Not only was Patroclus and Achilles' love story the main focus, it was pretty much the only subject matter throughout.

The Song of Achilles - Hardback by Madeline Miller (Paperback) The Song of Achilles - Hardback by Madeline Miller (Paperback)

It made me so sad to see how much Achilles changed over the years and when the thing with Briseis happened my reaction was the same as Patroclus’!

It's not easy to take a beloved and much-revered story and make it your own, but Miller did a masterful job. For example, there were lines—I won’t mention them in my review—about Hector repeatedly spoken by Achilles that act as a dagger that inflicted a sharp cut to the heart every time it’s unsheathed. While some physical intimacy is noted, the author very much focuses on the affection between the two as a moving force. This year, we’re featuring new titles that are filled with hauntings and curses, creatures and body horror, witches and missing children, Vikings and dragons, tradition and historical dispossession, apocalypses.

Circe: The stunning new anniversary edition from the author Circe: The stunning new anniversary edition from the author

She does teach high-schoolers, so I expect that was her target demographic, but it still seemed a bit young to me. In fact, the clearly homosexual relationship between Achilles and Patroclus is sure to raise the hackles of folks who hold beliefs of a more contemporary theistic bent. The Song of Achilles’ is a beautifully orchestrated retelling of one of Greek Mythology’s best known and best loved stories of the Siege at Troy and life of the legendary demi-god Achilles. Despite the fact that I took 4-years of Latin in high school, I couldn't tell you the first thing about The Illiad. But she will not always be alone; many are destined to pass through Circe's place of exile, entwining their fates with hers.I’m so glad the author didn’t deviate from the suggestions of homosexuality that were present in Homer’s writing.

Circe: The stunning new anniversary edition from the author

The true tragedy about this all is that he never even wanted to take part in the war, he was more or less forced into it and I think looking at it in retrospective a life as a normal person would have been preferable to the one of a hero. Stunning, epic, and beautifully-written, it's a coming-of-age story, but also one of war and love and sacrifice. i must be a masochist because i can think of no other reason to endure the emotional and stunning pain of this story for a fifth time. And the light," by Junot Diaz, comes a blazing portrait of one woman’s rise from courtesan to world-renowned diva.Despite their differences, Achilles befriends the shamed prince, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into something deeper - despite the displeasure of Achilles's mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. She and Achilles had a sexual relationship (despite the fact that they couldn’t have been older than 14–15), and Deidamia later gave birth to Neoptolemus—known as Pyrrhus after the name Achilles adopted while disguised as a woman: Pyrrha. We pay respect to the Elders past, present and emerging, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

The Song of Achilles - Booktopia The Song of Achilles - Booktopia

When he accidentally kills a nobleman’s son, he is exiled to Phthia, where he meets the talented, beautiful, straightforward Achilles, god-born son of King Peleus and the sea-nymph Thetis.Prophecy, however, says that if Achilles intends to be great— Aristos Achaion, best of the Greeks—he will die young. As I mentioned, Achilles cried so loudly when Patroclus died that Thetis heard him from the ocean floor and came to the surface to console him. He was every bit the hero people believed him to be and most of the time he actually did the right thing. It is always crucial to learn what truly matters in life and to never lose sight of them; trust, pride, jealousy, and the seduction of glory tests Patroclus’ and Achilles’ relationship to its maximum limit. Profoundly moving and breathtakingly original, this rendering of the epic Trojan War is a dazzling feat of the imagination, a devastating love story, and an almighty battle between gods and kings, peace and glory, immortal fame and the human heart.