The Song of Achilles

A Novel

By: Madeline Miller

Narrated by: Frazer Douglas

Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

The legend begins...

Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the kingdom of Phthia to be raised in the shadow of King Peleus and his golden son, Achilles. “The best of all the Greeks”—strong, beautiful, and the child of a goddess—Achilles is everything the shamed Patroclus is not. Yet despite their differences, the boys become steadfast companions. Their bond deepens as they grow into young men and become skilled in the arts of war and medicine—much to the displeasure and the fury of Achilles’ mother, Thetis, a cruel sea goddess with a hatred of mortals.

When word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, the men of Greece, bound by blood and oath, must lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows. Little do they know that the Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice.

Built on the groundwork of the Iliad, Madeline Miller’s page-turning, profoundly moving, and blisteringly paced retelling of the epic Trojan War marks the launch of a dazzling career.

©2012 Madeline Miller (P)2012 HarperCollinsPublishers

Critic reviews

“[Miller] makes a persuasive argument for the timeliness of her subject. …Miller’s winning debut focuses on Patroclus, a young prince living in Achilles’ golden shadow. Miller also gives voice to many of the women who were also consigned to the shadows.” ( Publishers Weekly, Spring 2012 Preview, Top 10 Literary Fiction)

“You don’t need to be familiar with Homer’s The Iliad (or Brad Pitt’s Troy, for that matter) to find Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles spellbinding....her explorations of ego, grief, and love’s many permutations are both familiar and new....[A] timeless love story.” ( O magazine)

“A psychologically astute Iliad prelude featuring the heady, star-crossed adolescence of future heroes Patroclus and Achilles.” ( Vogue)

Interesting Take on the Fall of Troy

I went into this book not knowing it was a romance novel and ended up really enjoying it. I will say that I personally found the beginning portion prior to Troy more interesting than the portion of the book that took place at Troy. This isn’t to say the story was any less good - but the fall of Troy is nothing new.

The book is about Patroclus and his love for Achilles. The book starts off with them as boys and in a way discovering themselves and developing a romantic bond. The boys grow together and eventually move on and apprentice with Chiron together, where Patroclus learns medicine. Their relationship really takes up from there and I won’t give anything further as I already feel this is a tiny bit of a spoiler but it’s pretty obvious.

The book is a tragedy if the subject matter didn’t make that obvious. If a new take on the fall of Troy is something you’re interested in, I wholeheartedly recommend this book. It leans heavy on the romance however and any reader should be aware. Very good book. Took away one star simply because it does drag a little bit once they get to Troy.

Epic, beloved story embedded with an unheard, heart wrenching love story

Miller honors a cast of characters we know well from Achilles, Patroclus, to Kings Agamemnon, Odysseus, and Priam. She tells a new epic love story in the setting of the great tale of the Greeks at war with the Trojans, and delves beautifully into the pains of a young war hero’s short life.

Wonderfully Reimagined!

The story was reimagined very well! Frazer Douglas narrated with a beautiful voice, if not a little soft for my taste. It was so relaxing. I do wish the book had more battle detail in it.

This is the story of Achilles from the perspective of Patroclus, Achilles truest friend and love, as well as an exiled prince.

They grow up together and become companions, learning all assortment of things such as music and fighting and medicine. Through it all their bond becomes stronger.

Until Helen of Sparta is kidnapped and Greece must respond and battle the great city of Troy. Achilles mother, always scheming to make her son a god, tries to orchestrate the circumstances surrounding Achilles and his fame and glory. I fear in doing so she may have tempted fate too much.

The ending is heart-wrenching and full of love lost on many accounts. Then the ending after the ending is maybe even more sad, but gratifying.

Must Read

Pulls at your heart in so many unexpected ways. Beautifully written and narrated. Don’t need to be a into Greek mythology to appreciate and enjoy

Outstanding performance, gripping story

Another amazing book by Madeline Miller. I knew nothing about it when I started, only that I loved her book, Circe. Miller’s gift for storytelling must come from the gods. And this is an outstanding performance by Douglas Frazer with so much depth and range and tenderness. I couldn’t recommend this book more highly. A gripping, beautiful love story that spans a remarkable pair of lifetimes.

story

i loved the whole book. it was so detailed and made me feel as if i was right there with them. i love the ending and i definitely cried. has been the best book i’ve read in awhile.

Great retelling

Well written retelling with minimal changes to the source material. The author does a good job of adding new emotional beats to the story without too much change. The narration is well done with a lot of ancient Greek cultural context, for example a metaphor as Achilles was overlooking a battle has the author say something like "just as the Medusa's gaze turns men to stone, so to was Achilles hardened by what he saw." (bad paraphrase) it makes the characters feel like they are members of this ancient culture.

Also this book is good to give someone access to the myth who may not otherwise be inclined to read the ancient texts.

My favorite love story of all time

This is a beautiful story achingly told. I enjoyed the author's second book, Circe, so decided to go back and listen to this one. It's amazing. You need not know Greek mythology to understand and be completely immersed in this world that is so reminiscent of our own modern drama.

brilliant narration of a scintillating story

I listened to the audiobook after reading -and adoring- the book. The audiobook brings extra dimension to the story. Truly wonderful and an absolute delight.

Stunning

4.5 star

Song of Achilles took me by surprise. In my ignorance I just thought this was a gay spin on an old tale. Of course like many others who don't know a lot of Greek history, films fill in the blank spaces. Without a doubt I loved the 2004 film Troy but now I find it lacking and am highly disappointed. This relationship was like cold water sliding over my skin. So refreshing and absolutely unique in a way only a God and a mortal partnership could be.

Ignorant I might be but most know the outline of the story. From the very beginning there was an impending doom in every word. And in just a few short chapters I realized I would read anything this author has to offer. With the soft cadence of Frazer Douglas narration and the lilting words of the author this story stole me away to a different place and time. For me it was called The Song of Achilles because each sentence was like a verse, all meaningful and eloquent. Honestly this whole book is one favorite quote and it made it that much more powerful.

'It was a strange time. Over us every second hung the terror of Achilles destiny while the murmurs of war among the God's grew louder. But even I could not feel each minute with fear. I have heard that men who live by a waterfall cease to hear it. In such a way did I learn to live beside the rushing torrent of his doom.'

This was a character driven story and rightfully so. Achilles and Patroclus's very complexity astounded me and even though I knew what would happen I had no idea how we would get to the end. Achilles though normally portrayed as arrogant didn't start out that way. Oh the character arcs, wow, it was a pleasure watching them become who I always knew them to be. Again I was very happy to break from my arrogance because reading about Achilles being sweet on Patroclus made me gloriously happy and made his decent into the man he became more recognizable.

"Convey" This is my new word from now on. This author conveys Achilles and Patroclus's feelings. She doesn't throw it into your face multiple times till you believe it. She portays it in a touch, a look even in a breath. For Patroclus yes I think it was love at first sight I mean Achilles made killing an art form. But still the romance burned slow and hot. I keep saying this but it doesn't make it less true. This was indeed a pleasure to read.

The Song of Achilles is the excate story you've thought you have heard, but you would be wrong. Miller did not just revived acient history but put the story into new fresh skin in which we could all recognize but this time also relate to. Just breathtaking.