'The Song of Achilles' by Madeline Miller

Rating: 5 / 5

Overview:

Patroclus has grown up knowing he's his father's greatest disappointment. As the son of a king, he should be athletic, intelligent, musical, confident, funny. He is not. Then there's Achilles: the irritating golden boy in every sense, even his blood is tinged with immortality. One game that goes horribly wrong has Patroclus exiled to Pthia, kingdom of Achilles' father. Finally the pair meet, but can their bond survive one of the most famous wars known to mankind?

I thought I knew what to expect with this novel but I did not! Last year I'd read 'Circe' (by the same author) and not been too excited by it, and the hype surrounding 'The Song of Achilles' was actually putting me off it. Lesson learnt -being basic is not bad if we're talking about BRILLIANT books!

The narrative can perhaps be divided into three: childhood and adolescence (their love story will give you pure serotonin), the first 10 years at Troy, and the final climax (the tension is practically unbearable). It was the first and third sections that had me reading late into the night like a moth drawn to flame.

Miller (http://madelinemiller.com/ ) has blended incredible knowledge and research with her beautifully imagined dialogue and story-telling, with the result being an addictive, action-packed, tender novel. Every time my teacher tries to tell our class that Achilles and Patroclus were just friends, we all roll our eyes and tell him "Just you wait till you've read 'Song of Achilles'"!