The Song of Achilles
- Downloads：1202
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-03-22 21:14:52
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Madeline Miller
- ISBN：0062060627
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Achilles， "the best of all the Greeks，" son of the cruel sea goddess Thetis and the legendary king Peleus， is strong， swift， and beautiful， irresistible to all who meet him。 Patroclus is an awkward young prince， exiled from his homeland after an act of shocking violence。 Brought together by chance， they forge an inseparable bond， despite risking the gods' wrath。
They are trained by the centaur Chiron in the arts of war and medicine， but when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped， all the heroes of Greece are called upon to 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 cruel Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice。
They are trained by the centaur Chiron in the arts of war and medicine， but when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped， all the heroes of Greece are called upon to 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 cruel Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice。
Reviews
Mariah Oleszkowicz
，
I really liked this book （though not as much as Circe）。 The story is good， but the writing is amazing。 Up until Patroclus donned Achilles armor， it was a good book but from that point on， it was a great book。 I really enjoy how miller puts the Greek myths into prose and makes them relatable。
Emily Robertson
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3。5 Stars I am so confused by how I feel about this book。 It is historical fiction （my favourite genre）， a romance （my second favourite genre）， a re-telling of a classic story （a recent obsession） and it should have made me cry （my favourite reaction to a book） and yet here I am giving it 3。5 stars。 The Song of Achilles is a re-telling of Homer's Illiad with a focus on the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus。 I liked the way that Miller dealt with the relationship between Achilles and Pa 3。5 Stars I am so confused by how I feel about this book。 It is historical fiction （my favourite genre）， a romance （my second favourite genre）， a re-telling of a classic story （a recent obsession） and it should have made me cry （my favourite reaction to a book） and yet here I am giving it 3。5 stars。 The Song of Achilles is a re-telling of Homer's Illiad with a focus on the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus。 I liked the way that Miller dealt with the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus as it didn't fall into the trap which queer romance often does with shame being a prominent theme。 The war and the character of Briseis should have kept me interested but for a reason I can't quite ascertain it did not。 I usually cannot get there with a book if there isn't a character I love and I think that maybe that is the problem here。 Achilles is a bit of a brat filled with pride and obsessed with destiny。 Patroclus is a needy follower who worships the ground that Achilles walks on， I did not find either of them particularly likeable。 Overall I can appreciate why other people love this book but it just wasn't for me。 。。。more
marie
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the beginning of this book was something unmatched。 it was easy to read even the more dense events。 the low part of this book is the mid/end， the events felt rushed even though they weren't， it stopped being a great narrative and became something i didn't look forward to see。 the mcs dynamic was REALLY great and that what made this book interesting。 overall， good book with some bad parts。 the beginning of this book was something unmatched。 it was easy to read even the more dense events。 the low part of this book is the mid/end， the events felt rushed even though they weren't， it stopped being a great narrative and became something i didn't look forward to see。 the mcs dynamic was REALLY great and that what made this book interesting。 overall， good book with some bad parts。 。。。more
Alayne Emmett
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I enjoyed this book but， not as much as Circe which I loved。 This was a little more slower than that one。 The story was good and quite sad but it didn’t blow me away so much。
Elias
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please adapt this for tv I am begging
Jenny Armitage
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This book is beautiful。Achilles is one of the most recognisable heroes in Greek myth， but if you aren't a mythology nerd like me the name Patroclus might not spring to mind quite as easily。 He deserves to though， and I think Madeline Miller has gone quite a way towards fixing that。 The story is told through the eyes of Patroclus， Achilles' devoted companion， and details their childhood spent together and the steady friendship that grows into a tender love。 The abduction of Helen shatters their b This book is beautiful。Achilles is one of the most recognisable heroes in Greek myth， but if you aren't a mythology nerd like me the name Patroclus might not spring to mind quite as easily。 He deserves to though， and I think Madeline Miller has gone quite a way towards fixing that。 The story is told through the eyes of Patroclus， Achilles' devoted companion， and details their childhood spent together and the steady friendship that grows into a tender love。 The abduction of Helen shatters their balmy contentment， and provides the call to arms that sees both sailing to Troy for the fight of the ages。I felt like I was dreaming while reading， floating through every chapter。 I know others have had much more emotional reactions to this book and these characters but I felt so peaceful。 The contrast between the men is beautifully treated， Patroclus achingly mortal beside Achilles' divine brilliance， but at the same time never inferior to him。 He can never be Achilles' equal in battle， but he is more than him in other respects。 Miller's prose is sublime， and I found myself smiling often at her little foreshadowings which pepper the book。 The story is well paced and rich in description， and moments of ecstatic joy and soul-wrenching sorrow are equally intense。 She never fully explains the scope and detail of the love between Achilles and Patroclus， but she writes so well that she never needs to。 It hangs in the space between every sentence， epic and earthshaking。 If you want to read a spectacular retelling of Greek myth， or a love story for all time， you can't do much better than opening this book。 。。。more
