The Song of Achilles: The 10th Anniversary edition of the Women's Prize-winning bestseller

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I was completely floored by the absolute beauty of this story, which centers around the love between Achilles and Patroclus. Original, clever, and in a class of its own ... an incredibly compelling and seductive read ( Independent on Sunday) MISOGYNY, PART II could go on for years about how much I hate how Miller writes women (for more of that, see Circe), but it can be easily summarised: Miller has two types of woman, “plain supportive non-threatening wing(wo)man” or “conventionally attractive evil jealous bitch,” and those are the only female characters she writes. Even in an addled state, there is no way I would ever confuse great writing for poorly conceived writing. As I was reading through my notes and savoring favorite passages again, now that Cupid’s fog has cleared from my mind, I must say Miller is a wonderful, lyrical writer.

The Song of Achilles - Hardback by Madeline Miller (Paperback) The Song of Achilles - Hardback by Madeline Miller (Paperback)

Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. Despite their differences, Achilles befriends the shamed prince, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into something deeper - despite the displeasure of Achilles's mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. In doing so Miller tells of a love story that is sentimental but not overflowing in its protestations of love, a relationship that is touching but not overly emotional and a tale of two men human, flawed, imperfect but who each bring depth of character in their roles and strong in their principles but protective of each other. Achilles meets Patroclus at school at the age of twelve, and soon the unlikely pairing of these two boys becomes a deep friendship. Wanting to separate the two boys and to begin Achilles life’s teachings, Achilles’ mother Thetis, sends him off to the centaur Chiron for three years to learn literature, nature, sacrifice, and the art of battle. However, not to be torn away from his friend, Patroclus follows Achilles into the caves and remains with him for three years as the love between the two blossoms. I hereby award ALL THE STARS in the universe to The Song of Achilles, a story equal parts epic and heartbreaking.We were like gods, at the dawning of the world, and our joy was so bright we could see nothing else but the other.” I was overwhelmed by the intensity of feeling this story was able to elicit from my cold, dark heart. I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I did not like this book. And I must confess that the fault partly lies with me, because I did not read the blurb before I dived in. After having loved Miller's Circe, it was a no-brainer that I'd want to read her take on the Trojan War - so I left it at that and just began reading. Lesson learned, because I wanted this to be more historical fiction, yet it was basically just romance fantasy - hence my disappointment. The result of this, of course, is that Miller’s portrayal of a gay relationship is basically just a heteronormative straight one. Patroclus could be replaced by a woman and it would change absolutely nothing about the story Miller has written. In essence, Miller has told the audience that queer relationships are fundamentally the same as heterosexual ones, and that makes them okay!… but with no apparent knowledge of or care as to how this might contribute to the perpetuation of homophobia in the real world. It’s not an accurate portrayal of the characters she claims to love so much, and it’s unintentionally homophobic at best.

Circe: The stunning new anniversary edition from the author

Enough magic, enchantment, voyages and wonders to satisfy the most jaded sword-and-sorcery palate. Miller approaches Odysseus's story from Circe's point of view, richly evoking her protagonist's overlapping identities as goddess, witch, lover and mother From a mythological novel point of view - if you are seeking a book about the Greek and Trojan war, I personally suggest skipping this one. In my opinion it is barely a retelling of myth, because only writing about the private lives, loves and bedrooms of classical gods/demigods/heroes does nothing to make us understand the grounds on which classicism was built. For me it was disappointing, since I really wanted the richness of the actual story and not just romance. Not only was Patroclus and Achilles' love story the main focus, it was pretty much the only subject matter throughout. Could have been really well done if the events of Troy were more thoroughly framed in the context of the love story. In the Paris of the Second French Empire, what did it take to rise from courtesan to diva? From a ferociously talented writer who is “the fire, in my opinion. And the light” (Junot Diaz) comes a blazing portrait of a woman who creates her own fate. Of the story I can't say much because nothing happens. Seriously, we spend years in places and there's nothing to further the plot, it's like we are just waiting for the call against Troy. It is so boring and in this time, there's never a change in these characters. To me, the 8 years old Patroclus is the same Patroclus at the end. I don't know if it is because the story is told in past tense or if it's definitely a mistake from the author, but it reads the same. Through Patroclus's childhood, adolescence and adulthood, the character and his views feel exactly the same, which is ridiculous. For example, when all their greeks companions are dying and Achilles refuses to fight, even though Patroclus knows it's the stupidest decision ever, he refuses to say something and act, so what do they do? They both just consider to maybe swim or play later that day... I repeat, this book can be so dumb. This is the story of the fall of Troy. Or rather, a part of it. More specifically, this is the tale of Achilles and Patroclus. Of their undying love for each other. Of the lives they sacrifice on the altar of that love. Of desperate men and petty gods. Of a proud, greedy people engaged in a prolonged, bloody war.THE RELATIONSHIP, PART III: HOMOPHOBIAAnyone who says that ancient Greece was 100% accepting of homosexual relationships is factually incorrect. Our modern idea of sexuality cannot be applied to ancient societies (the term for this is presentism). Although same-sex relationships between men were indeed commonplace, they were not typically considered on the same level as heterosexual relationships (often associated with marriage—love and marriage were discrete topics throughout much of history). What was common amongst men was pederasty, a relationship dynamic in which the older man, typically more knowledgeable and experienced, was the erastes (active partner) and the younger man, typically less-experienced and more effeminate, was the eromenos (passive partner). Obviously the notion of top/bottom dynamics has persisted into modern queer relationships, although in reality it’s rare that one person will prefer being exclusively one or the other.

