Book Club March 2025- The Song of Achilles
By: Madeline Miller
Published Year: 2011
Publisher: Ecco
Pages: 408
Summary (Provided by Goodreads): 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.
What I thought
I have seen this book floating around the internet for at least a few years. People rave about it. It has a solid rating over 4 stars on Goodreads. I do enjoy the cover, but every time I read the summary I felt kind of meh. When Meghan picked it for book club, I was excited to finally see what everyone was raving about.
This book follows Achilles and his companion Patroclus from childhood through the Trojan war. I love Greek mythology, but I didn’t know anything about the Trojan war other than the name Helen of Troy and the Trojan Horse. I also know nothing about Achilles other than Achilles Heel/Tendon. I didn’t fully realize this book was a kind of retelling of the Iliad either. I am much more familiar with The Odyssey, so a lot of this story was new to me.
I’ll start with what I loved. I loved learning about the Greek mythology and the history of this war. I had no idea it was over 9 years long! I also didn’t know much about Achilles and how he became a hero, so I enjoyed that part as well.
What I didn’t love was Achilles which is unfortunate. I found him to be self-centered and naïve. I understand he doesn’t want to die, but he ruins so many other people’s lives because of it. I also felt like he didn’t listen to Partoclus at all and took advantage of him multiple times. Patroclus also drove me nuts, though he did grow on my in the second half. When he was a kid he irritated me. I thought I was going to vomit if I had to read about Achille’s “beautiful pink feet” one more time. But once they were in the war and adults, I enjoyed it more.
I wanted to like this so much more than I did. I found it to be a little slow and I didn’t really like anyone in this story. I don’t know if that’s how I would’ve felt reading the Iliad or what, but it was not my favorite. I didn’t dislike it by any means, but I don’t feel like it’s one I’d recommend. I’m curious about the author’s other book, Circe, and whether that one would resonate with me more.
I’m super curious to hear what book club thinks. We have a good split of Greek Mythology lovers and those who aren’t into it.
What Book Club Thought
Meghan, who picked the book, ended up liking it the most out of the rest of us. One of our book club members said she felt it was really well researched and well done, but something about it just didn’t connect for her. Another member was on the same page as me. She liked the story but found the writing to be lacking. I struggled the most with the characters. I don’t do well when a book has unlikable characters. Overall, most of us gave it a 3/5 stars. I think it was a good book to discuss because we had a lot of feelings. I would recommend this book if you’re a fan of the Iliad and would recommend it as a book club pick. I am curious about her other book and may check it out in the future.