Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - The Song of Achilles

I knew what was going to happen and still bawled my eyes out multiple times. Madeline Miller’s portrayal of love and grief completely blew me away. This is a read that will sit with me for a very very long time. Epic and heartbreaking. The best novelistic adaptation of a classic tale that I have ever read. Wow.

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grace_cr1's review

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adventurous emotional informative sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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rcroft's review

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adventurous dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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kastoria's review against another edition

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emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I had to put this book down and walk away. Not because it wasn't enjoyable but because I was going into my seasonal depression and couldn't handle it getting upsetting. I had to resume it in the springtime and it consumed me. I still think about it but don't think I'll ever be able to bring myself to re-read this masterpiece.

Absolutely devastatingly beautiful.

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karlapardo's review

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adventurous emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Oooof this book. It broke my heart into a million pieces. I did not expect this book to make me cry this much. I also was surprised with the fact that the book is written in Patroclus POV only, which I thought was beautifully thought out because readers can see Achilles the hero in a different way that we are not used to seeing. We see Achilles through Patroclus’ point of view and because of that we are able to see his flaws, and his not-so-hero struggles that make him seem human. The fact that we get to read this from the point of view of the man who loved and cherished this great hero is breathtaking.
Madeline Miller’s reading is…… breathtakingly beautiful. I don’t know how else to describe it if I am being honest. The poetry is just so well done that it’s able to paint such detailed and vivid scenes and emotions in every aspect. The good moments are shown so beautifully with the poesy of the writing and as readers we feel the joy and excitement of each scene. But the bad moments are also so heartbreaking, heart wrenching, devastatingly, painfully so well written that readers are able to feel absolutely everything. It has truly been the best written book I have read this year and I would read it again and again without a doubt. I would go through the pain of it every single time because of the incredible, beautiful, painful love story of Achilles and Patroclus.

Memorable Quotes

“ACHILLES, it reads. And beside it, PATROCLUS. ‘Go’ she says. ‘He waits for you.’”
“I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world.”
“He smiled, and his face was like the sun.”
Achilles’ eyes lift. They are bloodshot and dead “I wish he had let you all die.”
Achilles weeps. He cradles me, and will not eat, nor speak a word other than my name.

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cuppa_t's review against another edition

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adventurous sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

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casleigh's review against another edition

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Too slow, maybe it’s the audio but I couldn’t pay attention

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louisec12's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This novel is just seamless. It follows the lives of Patroclus and Achilles through Patroclus' eyes and you honestly fall in love with both main characters. I am still thinking about the characters even after finishing the novel and it is so beautifully written. I loved the exploration of honour and heroism and what makes a real hero. An emotional read with the most beautiful and emotional ending. I have immediately moved on to another of Miller's novels and I am now very interested in Greek mythology because of how much I loved this! If you haven't read it then please do ASAP because it is wonderful!

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