The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

The song of Achilles is a fantasy novel which is set in Greece amid The Trojan war. It tells
the story of the main characters from the perspective of a boy named Patroclus, who grows up
alongside Achilles. He was born a disappointment to his father, being unable to fight well as
well as become a great warrior, he gets sent away with the hopes that something will come of
him but when he meets Achilles, they quickly become friends, which later on blooms into
something a lot bigger. The love that these characters share as well as their passion is what
drives this story forward.

The novel has a remarkable number of characters and each of them stand out in some
way. Achilles is first viewed as an unsympathetic character- a spoiled brat and a bully. The
author shows his unattractive qualities but she also shows that Achilles is human. He is capable
of love and he has a sense of humor and a gentle side but readers are only able to see this
because of Patroclus’ point of view, who watches him grow from a spoiled kid to a young man
struggling to balance his personal feelings with the expectations of an entire nation. Patroclus
is exactly the opposite of Achilles because while he had a violent past, he still is characterized as
kind and thoughtful, yet he lacks the ambition of the men that surround him.

What fascinated me the most was the way the author describes each and every
character- putting out both their good and bad qualities, while also making readers care for
each individual, despite all of their faults. Whether you’re interested in Greek mythology or
not, as soon as you start reading this book, you will surely get emotionally invested and shed at
least few tears.