Ancient World Reimagined

The Song of Achilles is Madeline Miller's 2012 retelling of Homer’s Illiad. The book received mostly positive critical reviews on release. It has been a bestseller from the beginning. It received an Orange Prize for Fiction the year of its release, a UK award now known as the Women's Prize for Fiction.

The book experienced a resurgence in popularity in 2020 when it became one of the first to benefit from the Booktok phenomenon, with praise coming in large part from young women readers, in video reviews aimed at other young women readers.

This book is also probably one of the earliest examples I can think of for the modern, English language “MLM” phenomenon. MLM books feature a male/male romance but are written (not always, but primarily) for a female audience. True or not I always think of English language MLM as having been inspired by Japanese yaoi manga, which is essentially the same thing - stories of romantic male couples written for a mostly young female audience.

Why young straight women love to read MLM is a whole other discussion but suffice it to say that I, an old gay dude, understand it as part of the same impulse that leads to the endearing and enduring female / male friendships that bless the lives of so many gay men. In short, the girls just find us irresistible. 😁

Patroclus and Achilles gay relationship in The Song of Achilles is mostly consistent with our understanding of ancient Greece, though it seems to differ somewhat from Homer’s poem. Homer never comes out and says the pair are gay, but would he? Relationships between older men and younger men were accepted in ancient Greece, and Patroclus is presented by Homer as the older man. It’s clear from his epic that the two are very, Very, VERY close.

Miller does have the pair closer in age, perhaps recognizing expectations of modern readers. And she does have some at Troy voice discomfort at the pair’s continued relationship as Achilles matures during the years long siege, a sentiment to be expected given the customs of the ancient Greeks.

It is known that in ancient Greece the love of Patroclus and Achilles was held up as the model of male love, which was often said to be “better” than male/female love. Not because the ancient Greeks were all gay, but because they were misogynists. Females were deemed inferior to men, so therefore a relationship without a female in it must be a better relationship, no?

Miller comes at the Illiad story from the point of view of Patroclus, one half of the pair of male lovers. Patroclus is born of a king who never showed him favor. As a young boy he has an argument with another young boy who is bullying him and shoves him to the ground. The boy’s head hits a rock. Patroclus has inadvertently killed him.

As punishment, he is renounced by his father the king and is banished to the court of a weaker and poorer king famous for taking in orphaned boys. That king’s son happens to be Achilles, whose mother is the sea nymph Thetis, a minor goddess. At Achilles’ instigation the two become fast friends and over time much more.

The first half to two-thirds of the book is made up of events that precede the siege at Troy. When we finally reach Troy events match well with Homer’s poem, with the conflict between Achilles and Agamemnon, the involvement of the gods in the war, Achilles refusal to fight, the battle between Patroclus and Hector, and Achilles avenging of Patroclus’ death.

I thought Miller did an exceptional job in describing the world of ancient Greece through the eyes of Patroclus. She makes ancient Greece come to life, and she does it in a way that makes it look easy. You’ll get insights into ancient Greek culture and religion that you may not get from reading Homer. Like many who have read this book you may just be inspired to learn more about the ancients. This ability of Miller’s is what really makes the book.

I don’t know that I had quite the same reaction to the book as many readers though. It earns high praise in almost every review you read (especially from that young female audience). I certainly enjoyed the book, but romance novels are not my usual fare. For me, in the end, this book came across like a modern gay romance in ancient Greek drag. Very well done ancient Greek drag, but still.

I probably also suffered from having high expectations. There’s been a lot of positive word of mouth over the years, and then add in all the glowing reviews of the book I’ve seen. Reading a book in that light can often lead to a let-down. I can’t say I felt really let down, but I can say the book didn’t quite match my expectations.

Would I recommend the book? Yes, I definitely would, especially for romance fans. If you’ve not read it yet, or want to re-read it, the book would be perfect for a summer read at the beach or by the pool.

RATING: Three and a Half Stars ⭐⭐⭐🌠

RATING COMMENTS: Miller’s ability to make ancient Greece come to life makes this book. But for me it read like a modern gay romance novel in ancient Greek drag. Very well done ancient Greek drag, but still.

WHERE I GOT MY COPY: I read the 10th anniversary edition of the ebook on Libby.