#76: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Hello everyone! I’m a bit behind on writing (you can see my full backlog at the bottom of this letter) and I’ve been trying to actually read more rather than rely so heavily on audiobooks. It may be my pride or ego, but I want to be known as a reader. I also enjoy reading and by taking certain steps, such as cutting out social media on my phone and reading before bed, I will be reading more books.
That doesn’t mean I’m going to stop listening to audiobooks. I love audiobooks! I think having two books going at a time, exclusively reading one and exclusively listening to another, will be fulfilling.
I have a few more thoughts below but let’s get to the review!
Published 2011 | 378 pages
What is the book about?
This book is an adaptation, and if you don’t already know this about me, I love adaptations. Madeline Miller adapted the classic tale of The Iliad to a modern audience. She puts the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus at the center of the story and the Trojan war is the backdrop. In an interview found at the end of the book, Miller says “I made The Iliad a fixed point on the horizon and wrote toward it. I knew what Achilles and Patroclus became; I wanted to describe how they got there, and what went on between them in the scenes that Homer doesn’t show.”
I thought it worked. Patroclus narrates the drama himself and Ms. Miller uses his voice to convey both the grand scope of battle among gods and men as well as intimate, tender moments between individuals.
What I liked and what worked
It is a testament to the writing and story telling that even though I knew the story, I was still engaged. Actually, let me re-phrase: Having seen the 2004 movie Troy, I thought I knew this story. It is a great movie, but spins the story one way and Ms. Miller had a very different take that I thought worked really well. I cared about the characters and their fates and the power dynamics in the war.
While the book hit the same beats of character deaths, how long the war lasted, who eventually won, etc., it was full of rich details and character development that kept me reading to the end. Themes of pride, destiny, sacrifice, honor all came through confidently in the writing.
What I didn’t like and what didn’t work
The writing style isn’t quite my cup of tea. On an individual sentence level, I was nearly driven crazy and wanted to DNF after about 50 pages. Here’s an example:
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.
All Patroclus could talk about was how beautiful Achilles was! His glistening skin and supple neck. It took me back to when I read Twilight and Bella couldn’t stop talking about Edward. I needed Patroclus to make some friends or get a hobby. Sure, I was young and infatuated once so I get why she was writing him that way, but I was ready for them to grow up.
Content-wise, there was a teenage boy love scene that I had to skip. It was explicit and I felt like I was walking in on a very private, intimate moment that I had no business being a part of.
Should you read it?
This book is quite popular and got a ton of buzz, so if you haven’t read it already you probably have your reasons. This isn’t one that I would say you should bump to the top of your list. Get to it when you get to it, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed when you do.
Another part of me wants to say to just stick to the original. The Iliad and The Odyssey have stood the test of time and if you are in the mood for that type of adventure, maybe it’s time to jump back in. Igniting an interest in those is something I give Madeline Miller credit for.
Thanks so much for being here, it means a lot to have a reading community to engage with.
Kyle
After Notes: More thoughts on reading metrics
There’s something satisfying about reading metrics. “Pages read” in a given week/month/year is important to me (there goes that ego again). Similar to running a race, it is something within my control that I can measure and improve. My buddy at work said it best:
Many things in my life I have no control over. This I do. Plus it has a single, direct measurable that shows progress. The higher that number, the theoretically better.
Goodreads tracks pages read but it isn’t accurate with my hybrid approach of reading and listening. I’m trying to figure out a better method for tracking pages read.
Here it is: The Backlog! (books read in the past few months but not written about):
Babylon’s Ashes by James S.A. Corey
Normal People by Sally Rooney
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
The Anomaly by Hervé Le Tellier
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
The Power of the Dog by Thomas Savage
Piranesi by Susanna Clark
Jade City by Fonda Lee
The Biggest Bluff by Maria Konnikova
The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
Deep Water by Patricia Highsmith
Nemesis Games (The Expanse book 5) by James S.A. Corey
In The Woods by Tana French