Whereas Homer’s epic was told from the perspective of demi-god Achilles as the warrior hero of ancient Greece, it is the exiled prince Patroclus who takes centre stage here, having been a minor character in the original. Just like in The Red Tent, the author has taken aįleeting piece of the original and then expanded it, adding her ownĬreative flourish – you could say, in Homeric style.Ī wonderful novel, and an absolute pleasure to read.‘The Song of Achilles’ by Madeline Miller is a modern retelling of ‘The Iliad’ and won the Women’s Prize (then Orange Prize) for Fiction in 2012. Miller takes some liberty with the stories (which she freely admits),īut she has obviously taken care to really research before elaborating
I don’t know accurate it is from a scholarly perspective and I know I cared about her characters – tenacious Briseis, kind Patroclus with his constant but gentle love for Achilles – and enjoyed the sparring between the proud warriors. The fruit was perfectly ripe, the juice brimming”. “…the dark flesh parting to pink seeds under his teeth. Her descriptions are often lush and sensual, such as Patroclus, watches Achilles eating ripe figs: She often embellishes and intrigues the reader with fleeting references to other greek heroes, gods and goddesses, but never lets detail get in the way of the flow of the tale. The quality of Madeline Miller’s storytelling is the thing that really stands out for me. Essentially it is simply a story of love and of war…but mainly of love. I do believe though, that it is accessible to anyone and might even inspire an interest in mythology in readers who haven’t read stories of this kind.
I loved reading Greek myths as a child and studied classics at school so it would be fair to say that I’m pre-disposed to enjoy this kind of novel. Examples, off the top of my head would be Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Middlesex, The Night Circus and of course Daphne DuMaurier’s Rebecca or Jamaica Inn. I can count probably on my fingers those that have. It takes a particular quality of writing to really whisk me away.
That might simply make you question my reading choices, however recently I have read books that were well written, or interesting, but they haven’t inspired as much pleasure in reading as Madeline Miller’s book did. Bloomsbury, 2012 Kindle Edition, 368 pages – book group choice
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