Book: Song of Achilles

Author: Madeline Miller

Published: September 3, 2011

Drink choice:  Originally nothing; Updated either Forbidden Kiss Sweet Red Sparkling Wine or Hermes Greek Red Wine

Type of Book: Novel

Stand Alone, Series, or Other: Stand Alone 

Genre:  Romance novel, Historical Fiction, War story

How long did it take me to read this book: One Month

Audible/Google/Spotify audiobooks: Book and Audible

Overall rating: 🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷out of Five Wine glasses

In a search through old files, I found a lost book review for the “Song of Achilles,” I read this book back in 2024. I wrote the blog but felt it was too basic. I didn’t pair it with wine, and now looking back still sad that I didn’t pair it with a complex red, for the storytelling. This book deserves rich and complex wine. Please enjoy this review, perfect timing for the new Christopher Nolan movie “The Odyssey.” I am so excited to see this movie coming out.

Back in early June, Google Books had a sale, and a book I’d wanted to read for two years was on sale: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. I know, I know—I am not supposed to buy books right now. I love her interpretation of classic Greek stories; Circe brought me to tears and made me think, what if this was Circe’s real story, not a man’s misogynistic view of her, and she was just a woman who wanted peace and respect in her life? I still need to read “Galatea,” about which The Washington Post published an article in 2013, but I digress. I read “Song of Achilles,” which was an amazing book. The story is told from the viewpoint of Achilles’ best friend and lover, Patroclus.

The story truly follows Patroclus. Truthfully, if you ever read the Iliad, it suggests the two have a deep bond beyond friendship. What Madeline Miller does is flesh out Patroclus’s character. We learnt that his mother was not bright, and his father was duped into marrying her. She bore Patroclus, and his father was also not impressed by his son’s lack of manliness. His father tells him he has no use for him because he is worthless. It is heartbreaking. As the story progresses, it feels like for every glimmer of hope Patroclus is offered, he gets a setback until he meets Achilles. The relationship does not start off easily; to me, it’s how I see an Extrovert and Introvert relationship start: one person being skeptical, while the other sees nothing wrong and forges ahead.
I love every moment of the story. I love world-building; I felt I was sitting beside Patroclus as he was telling me how he came to be Achilles’ servant and a companion to his lover, truthfully, husband to Achilles. The story is woven with hate, love, passion, and many human emotions that shape our lives. I feel like every teenager should read this book as classic literature. It’s the perfect classic literature book. It deals with issues of today, including homophobia, self-esteem, self-worth, manipulation, and deceit. Madeline Miller wrote the perfect book; I loved every minute and wanted to go back and read it to see what I may have missed.

I think everyone should read this book; it’s a masterpiece about love, identity, and resilience.

Until Next time,

Che Michelle

I updated it 2 years later LOL. If you want to drink a wine with this book, I have two suggestions if you want something to compliment the sweet, funny notes you may want to try while reading this book.

 Forbidden Kiss Sweet Red Sparkling Wine from France. The wonderful sweetness with a nice berry fruit forward will delight you, as you laugh at the sweet moments Madeline weaves in the story. This deliciously sweet red wine is bursting with bright, fresh red berry flavors. Its lower alcohol makes it perfect for reading while on the beach, on the porch.

Now for those who need the wine to get you through the pain, and heartache, then you want Hermes Greek Red, I know to spot on for this but hey, sometimes a spot on wine is just as nice. This is an elegant, dry Greek wine that is smooth and well-balanced with a delicate palate. It has nice red cherry and boysenberry overtones, and its freshness and charm are accentuated by a half-hour in the refrigerator prior to serving. Made with the Agiorgitiko (St. George) grape. I am still on the lookout for the right wine, but these two would complement the book.