Book Review: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

“When he died, all things swift and beautiful and bright would be buried with him.”

Madeline Miller, The Song of Achilles

Review:

I’ve heard so many people say that The Song of Achilles surpasses Circe, so after being disappointed with the latter, I went into this one with an open mind. I’ve determined that I don’t have half as much of a grasp on Greek Mythology as I thought I did. 

Ultimately, I found this to be easier to read than Circe, however, I connected to the characters/plot in Circe more. Not being a huge fantasy fan I struggled through it and couldn’t wait to be finished. Given this was a book club read, I wanted to make it to the end. It’s definitely interesting. It just would have been more interesting if I could have kept better tabs on all of the characters. Simply not for me, but I understand why so many people love it.

Likes & Dislikes:

What I liked:

• The flow of the story. It was comparatively easier to follow the plot.
• In theory, the Greek Mythology. If I ever get better acquainted with it I’ll revisit Madeline Miller’s books.

What I didn’t like:

• Too much gore for my taste.
• This could also be a ‘me’ issue, but I found the characters difficult to connect with.

Afterthoughts:

This is probably going to be my last Madeline Miller book. I feel bad leaving lower reviews when so many of the problems are a matter of taste. I can’t critique the books well where I have nothing to compare them to in the genre. This was the book for the Book Lovers & Santas‘ August group read.

Where to buy the book: