The Song of Achilles

** spoiler alert ** Mount Olympus must have sparked an ember to life and sent it racing across the Atlantic with Madeline Miller's name on it. Her vision of the renowned warrior Achilles life is nothing short of sensational. The reader could easily believe there was something superhuman about the way 'The Song of Achilles' brought him to life and in how readable it is (even if you're someone with no prior exposure to Greek mythology.) This book is as much about his companion/friend/lover, Patroclus, as it is about Achilles. Reading about the two being raised together from boyhood, you understand why the relationship works and just how deeply abiding their love is for each other. There is no jockeying for position or one upsmanship between the two. Each are secure in their strengths and respect for the other. They're also remarkable in their trust of each other but that stems from the very rare trait of complete honesty between them. Patroclus, because of his personality and the devastation of being exiled from his family & country, has an abundance of humility. Although he had some "hero worship" from the first, after he witnessed the unparalleled skill of Achilles for the first time, you understand why Achilles chose him. He never betrayed him, begrudged his prowess, tried to best him, boast about him or lord his position over any of the other boys. He simply accepted him as the magnificent mortal he was and was content in his role by his side. How beautiful is that?

I sensed from the time they started sharing a room together (in Achilles fathers palace) that a romantic relationship would develop. The way it happened was so natural, it seemed completely "right." The constant togetherness and how attuned they were to each other ~ it would have been oddly strange if nothing had happened. 

Even tho I hadn't read any Greek mythology for a long time before recently discovering Madeline Miller, I remembered how Achilles life ended. I still wished for a different ending in the book! Thank goodness the Gods (and Goddesses) have mercy from time to time tho. Thetis showed some at the end when she gave Patroclus a chance for Eternity with her beloved son, despite her scorn/hatred of him in life. I hope Briseis is somewhere near them in the Underworld too. I really liked her and the sweet relationship she shared with Patroclus. 

'A Song of Achilles' was beautifully written, well paced and exquisitely developed. A book truly deserving of all the accolades written about it.