Book Review I The Song Of Achilles
5 stars
Alright, this review has been pending for a week now and it’s time to share it. This book was the death of me. The reason I suffered. The reason I cried myself to sleep 2 nights in a row. There’s so much pain inked into the pages of this book yet somehow, after all of that, I still loved it.
The book basically explores the relationship between Patroclus and Achilles from their childhood together till the fateful events of the Illiad.
No matter how long you prepare yourself, you still won’t handle the painful ending of this book. Trust me, I’ve been reading it for 3 months and had the ending spoiled for me and still, I wasn’t ready for what came.
Let’s start with the writing. It wasn’t like anything I’ve read before (which was refreshing) and it had a poetic feel to it, as if the words were chosen deliberately and carefully pieced together. I liked that. Madeline Miller was able to convey raw, complex emotions with simple words. There was no misunderstanding or misinterpretation of the content, which I was also glad for.
Now, for the plot, there isn’t much to say mainly because this is history. I mean, this actually happened and you cannot change it (even if you don’t like it) and so this part I cannot have an opinion on it but, I can tell you, it was definitely tragic. Beautiful, but tragic. Sucks to be them.
The characters were just pure. I loved Pat and Achilles from the start. The way they were portrayed was beautiful. They weren’t like those characters where everything about them was unrealistic. They feel the same way we feel. They think the same way we think. They had complex feelings just like us. They got confused and had their downs just like everyone. Most importantly though, they fell in love in the most beautiful and heart-rending way possible. And their love stood no chance against the hardships of this world.
The reason it took me long to finish it was because I had many things going on and say I kept delaying it. It wasn’t a long book but it wasn’t short either.
Overall, I immensely enjoyed reading this book and now I’m looking forward to getting my hands on the physical copy. This book deserves all the stars from me (and it’s the first one too).