The Song of Achilles - Bloomsbury Publishing The Song of Achilles - Bloomsbury Publishing

Also important to any discussion of this dynamic is the reason it was so accepted: misogyny. Partially this was a result of the focus on the act of penetration, i.e., the penetrator was the more masculine, and the penetrated was effeminate. Women were also viewed as incapable of love to the same extent that men were, and so the “ideal” relationship was between two men, who were intellectual equals, as opposed to women, who (it was believed) weren’t capable of the same degree of affection. This delusion persisted into modernity, often resulting in homosocial relationships, if not outright homosexual ones. Miller’s Achilles is a two-dimensional cardboard cutout of a tragic figure: all flash and no substance. We’re told over and over how amazing Achilles is, but never does any of this alleged amazingness ever feature. While Patroclus waxes lyrical over Achilles’s swift ankles (get it?) or whatever, the audience is left wondering if Patroclus’s Achilles is an entirely different character from the one Miller has written. Which brings me to— I am going to disagree with the Orange Prize committee. I am going to disagree with thousands of goodreads reviewers. This book is crap.selectedStore.City }}, {{ selectedStore.State }} {{ selectedStore.Country }} {{ selectedStore.Zip }}

Circe: The stunning new anniversary edition from the author Circe: The stunning new anniversary edition from the author

Also bizarre is the fact that, while all of Miller’s women are either villains, obstacles, or dalliances, every (sympathetic) man is bestowed with modern twenty-first-century feminist mindsets—not only are Briseis and the other women captured by Achilles not assaulted, but they also come to care for him and for Patroclus because of how kind and respectful these men are. This would be lovely in real life, of course, but it’s not what happened in the Iliad. What I liked less was the slow burn nature of a book in the first half when the period and story already offered so much for the author to embellish. Can anyone please call my boss and let her know I may not go to work for a week or so? I need time to recover from this book that m u r d e r e d me. LONGLISTED FOR THE ORANGE PRIZE FOR FICTION 2012. A breathtakingly original rendering of the Trojan War - a devastating love story and a tale of gods and kings, immortal fame and the human heart I knew nothing about this going in, besides the fact that it is based off the events in Homer's epic, The Illiad.Patroclus.’ It was the name my father had given me, hopefully but injudiciously, at my birth, and it tasted of bitterness on my tongue. ‘Honour of the father,’ it meant. It all begins with a rape. The Greek Gods want to reward Peleus for being such a good subject and decide that he should be given a sea nymph named Thetis as his bride. ”It was considered their highest honor. After all, what mortal would not want to bed a goddess and sire a son from her? Divine blood purified our muddy race, bred heroes from dust and clay. And this goddess brought a greater promise still: the Fates had foretold that her son would far surpass his father. Peleus’ line would be assured. But, like all the gods’ gifts, there was an edge to it; the goddess herself was unwilling.” The mythology of this is fairly accurate and interesting– sure, some of the plot points around Briseus were far-fetched, but nothing here is disproved by the mythological canon. That made me really happy, although I know many won't really care. For those of you who need reference on key players: The attraction between these two men wasn’t something that was rushed and squandered. It was built up, ever so slowly, and delivered eloquently. The two were friends from boyhood, and Patroclus was enamoured by Achilles after just one glance. He didn’t want to be parted from him. The two grew up together, they fought together, they learnt together and they developed together. They became inseparable and reliant on each other. Their sexual relationship just matured as they did it; it was the most natural thing in the world. Ah.’ A sly smile spread across his face; he had always loved defiance. ‘Well, why should I kill him? He’s done nothing to me.’