was also a clear advantage to being with Achilles. Patroclus was an exile. He was sent to be soldier for a king when he has no aptitude for it. His life would have been worse if he wasn’t with Achilles whereas if Bella wasn’t with Edward, her status in life wouldn’t have been altered at all.
As much as my opinion of this book is the opposite of that person, who inspired me to read this, I totally appreciated that review. It got me to check out this book. It also gave me a good laugh.
Now that we are done with whether or not Patroclus is like Bella, let’s move on to the rest of my thoughts on this.
Based on my rating, yes, I LOVE this book. Below are my reasons.
1.
As a person who loved reading Greek mythology as a kid, I appreciated the prose. It was very much in line with how I remember those stories were written.
2.
The characterizations were also, in my opinion, on point. Yes, a lot of the characters here were awful, awful people. Including Achilles. But, again, it was in line with how those characters were portrayed in Greek mythology. They were kings, princes, and/or demigods of an ancient time. Of course, they were filled with hubris and ambition with little to no regard of others.
3
The romance here was top notch. The romantic build-up between Patroclus and Achilles was very much the type that I love.
I am a firm believer that love stories are better received when the readers feel that aspects of that romance are something that they can experience themselves. It’s a lot easier to picture someone falling for your smile than someone killing a horde of monsters for you. And as much as Greek mythology is very removed from a casual life of modern times, there were enough non-epic, simple, and normal scenes between Patroclus and Achilles that made their love very real and relatable.
One such scene was in Chapter 15 - Page 182, where Achilles was telling Patroclus how much he likes Patroclus’ hair, chest, etc. while touching said body parts. That was probably the one of the best foreplay scenes I’ve read. And I say this as a person who has read a good number historical romance books. It was so romantic and goddamn hot.
I loved the romance here so much that I wanted to highlight passages in the book. Unfortunately, the copy I had was from the library. As such, I cannot deface it. However, I will share a couple of them here.
Chapter 10 - Page 102: It will be this, always, for as long as he will let me.
Chapter 15 - Page 183: I think: This is what I will miss. I think: I will kill myself rather than miss it. I think: How long do we have?
I do recommend listening to the audiobook while reading the book just to know how the places and names are pronounced.
Quel livre incroyable, passion guerre Troie. Par contre un unpopular opinion, cette couverture est moche
A great story with an amazing ending!!! So sad
Everyone knows what happens to Achilles but didn't make it hit any less hard
Middle was kind of a slog for me
7.4/10
A great story with an amazing ending!!! So sad
Everyone knows what happens to Achilles but didn't make it hit any less hard
Middle was kind of a slog for me
7.4/10
One of the most beautiful books I've read!
Indeed, all is fair in love and war.
I knew exactly how this would end and yet I am still crying as I write this review. It was both heartbreaking and beautiful and I'm not sure if I'll recover from this. I wish I wipe my mind of this book just so I can read it again for the first time.
“We are all there, goddess and mortal and the boy who was both.”
I had a difficult time deciding whether or not to give this book five stars, but it all became clear once I watched a video of some girl in YouTube telling her experience with it and I almost cried again.
An amazing romance book for me. It had Greek mythology, war and violence, great dialogue, and a not so happy ending.
I loved the writing in this book. It had just the right amount of flowery to it that it made it beautiful but not super hard to follow.
I will definitely check out Circe and read the Iliad to get more into this great world I've been missing on.
This deserves every bit of praise it receives and then some. Heartbreaking and breathtakingly beautiful.
Wow. So this is not MY type of book, but I was curious. At one third through I was wondering if I would regret my choice to read this novel. Two thirds through I figured I had come this far, might as well finish it. The end? I was in tears crying in my S.O.'s arms. I knew the ending, it wasn't a surprise, but dang did it hit. This novel is worth all the hype behind it. Give it a read, you won't regret it.
The Song of Achilles means well but, like the battle of Troy it depicts, it goes on for far too long and with little to show for it.
Just a couple months ago I was all set to read Emily Wilson's translation of the Iliad. Sat down, all excited - only to immediately bounce off harder than I've bounced off any book in a while. Which wasn't Wilson's fault (she's more than competent generally, I loved Inanna) just I'd managed to forget how much the beginning of the Iliad is men shouting and posturing. After a few pages, it all started to sound like "Penis. Penis penis penis, penis penis" and I couldn't take it seriously any more. (Again. I do not blame Wilson, whose translation skills are renowned, in the slightest. I blame the original source material.)
Unless for some reason I need a direct quote, I doubt I'll bother reading the actual Iliad again. I'll just read Song of Achilles. This book is just...full of light. It's one of the most exquisitely written things I've read in a long time - and I read Circe! And as much as I sobbed through that, there's a warmth and depth to Patroclus's relationship with Achilles that isn't achievable by a single character, however resonant she is.
I loved this so much. If you haven't read it yet you're really missing out.
Hot take, but I feel this book is a bit overrated. I had heard that people sobbed over the pages and that got me so excited. But alas, I did not feel so deeply for our heroes. Honestly I felt more for Thetis and her character development. I wonder what that says about me as a reader? I guess I was left unfulfilled because I wanted more from their reunion. 2 1/2 stars for making me feel depressed.
This was a quick and easy read, but I felt a bit let down. I do think that was mostly because my own high expectations, which were never achieved.
I think I went into this book with too high of expectations. I wasn't really into the story until around 50% through. And I would have liked more for the ending. The ending didn't deliver the punch it had the potential to bring out. Regardless, I still enjoyed the story, it just didn't hit like I thought it would.
3.5 Stars - I think the biggest problem I have with this book was that I read it after Circe. I couldn't help comparing them as I flipped through the pages. Overall I enjoyed it, it's endlessly quotable and beautifully written but I felt like this book spent too much time apologizing for these stories and characters. This happens all the time in adaptations of these myths and most of the time I don't mind as much... but Circe managed that balance so well, that I expected more from Song of Achilles and ultimately ended up a little disappointed. Patroclus felt too contemporary, and I had a hard time with his P.O.V. as a result. Also, I'm not sure how I felt about getting to know “the real Achilles” here. “Look at how he will be remembered now. Killing Hector, killing Troilus. For things he did cruelly in his grief... Perhaps such things pass for virtue among the gods...” it felt weird to have a negative opinion of these deeds within the story itself. Despite these beefs it's still very good. I would just say, the less you know of the original story the better and don't expect Circe!
This was an absolutely stunning read. I came across a review on Goodreads that said it was misogynistic & homophobic, and the more I read the book, the more this angered me. This was incredible work of fleshed out characters and stories and emotions. You see the world from the eyes of someone who you think is forgettable, and you slowly watch them reach the height of their potential, someone who is driven by the best traits of humanity - courage and love and empathy. Somehow, despite the poetic descriptions of Achilles, he eclipsed him. This is probably the first book I've read that made me cry. Yes, we can all shudder at the descriptions of barbaric acts of violence against women, but that does not make a book misogynistic. Use it as a reminder of how things used to be. My only gripe is sometimes the metaphors flew over my head - is that bad writing or is it my obtuse brain?
Sincer, m-a plictisit considerabil. E mult mai lent și mai slab decât Circe. Până la jumătate încă nu se întâmplase nimic, iar când au început cât de cât, deja nu mai voiam decât să trec mai repede prin pagini. O serioasă dezamăgire față de Circe și față de laudele numeroase.