The Song of Achilles

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is a lyrical retelling of the ancient Greek myth of Achilles and Patroclus, told primarily from Patroclus’s perspective. After being exiled from his homeland, Patroclus is sent to live with King Peleus, where he meets the extraordinary young warrior Achilles. Their friendship gradually develops into a profound love, while Achilles is trained to become one of Greece’s greatest heroes. When Helen of Sparta is taken to Troy, Achilles joins the Greek forces, setting the two men on a path toward the Trojan War and its tragic consequences. Blending mythology, romance, historical imagination, and tragedy, the novel explores love, loyalty, heroism, fate, mortality, war, and the tension between personal happiness and legendary destiny.