The Song of Achilles
by Madeline Miller · first published 2011
75% recommend25% neutral
This is the story of the seige of Troy from the perspective of Achilles best-friend Patroclus. Although Patroclus is outcast from his home for disappointing his father he manages to be the only mortal who can keep up with the half-God Archilles. Even though many will know the facts behind the story the telling is fresh and engaging.
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I urge everyone with even a passing interest in Greek mythology to check out The Song of Achilles (2011) and then Circe (2018), both by Madeline Miller. She perfectly combines ancient stories with modern prose, and these are two of my favorite fantasy novels.
on “The Odyssey – Alexander Pope translation (1725)” ↗The two recent books by Madeline Miller, "Circe" and "The Song of Achilles" "Crossroads" Jonathan Franzen "Agassi" Andre Agassi - I don't normally read sports memoirs, but this one came highly recommended by a woman author that I have read recently so I gave it a try. As a…
on “Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2022?” ↗…https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publishers_Weekly_list_of_best... It is true that there isn't that much literary stuff that breaks through, and the stuff that does is usually somewhat crossover (e.g., All the Light We Cannot See in 2015 or Song of Achilles in 2021) but it exists. These two books are shelved under literary codes (though also historical). Song of Achilles in particular is beautifully written and a personal favorite of mine, at least among…
on “The cultural decline of literary fiction” ↗Madeline Miller's book Circe touches on the same themes for parts of it. It was a very good read. I haven't read Song of Achilles yet.
on “Ask HN: What Lived Up to the Hype?” ↗