Marisa
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How do I start。 As I am writing this I am filled with rage， grief， heartache。 The song of Achilles shattered me。 I was crying so much my tears fell from my runny face to book pages。 It’s no wonder I held off reading this for such a long time。 Because of this I am taking a break from reading。 I want too rip this book from page to page。 But I can’t， I will always remember their story。 But I am glad about the way it ended。 In my opinion the believe the good triumphs the bad， so thank you Madeline M How do I start。 As I am writing this I am filled with rage， grief， heartache。 The song of Achilles shattered me。 I was crying so much my tears fell from my runny face to book pages。 It’s no wonder I held off reading this for such a long time。 Because of this I am taking a break from reading。 I want too rip this book from page to page。 But I can’t， I will always remember their story。 But I am glad about the way it ended。 In my opinion the believe the good triumphs the bad， so thank you Madeline Miller for an amazing read。 。。。more
Adriana Sanchez
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Pain。 Just pure pain。 I have cried to very few books but was expecting to sob to this one because of the stuff I’ve heard about it。 But I didn’t， it was a type of pain where you just needed to sit there for a minute with tears streaming down your face just processing what happened。 I think if there hadn’t been a gap between what happened and the end of the book I would have cried way more。 I will forever love this book and would give up anything to read it for the first time again。
Noor Humayun
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wow
Tim
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Well told story of Achilles with human and modern flourishes。 Could not put it down。
Gaia Ausiello
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 “Nell’oscurità， due ombre si avvicinano attraverso il crepuscolo fitto e senza speranza。 Le loro mani si incontrano e la luce si riversa inondando ogni cosa， come cento urne d’oro che， aperte， fanno uscire il sole”Penso vivamente che questo libro debba essere letto dagli studenti poiché fa luce su un aspetto dimenticato e che non viene studiato sui libri: l’amore che supera la morte。La canzone di Achille rende lo studio di questo periodo storico qualcosa a cui appassionarsi！Le anime di Achille e “Nell’oscurità， due ombre si avvicinano attraverso il crepuscolo fitto e senza speranza。 Le loro mani si incontrano e la luce si riversa inondando ogni cosa， come cento urne d’oro che， aperte， fanno uscire il sole”Penso vivamente che questo libro debba essere letto dagli studenti poiché fa luce su un aspetto dimenticato e che non viene studiato sui libri: l’amore che supera la morte。La canzone di Achille rende lo studio di questo periodo storico qualcosa a cui appassionarsi！Le anime di Achille e Patroclo， che sono ora legate per l’eternità， ti rimangono dentro e scalfiscono le tue emozioni più profonde。 Un libro estremamente emozionante， scorrevole e scritto in maniera magistrale， dal quale si può imparare molto e che è un importante spunto di riflessione。Lo consiglio veramente， Madeline Miller è davvero una scrittrice prodigiosa e presto lèggerò altri suoi capolavori sperando che siano all’altezza di questo。 。。。more
Gian Thu
，
"Was this the son you preffered to Achilles？" - Patroclus， to Thetis "Was this the son you preffered to Achilles？" - Patroclus， to Thetis 。。。more
Marta
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4。5/5
carllovesbooks
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Last year I read The Silence of the Girls which is a book written from Briseis point of view， Achilles bed-slave。 It tells the story how the women of Troy experienced the war， in all its disgusting， horrible awefulness。 It painted a very different picture of Achilles than this book。 At least at first。I really enjoyed reading about Achilles youth， his life with Patroclus。 I loved reading about Patroclus - truly the best of men。 The way Achilles evolved through the story was so well done， he slowl Last year I read The Silence of the Girls which is a book written from Briseis point of view， Achilles bed-slave。 It tells the story how the women of Troy experienced the war， in all its disgusting， horrible awefulness。 It painted a very different picture of Achilles than this book。 At least at first。I really enjoyed reading about Achilles youth， his life with Patroclus。 I loved reading about Patroclus - truly the best of men。 The way Achilles evolved through the story was so well done， he slowly morphed into the warrior we all know。 And it made sense。 The storytelling was so well done， for example it showed how Patroclus cared about the men and knew all their faces and names while Achilles really didn‘t。 Which then showed when he refused to fight and let all these men - who didn‘t mean anything to him - die。 I‘ve always loved Greek mythology， I had a cassette as a child with the story of Odysseus on it， and I loved it！ For me the Greeks were always the good guys， Odysseus my hero。 Then I read Kassandra in highschool and that kinda changed。 Then I read Circei and Odysseus was suddenly not the perfect， funny， loving man anymore。。But that‘s what I love about these stories。 They have facettes。 There is no good or bad。 Who are the heroes and who are the villains solely depends on through who‘s perspective you‘re looking at it。（Well there are certain bad things that will always be bad no matter who‘s telling it） I‘m so glad I finally read this book， I‘ve wanted to for almost 10 years now。。。 so yeah finally done！ I expected more tears but it‘s okay。 。。。more
