The Song of Achilles, a Must-Read – Nancy Bowman Croydon High School

Recently, I read Madeline Miller’s ‘The Song of Achilles’. It was written in 2011 and won the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2012. What inspired me to read it however, was it’s recent popularity in a corner of TikTok, aptly named BookTok, many creators gave glowing reviews of the book and though it was not my usual genre of book I decided to see what people were raving about. I am so glad I did as I completed the book in one sitting and have been going back to it ever since.

I loved this book. It was beautifully written and had a well paced storyline that kept me engaged but did not feel as though we were flying through the story. As I am familiar with the story of The Iliad, reading this book was almost bittersweet as I was aware a tragic end was imminent. Miller eloquently presents the character of Achilles. He is shown throughout history as a ‘perfect’ Greek Hero. This book however embraced his humanity which is more often than not overshadowed in mythology. Showing his ego and how arrogant he can be, but also how he is capable of deep immortal love and friendship. I really enjoyed the hints to ancient Greek culture, such as in the burial and sacrificial rituals and Miller communicated how important these were to people living in Ancient Greece or Rome clearly. The LGBTQ+ representation in this book was extremely well done and paid tribute to the LGBTQ+ community faithfully. I was rooting for Patroclus and Achilles throughout the story and especially towards the end. The ending to this book was incredibly powerful and landed it high up my list of five-star books. I would encourage everyone to read it at least once, I can assure you, you will not regret it.