The Song of Achilles is a retelling of classic Greek mythology involving Patroclus and Achilles, specifically covering the battle of Troy.

The way Miller writes him is nothing like that. A certain amount of leeway is to be expected, of course, but changing the character and personality of one of Homer’s most famous figures to such an extent is beyond bizarre. Miller writes him as a limp-wristed medic twink who does nothing but follow Achilles around like a sycophantic pet. When he puts on Achilles’s armour to go into battle, no one thinks he’ll replace Achilles; everyone—Achilles included!—thinks he’ll fall instantly. The Homeric Patroclus was an excellent fighter in his own right, but Miller’s Patroclus is a waifish pansy who can barely lift a spear. 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. 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. So it shouldn't be surprising to anyone who is familiar with me that this book didn't make me feel much of anything.Madeline Miller studied Latin and Ancient Greek from Brown University and even more interestingly studied at the Yale School of Drama, specializing in adapting classical tales for a modern audience. I ignored this book when it first came out because I had read The Iliad twice and plan to read it many more times if the Gods grant me enough time to do so. A reimagining of Homer’s words? There is enough debate over translations of the original source documentation without adding in additional controversy over Miller’s interpretation of events. 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. Anyway this was a recipe for disaster, is what I'm saying, and instead it was just. Kind of boring? To me.

But, it means that this book is not for everyone. There is a lot of sexism, misogyny, violence, bloodshed, and rape, mentioned almost offhand, because, to these characters, this behavior is commonplace. Expected. I didn't like a single one of them. And not just because of their worldviews. There was Achilles and his hubris. Patroclus and his uselessness. Thetis and her coldness. I didn't even like Odysseus and his famous wit, for there was an edge to it in this book that made him seem less charming and more manipulative than I remember. Achilles meets Patroclus at school at the age of twelve, and soon the unlikely pairing of these two boys becomes a deep friendship. Wanting to separate the two boys and to begin Achilles life’s teachings, Achilles’ mother Thetis, sends him off to the centaur Chiron for three years to learn literature, nature, sacrifice, and the art of battle. However, not to be torn away from his friend, Patroclus follows Achilles into the caves and remains with him for three years as the love between the two blossoms. Real fans already know: I'm heartless. I'm soulless. My resting temperature is 35 degrees Fahrenheit and I have a deep abyss where my cardiac system is supposed to be. I've read some glorified Harlequins that managed to break my snob barrier -- Outlander and Water for Elephants to name just two. Sadly, this one didn't. Perhaps this was, in part, because all the accolades led me to expect something far more literary or deep. And maybe had I read The Iliad I would be more excited by the references and more forgiving of the book's flaws. Miller’s Achilles is a two-dimensional cardboard cutout of a tragic figure: all flash and no substance. We’re told over and over how amazing Achilles is, but never does any of this alleged amazingness ever feature. While Patroclus waxes lyrical over Achilles’s swift ankles (get it?) or whatever, the audience is left wondering if Patroclus’s Achilles is an entirely different character from the one Miller has written. Which brings me to—

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I hereby award ALL THE STARS in the universe to The Song of Achilles, a story equal parts epic and heartbreaking. His eyes, green as spring leaves, met mine. “Patroclus. I have given enough to them. I will not give them this.”

Patroclus - the lesser known hero - being the protagonist helps narrate the story of Achilles from a very unique standpoint. While the sequence of events does follow the Trojan war, war part only feels like a sub-plot which complements the main plot beautifully. The reader would rarely await the outcomes of war, for, the amazing and somewhat poetic narrative keeps one deeply immersed in the feelings of the main character. Still, you'll come across the brutalities of war as well, and how they change the characters and their personalities as the story progresses.

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The never-ending ache of love and sorrow. Perhaps in some other life I could have refused, could have torn my hair and screamed, and made him face his choice alone. But not in this one. He would sail to Troy and I would follow, even into death. Also important to any discussion of this dynamic is the reason it was so accepted: misogyny. Partially this was a result of the focus on the act of penetration, i.e., the penetrator was the more masculine, and the penetrated was effeminate. Women were also viewed as incapable of love to the same extent that men were, and so the “ideal” relationship was between two men, who were intellectual equals, as opposed to women, who (it was believed) weren’t capable of the same degree of affection. This delusion persisted into modernity, often resulting in homosocial relationships, if not outright homosexual ones. Miller puts flesh on these ancient bones, Gods and mortals alike, and brings a freshness to one of our most venerated stories. Though I resisted, it turns out that Madeline Miller was writing these books for me. She has also given me a burning desire to read The Iliad again while her interpretation is still imprinted so deeply in my mind. I have a feeling my reading experience will be deepened and her observations will glow like phosphorus between the lines.

BISEXUALITY?This is a minor detail, but it bothered me: Miller’s Achilles is revolted by the concept of even touching a woman, but Achilles did like women, and in fact slept with at least two within the context of the Iliad. Patroclus, whom Miller writes as disgusted by Deidamia’s vagina, also slept with at least one woman in the Iliad. This is a minor change—none of those women except Deidamia and Briseis are important to the story—and I wouldn’t have minded Miller’s changing it had she written more and better female characters. Of the story I can't say much because nothing happens. Seriously, we spend years in places and there's nothing to further the plot, it's like we are just waiting for the call against Troy. It is so boring and in this time, there's never a change in these characters. To me, the 8 years old Patroclus is the same Patroclus at the end. I don't know if it is because the story is told in past tense or if it's definitely a mistake from the author, but it reads the same. Through Patroclus's childhood, adolescence and adulthood, the character and his views feel exactly the same, which is ridiculous. For example, when all their greeks companions are dying and Achilles refuses to fight, even though Patroclus knows it's the stupidest decision ever, he refuses to say something and act, so what do they do? They both just consider to maybe swim or play later that day... I repeat, this book can be so dumb.All told this was one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read. It caused me to cry, it made me angry, it made me smile and it touched me deeply. I’m a total mess after reading this and my emotions are still all over the place, to say I regret reading it would be one hell of a lie though. I was completely floored by the absolute beauty of this story, which centers around the love between Achilles and Patroclus. My pulse jumps, for no reason I can name. He has looked at me a thousand times, but there is something different in this gaze, an intensity I do not know. My mouth is dry, and I can hear the sound of my throat as I swallow. In particular, his voice when speaking as Achilles, straight up Chris Hemsworth. Honestly, not a bad picture to have in mind whilst listening to a book.