Late to the Party – Madeline Miller’s the Song of Achilles

Late to the Party – Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles

Greece in the age of Heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the kingdom of Phthia. Here he is nobody, just another unwanted boy living in the shadow of King Peleus and his golden son, Achilles.

Achilles, “best of all the Greeks,” is everything Patroclus is not—strong, beautiful, the child of a goddess—and by all rights their paths should never cross. Yet one day, Achilles takes the shamed prince under his wing and soon their tentative connection gives way to a steadfast friendship. As they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into something far deeper—despite the displeasure of Achilles’ mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess with a hatred of mortals.

Fate is never far from the heels of Achilles. When word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, the men of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows Achilles into war, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they have learned, everything they hold dear. And that, before he is ready, he will be forced to surrender his friend to the hands of Fate.

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.

Do you ever see a book and pick it up, and just forget to read it? This was the case with Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles. With a foiled cover and a bright color scheme, this book is hard to miss. But I did. Winner of the Orange Prize, this book has been sitting on my shelf as a recommendation for at least two years (follow up Circe by the author is also there). And yay! The Challenge group I am in is asking for a novel written by someone with the same first and last initial. Which is awesome. And it means I am one step closer to possibly donating the book once I’m done with it.

Do you ever have books you ‘forget’ about reading?