Bibliophile [song of achilles]

Seems I've been reading quite a few love stories of late, though you could say this one is unique. I read 4 books over my Easter weekend, so a few more Bibliophile's coming your way.

The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller

This is a retelling of the legend of Achilles and the Trojan war, seen through the eyes of Patroclus, Achilles childhood friend and lover. I'm a great fan of Homer, both the Iliad and the Odyssey, so naturally I was drawn to this setting. At it's heart, this is really a love story between our hero and our narrator, though there is quite a bit of history included. Here's your blurb:

Betrayal, ardor, war, and prophecies--in The Song of Achilles, author Madeline Miller brings together everything I love about The Iliad without the labor of epic poetry. In this new twist on the Trojan War story, Patroclus and Achilles are the quintessential mismatched pair--a mortal underdog exiled in shame and a glorious demigod revered by all--but what would a novel of ancient Greece be without star-crossed love? Miller includes other good tragic bits--foreknowledge of death, ruthless choices that pit pride and reputation against the lives of innocents, the folly of men and gods--and through her beautiful writing my spine chilled in the presence of Achilles’ mother, the sea goddess Thetis, and I became a bystander in the battlefield of Troy awash with blood, exaltation, and despair. The Song of Achilles infuses the essence of Homer with modern storytelling in a combination that is utterly absorbing and gratifying--I can’t wait to see what Miller tackles next. --Seira Wilson 

There was a light dose of Greek mythology, as there would have to be with any story about a hero of the ages, but I would not say this was heavy on the mystical. Miller studied Classics and is a professor of Greek and Latin, so she knows her stuff. This is her first novel, and I look forward to more- I truly was sad when I finished the novel, and found myself thinking of ways she could have drawn it out and made it longer (it's pretty short). If you're a fan of historical fiction or ancient Greece/Rome, you should give this a glance. While you're at it, Helen of Troy was excellent, though I read it many years ago.