The Song of Achilles: The Best Book I Have Ever Read. (Summary and Review by Lucas Tosi)

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    The Song of Achilles, written by Madeline Miller, is an astoundingly impactful book. It incorporates Greek mythology and history to tell the tale of young lovers Patroclus and Achilles. Patroclus, a prince, is sent away as a child because of his kind and gentle stature. He is sent to live under another king, Peleus, who has a son named Achilles. His son is seemingly quite the opposite of Patroclus, as he is much more bold and daring. Achilles is destined to fight at Troy as an eternal legend and die, or not fight, but simply be forgotten. This choice becomes tougher when the two grow a closer bond with each other, training under Chiron, a centaur who has trained multiple war heroes. Eventually, Achilles and Patroclus fight in Troy for years. The stubborn Achilles refuses to help the Greeks after some turmoil between the two, and Patroclus, in an attempt to help the Greeks, wears the armor of Achilles and rushes into battle, only dying at the hands of Hector. Achilles, distraught by his stubborn ways that caused the death of his lover, kills Hector to avenge Patroclus but eventually succumbs to his fate of death and chooses to have his ashes mixed with the ones of Patroclus. 

    To begin, this story is a lot. The Song of Achilles is one of the first books I read after a long standstill of reading in early middle school. The rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish is truly amazing. The beautiful, raw relationship between Achilles and Patroclus is in itself one of the most descriptive and true ever. From the young lovers who had memorable moments together to Achilles losing his will to live at the sight of the dead Patroclus but then eventually reuniting in the afterlife, every single word on every single page represented the purity and imperfections of life. 

    As I said previously, Madeline Miller incorporates genuine Greek history and mythology into the story. This element helps to give The Song of Achilles an element of truth while remaining a tale of fiction. All of the words on every page have meaning, and the author truly makes sure of this. In the end, I believe that this book has made a profound impact on my enjoyment of reading, and sheds light on the possibilities of magnificent storytelling able to be made in the future about queer relationships as a whole.

~ Lucas Tosi ~

Comments

  1. LindenJanuary 25, 2024 at 11:29 AM

    I also read TSOA, and I agree that it is absolutely amazing. The story takes the Iliad (Which I didn't like very much to be honest) and puts a modern twist on it which I really liked. Also the writing is crazy good, 10/10 just like you said.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Henry GFebruary 1, 2024 at 9:04 AM

    Hi Lucas, after reading your blog and Sophia's, I will definitly have to check this book out sometime soon.

    ReplyDelete
  3. ElliotthegreatFebruary 1, 2024 at 6:22 PM

    Hi Lucas, I have always had a great interest in Greek Mythology and this book seems like a must read, I shall definitely check this out soon. Good Review!

    ReplyDelete
  4. mirandaFebruary 2, 2024 at 11:59 AM

    Hey Lucas, I've heard a lot about this book and it seems very interesting! I'm a fan of Greek mythology so i might have to actually try and read this sometime! Good review!

    ReplyDelete
  5. PennyFebruary 5, 2024 at 7:29 AM

    Hey Lucas, I read this book awhile ago and really loved it. It's pretty easy to read and envision, which is pretty unusual for a lot of books. Like you said, I especially appreciate the representation of queer relationships as those aren't usually highlighted in books. I'm glad to see your review of this amazing book!

    ReplyDelete

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