 In this video, I will be sharing the top reviews of the book called, The Song of Achilles, authored by Madeline Miller, who is for the last 10 years she has been teaching and tutoring Latin, Greek and Shakespeare to high school students. She has also studied at the University of Chicago's Committee on Social Thought, and in the dramaturgy department at Yale School of Drama, where she focused on the adaptation of classical texts to modern forms. She currently lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she teaches and writes. But before I get to the review part let's see a little bit of what this book is about. Achilles, the best of all the Greeks, son of the cruel sea goddess Thetis and the legendary king Palaeus, is strong, swift, and beautiful, irresistible to all who meet him. Patroclus is an awkward young prince, exiled from his homeland after an act of shocking violence. Together by chance, they forge an inseparable bond, despite risking the gods wrath. They are trained by the centaur Chiron in the arts of war and medicine, but when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, all the heroes of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows. How do they know that the cruel fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice? Now let's see some reviews. . Sean from the United Kingdom says Madeleine Miller did what the movie producers of the film Troy, 2004, were too cowardly to do. She stayed true to the homosexuality of Homer's Iliad rather than writing a censored version of the story which stank of homophobia. Achilles and Patroclus were passionately in love, which resulted in their respective destructions. They were not cousins or man at arms, but soulmates. The watering down of this in the film Troy was an insult to the LGBT community. Nothing more. Nothing less. The attraction between these two men wasn't something that was rushed and squandered. It was built up, ever so slowly, and delivered eloquently. The two were friends from boyhood, and Patroclus was enamored by Achilles after just one glance. He didn't want to be parted from him. The two grew up together, they fought together, they learned together and they developed together. They became inseparable and reliant on each other. Their sexual relationship just matured as they did it. It was the most natural thing in the world. Like all relationships, there were issues. The two weren't without their differences. They clashed and quarreled but only because they truly cared for each other. Patroclus wanted to end the war, and Achilles didn't think the fight was worthy of his name. He wanted a bigger war to fight in. So, Patroclus, in his bravest and stupid move goes against his lover's wish and tries to end the war with a stroke of his sword. But he is no Achilles, he is not a god of war. He was out of his depth, outmatched and doomed. Navessa from the United States says reading this is like reading Romeo and Juliet. We all know the story. We all know the outcome. We all know that our desperate prayers for someone, anyone to step in and save these characters from themselves will fall on deaf ears. Gods. What a bloody trainwreck. Even though I knew how it was going to end, I was not prepared for how much I cared. This is the story of the fall of Troy. Or rather, a part of it. More specifically, this is the tale of Achilles and Patroclus. Of their undying love for each other. Of the lives, they sacrifice on the altar of that love. Of desperate men and petty gods. Of a proud, greedy people engaged in a prolonged, bloody war. So often in historical fiction from this time period, I see the sharp edges of the ancient Greek and Roman cultures smoothed away. I see slaves treated well and women given a voice. I'm happy to say there was none of that bullshittery here. Miller paints the pages of this book in blood and suffering. It is awash with pain and brutality. As it should be. Because of historical accuracy. But, it means that this book is not for everyone. There is a lot of sexism, misogyny, violence, bloodshed, and rape. Mentioned almost offhand, because, to these characters, this behavior is commonplace. Expected. I didn't like a single one of them. And not just because of their world views. There was Achilles and his hubris. Patroclus and his uselessness. Thedas and her coldness. I didn't even like Odysseus and his famous wit, for there was an edge to it in this book that made him seem less charming and more manipulative than I remember. Rick from Texas says reading this is like reading Romeo and Juliet. We all know the story. We all know the outcome. We all know that our desperate prayers for someone, anyone to step in and save these characters from themselves will fall on deaf ears. Gods. What a bloody trainwreck. Even though I knew how it was going to end, I was not prepared for how much I cared. This is the story of the fall of Troy. Or rather, a part of it. More specifically, this is the tale of Achilles and Patroclus. Of their undying love for each other. Of the lives, they sacrifice on the altar of that love. Of desperate men and petty gods. Of a proud, greedy people engaged in a prolonged, bloody war. So often in historical fiction from this time period, I see the sharp edges of the ancient Greek and Roman cultures smoothed away. I see slaves treated well and women given a voice. I'm happy to say there was none of that bullshittery here. Miller paints the pages of this book in blood and suffering. It is awash with pain and brutality. As it should be. Because of historical accuracy. But, it means that this book is not for everyone. There is a lot of sexism, misogyny, violence, bloodshed, and rape. Mentioned almost offhand, because, to these characters, this behavior is commonplace. Expected. I didn't like a single one of them. And not just because of their worldviews. There was Achilles and his hubris. Patroclus and his uselessness. Thedas and her coldness. I didn't even like Odysseus and his famous wit, for there was an edge to it in this book that made him seem less charming and more manipulative than I remember. Jessica from Ireland says I must be a masochist because I can think of no other reason to endure the emotional and stunning pain of this story for the fourth time. But here I am, crying for my sweet, sweet Patroclus. The best of men, the best of the myrmidins. It's been nearly 12 hours since I finished this and I still am at a loss for words at the beauty of this book. I don't think I have ever read anything as gorgeous as this and nothing I write will even come close to describing its loveliness. Truly, a touching masterpiece. And I will forever be singing its praises until the end of my days. The rindu from Sri Lanka says there are a few books I come across every day while going through my GR feed, and the song of Achilles is at top of that list. Partly so, I have to agree, the heart-wrenching ending notwithstanding. Spoiling this book for future readers would be a crime, so while I'm sharing my thoughts, I'll do my best not to overshare. We obey our kings, but only within reason. Patroclus, the lesser known hero, being the protagonist helps narrate the story of Achilles from a very unique standpoint. While the sequence of events does follow the Trojan War, the war part only feels like a sub-plot which compliments the main plot beautifully. The reader would rarely await the outcomes of war, for, the amazing and somewhat poetic narrative keeps one deeply immersed in the feelings of the main character. Still, you'll come across the brutalities of war as well, and how they change the characters and their personalities as the story progresses. Thank you for watching this video, if you like this video then please subscribe to the channel and share this video.