I was overwhelmed by the intensity of feeling this story was able to elicit from my cold, dark heart. It might be easy to hate Achilles during the latter half of the story, based on some of his decisions, and rightly so. But, I think it's a good thing that the author did not alter his character to fix those flows. The objective of the story was never to portrait the greatness of Achilles. And as for the ending: it was as emotional and beautiful as it could be. Madeline Miller had done justice to Patroclus with The Song of Achilles perfectly.

Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller | Goodreads The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller | Goodreads

Like all relationships, there were issues. The two weren’t without their differences. They clashed and quarrelled but only because they truly cared for each other. Patroclus wanted to end the war, and Achilles didn’t think the fight was worthy of his name: he wanted a bigger war to fight in. So, Patroclus, in his most bravest and stupid move goes against his lover’s wish and tries to end the war with a stroke of his sword. But he is no Achilles: he is not a god of war. He was out of his depth, outmatched and doomed. When Patroclus kisses Achilles, Thetis makes her disapproval very clear, sending Achilles to study with the famous centaur Chiron on Mount Pelion. Patroclus, an exiled orphan with nothing to lose, follows Achilles. With Chiron’s blessing, Patroclus is allowed to join Achilles in his studies, despite Thetis’s requests to the contrary. On Mount Pelion, the boys learn many things, including musicianship, medicine, and biology; they also begin a sexual relationship away from Thetis’s observation. Achilles doesn’t know if he wants to be a god, but he wants to be the first hero to be happy and famous—he and Patroclus promise to make that future happen together. They were loyal, brave and kind to one another in a way that had me reaching for the tissues instead of choking down my mirth. 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. There is danger for a solitary woman in this world, and Circe's independence draws the wrath of men and gods alike. To protect what she holds dear, Circe must decide whether she belongs with the deities she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.

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.

Circe: The stunning new anniversary edition from the author

I've read some glorified Harlequins that managed to break my snob barrier -- Outlander and Water for Elephants to name just two. Sadly, this one didn't. Perhaps this was, in part, because all the accolades led me to expect something far more literary or deep. And maybe had I read The Iliad I would be more excited by the references and more forgiving of the book's flaws.CONCLUSION: LOST POTENTIALMaybe if I weren’t a classicist I might’ve enjoyed it, but I am, so I didn’t. It’s made even worse because Miller herself has an Ivy League classics degree and, while we’re all well-accustomed to seeing bastardisations of the classics in popular media (think Troy or 300), I expect better from someone who matriculated from Brown University. There’s no way she got a degree in classics without having read the Symposium and Phaidros—both of which discuss, at length, the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus. Plato’s characters (mouthpieces, really) discuss how Achilles and Patroclus do not adhere to the traditional pederastic dynamic expected of young men their age. This would actually be an excellent way to dissect and discuss gender roles, sexuality, and heteronormativity in ancient (and, indirectly, modern) society and queer relationships. But instead we get this, and hordes of uneducated high school children fawn over a factually inaccurate, fetishistic, homophobic portrayal of Achilles and Patroclus, and Miller gets rich off her scheming. This is nothing more than poorly written Iliad fan fiction that’s exactly as bad as anything you’d find on LiveJournal circa 2010 (I was born into it… moulded by it…). 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. 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. A captivating retelling of the Iliad and events leading up to it through the point of view of Patroclus: it's a hard book to put down, and any classicist will be enthralled by her characterisation of the goddess Thetis, which carries the true savagery and chill of antiquity