I finally made up my mind about bumping this one to the top of the TBR list after seeing it in countless best-of-the-year lists.
I don’t think it’ll be in mine, but it was still a very good read. Lots of other books and movies came to mind while reading it, from Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Firebrand (my favorite book about the Trojan War), to Brad Pitt’s Troy.
It’s very cleverly told: the paragraphs were short, the writing beautiful without being whimsical or overly poetic (always a risk in stories about myths). There weren’t lots of lengthy descriptions or endless impossible-to-memorize names, but it didn’t feel dumbed-down at all, on the contrary, it was accessible and engaging.
I was expecting that, as usual, the fact it was about a gay relationship would be the driver of the plot, so it was refreshing to see it practically as a non-issue and that the demi-God and human factor created much more emotional tension. I wonder if it felt like that because the story is told in the first person, turning a him + him and into a more “generic” me + him.
Lots of other thoughts and wonderings. The biggest was about whether Achilles really did love Patroclus, which may be blasphemy for those of you who cried buckets at the end.
Patroclus is the real hero of the story. Unlike Achilles, he feels fear, but still rescues Briseis and the other women, and goes into battle to save Achilles’ honor. Achilles is the strongest, no one can beat him, and he knows it. His only fear is to be forgotten. He prefers to go into a sure death and win Eternal Glory than have a safe, ordinary life with Patroclus. What if the Gods had told him: you’ll only be famous if you leave – or worst, kill – Patroclus? Agamemnon killed his own daughter – would Achilles do the same?
Odysseus was great. A smartass, but great. Good to see someone using wits over brutal force. In a book where loving relationships are so underrated, his passion for Penelope was really touching and human. Of course there’ll be a certain Calypso in his future, but who’s counting?
In the end, I didn’t cry like everyone else. It’s strange, because I’m usually a literary cry-baby and at the moment that’s exacerbated by crazy hormones. My questioning about Achilles’ real feelings probably distanced me from the expected tragedy. It was still a good read (a first novel – respect!) with lots of food for thought, it just didn’t pull at my heart-strings as I was expecting.
Also, where’s the Horse?! I was looking forward to the Horse!
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Other thoughts: Book Twirps, Fizzy Thoughts, Always Cooking Up Something, Rivers I Have Known, The Allure of Books, Eve’s Alexandria, What She Read, Lazy Gal Reads, 2606 Books, Fleur Fisher, Novel Insights, Devourer of Books, Nomad Reader, Vulpes Libris, Savidge Reads, Iris on Books, chasing bawa, Farm Lane Books (yours?)
The Sleepless Reader 
12 comments
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February 6, 2013 at 1:07 pm
Falaise
Nice post Alex. Like you, I’m slightly ambivalent about Achilles’ character and feelings for Patroclus in this version – maybe this is part of the human/demi-god tension – they’re not like us mere mortals.
One nerdy point – I don’t think the Horse was ever going to get into Miller’s book as both lead characters were dead by the time it appeared!
As you liked Odysseus, have you read the Lost Books of the Odyssey by Zachary Mason. It’s a series of short reimaginings of the Odyssey – very cleverly done.
February 6, 2013 at 1:50 pm
Mrs.B
I loved this! I reviewed it last year and it was on my Best of 2012 list too. Miller is a professor of Latin and Greek and I remember her mentioning that the relationship between Patroclus and Achilles was implied in the original Greek text. Now that you mention Firebrand, I want to read it! I remember searching for more fictionalized novels about the Trojan War after reading Miller’s novel.
February 6, 2013 at 2:23 pm
rhapsodyinbooks
I didn’t cry either, but I loved it. And she does mention the horse at the end – just one sentence!
February 6, 2013 at 3:43 pm
Patty
readinig this review, I think I’ll look for the “real” history text…
February 6, 2013 at 4:16 pm
sakura
It’s strange but I never even questioned Achilles’ feelings for Patroclus. Maybe it’s because Achilles is even less concerned by everyone else. And yes, I do recommend Zachary Mason’s novel too as well as Atwood’s The Penelopiad (both very cleverly done).
February 6, 2013 at 6:29 pm
nrlymrtl
I have been eyeballing this one for months. I should move it up on my TBR list as the underlying tale – Achilles & Patroclus – is one of my favorites. Thanks for the review.
February 6, 2013 at 8:11 pm
Joanna @ CreateYourWorld
Sounds interesting, though I’m not sure it’s for me. I’d never have you pegged as a literary crybaby, what a confession! 🙂
February 6, 2013 at 10:50 pm
Zachary Tringali
Interesting! I never even thought to question whether Achilles loves Patroclus. I think at times he felt a little distant because he had such a huge burden to be great on his shoulders, and at times it seemed to be all he could set his mind on, but at the end of the day he always came back to Patroclus.
Like you, I was really glad that the book and its characters seemed to accept their relationship. It kept the book from being about that and allowed us to really appreciate everything else going on.
February 7, 2013 at 6:33 pm
Melissa
This book is so high on my TBR it’s ridiculous. Like you, I saw it on so many favorite lists for 2012, I couldn’t resist snagging it for my kindle when it went on sale. Now I just need to read it!
February 7, 2013 at 8:09 pm
Sam (Tiny Library)
I’m one of those people who cried at the end, I loved this book. Like you, I really enjoyed the portrayal of Odysseus – wouldn’t it be great if Miller wrote a book with him as the main character?
February 8, 2013 at 9:20 am
Larissa
I have been living on an island that I never heard of this before? Maybe my vow to pay more attention to books in French worked so much that I forgot to see the ones written in English! Anyway, thanks for the review. I was always interested in that story, and I just loved ‘Firebrand’, so I’ll probably add this to my gigantic TBR…!
February 12, 2013 at 10:19 am
Joanne
I really enjoyed this book too. It’s made me want to find out more about Greek myths and history.