Mini Review | The Song of Achilles by Madelline Miller

Format: Paperback

Read: July

It was really galling that the first paperback book I’ve bought in a really long time was such a turd. At least it was only £3 in Waterstones bargain bin, and I can donate it to charity!

This is another one of those cases where a book with 4.35 star average on Goodreads (from over 1 million reviewers!) not only left me cold but I couldn’t get more than 40% through. Everyone definitely read a different book to me!

I found this book so bloody boring. There was no life on the page. The writing kept putting me to sleep, it was impossible to focus on it.

The characters are so flat. Patroclus is just this pathetic little weakly that does nothing but moon over Achilles. He has no other life. Achilles is just a bland golden boy who’s good at everything, and no idea why he has any interest in Patroclus.

Their relationship was so clearly written by a straight woman. You could swap Patroclus for a female character and it would make no difference.

I just don’t get the point in this retelling. Nothing is added. It could have been a cool story about two strong, heroic men falling in love.. but instead it’s this mush.

I need to accept that these Greek myth retellings are not for me. I read Circe by the same author, a few years ago, and I thought that was just OK. At least that character had some fire. I tried to read Elektra by Jennifer Saint a couple of weeks ago and could not get past chapter 2 it was so dull.

I have borrowed the audiobook of Troy by Stephen Fry from the library, as I was curious what the “true” story is. So far Stephen Fry’s telling is far more entertaining!