Bairong
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book is amazing and heartbreaking （in a good way） at the same time！ I cried reading the ending， and even though I already know what's going to happen， it still didn't stop me from sobbing grossly in my bed at 2AM。 It has been a rollercoaster ride and I enjoyed every second reading this wonderful novel。I could really feel Patroclus' love and devotion to Achilles through reading the words alone， and it tears me up everytime I remember how tragic their story was。（Spoilers（？） for those who have This book is amazing and heartbreaking （in a good way） at the same time！ I cried reading the ending， and even though I already know what's going to happen， it still didn't stop me from sobbing grossly in my bed at 2AM。 It has been a rollercoaster ride and I enjoyed every second reading this wonderful novel。I could really feel Patroclus' love and devotion to Achilles through reading the words alone， and it tears me up everytime I remember how tragic their story was。（Spoilers（？） for those who have not read yet！）But， even though they both died， I was comforted by the fact they still managed to be together in the end in Elysium thanks to Thetis。 Now if you'll excuse me， I will now proceed to lay in bed and cry for the next 2-3 business days。 。。。more
EllaRae
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this book was very good my favorite book out of everything i’ve read but left me crying for four hours then just not wanting to do anything for a while after that！
Grace
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 So glad everyone lived 🤍
Tila-Rose
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One of the best books I read this year - a true masterpiece。 Madeline captures the world between gods and humans perfectly。 The longing， belonging， expectations and relations。 I simply couldn't stop reading， on the edge with every page - I never wanted it to end。 One of the best books I read this year - a true masterpiece。 Madeline captures the world between gods and humans perfectly。 The longing， belonging， expectations and relations。 I simply couldn't stop reading， on the edge with every page - I never wanted it to end。 。。。more
Adela
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This sounds so good and a lot of people like it 🥺 I must buy this ASAP
Ili Castillo
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*3。75
Ruth Anne
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4。5/5*i'm only 100 pages in and i already knew this book is going to be one of the best books i've read。WOW is an understatement but WOW。 4。5/5*i'm only 100 pages in and i already knew this book is going to be one of the best books i've read。WOW is an understatement but WOW。 。。。more
Stanzi Rowe
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I cried a lot
Hannah B
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I cried for the last 40 pages， and then cried for 20 minutes after I was done。 A masterpiece。
Nadia Poole
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4。5**Although Madeline Miller’s writing style isn’t my favorite， there’s no doubt that she is an amazing story telling who has created some of my new favorite characters in just 370 pages。 I so happy I finally read this！！！
Hannah
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A beautifully written retelling of the Iliad。 Of course， it took some getting used to， as the characterization of many of the characters strays from the original。 I noticed this mostly with Achilles， （who was much less of an asshole。。。 sorry） but less so with Patroclus。 Once I got used to this difference it was smooth sailing！ Needless to say， this was my favorite book read in 2020 and I cried multiple times while reading。
Sarah Carvajal
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This book。。。。I have no words。 It was incredibly beautiful and very fast paced。 I couldn’t put it down， no matter how hard I tried。 I’ve read Greek mythology， and know the story of Achilles， but the way this was told was just so beautiful and heartbreaking。 Wow wow wow
AJ
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sure it's good， but at what cost sure it's good， but at what cost 。。。more
Sue Han
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I cannot stop crying。 Not sure I will ever recover。
Avery
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Too many tears， not enough tissues。 No seriously， there’s mucus all over my face。
Mickey Warshaw
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I loved this book （not as much as I love Circe， but that is not this book's fault）。 I love Madeline Miller's writing -- poetic yet authoritative -- and Greek mythology will always get me amped up。 I studied Classics for years and when I reached the end of The Song of Achilles I genuinely thought to myself "damn， I really need to reread the Iliad and the Odyssey。" THAT is how effectively Madeline Miller reminded me how much I love this world and these stories and miss filling my days with them。 A I loved this book （not as much as I love Circe， but that is not this book's fault）。 I love Madeline Miller's writing -- poetic yet authoritative -- and Greek mythology will always get me amped up。 I studied Classics for years and when I reached the end of The Song of Achilles I genuinely thought to myself "damn， I really need to reread the Iliad and the Odyssey。" THAT is how effectively Madeline Miller reminded me how much I love this world and these stories and miss filling my days with them。 Also， it made me cry and I like that。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Song of Achilles
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Song of Achilles&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Song of Achilles&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0