Review: The Song of Achilles

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I cannot remember the last time I read a book like this one, where as the final pages turned I found it difficult to breathe.

This is a complicated book. It is a story of love and friendship, and of great men from myth and legend. It is a tragic book, where with every turn of the page you condemn those in it to a fate that rushes towards them. I started it knowing how it would end, but in moments I would forget and find myself hoping that it would end differently. It is not a great book, but I don't think it strives to be. It's goal is not scale but tenderness.

I cannot deny that in some ways, it's rough around the edges. The world does not feel as large as it did with Circe, the words do not always flow, the characters are not always as naturally pulled together as they need to be.

But it does not matter. The parts that shine are bright enough.

View all my reviews