Elias recenserade The Song of Achilles av Madeline Miller
My heart
5 stjärnor
I am absolutely sobbing, which I expected. Heartfelt and tragic, as it should be.
378 pages, 416 sidor
På English
Publicerades 7 november 2012 av Ecco Press.
Achilles, "the best of all the Greeks," son of the cruel sea goddess Thetis and the legendary king Peleus, 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. Brought 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. Little do they know that the cruel Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice.
Achilles, "the best of all the Greeks," son of the cruel sea goddess Thetis and the legendary king Peleus, 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. Brought 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. Little do they know that the cruel Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice.
I am absolutely sobbing, which I expected. Heartfelt and tragic, as it should be.
Pretty early on I get a song in my head. Not "Achilles Last Stand" or "Temporary Like Achilles" or "Tales of Brave Ulysses", but Regina Spektor's "Samson". The idea of love redeeming a tragic hero simply by making him strong enough to leave herodom behind.
And the history books forgot about us
And the Bible didn't mention us
Not even once
It has its flaws, for sure. I'm not a big fan of the way it first lets us follow Patroclus fall in love with every aspect of Achilles and who he is - and doing it quite well, for a myth riff - only to then fast-forward through 9 years of siege and daily slaughter to the final act we know must come with Achilles just making the occasional cameo. It feels like the first half and the second don't quite mesh. But when it's good, it's …
Pretty early on I get a song in my head. Not "Achilles Last Stand" or "Temporary Like Achilles" or "Tales of Brave Ulysses", but Regina Spektor's "Samson". The idea of love redeeming a tragic hero simply by making him strong enough to leave herodom behind.
And the history books forgot about us
And the Bible didn't mention us
Not even once
It has its flaws, for sure. I'm not a big fan of the way it first lets us follow Patroclus fall in love with every aspect of Achilles and who he is - and doing it quite well, for a myth riff - only to then fast-forward through 9 years of siege and daily slaughter to the final act we know must come with Achilles just making the occasional cameo. It feels like the first half and the second don't quite mesh. But when it's good, it's really good, the hopeless idea of trying to protect the one you love from who they are or think they must be, the wish of NOT being the hero. There's a reason tragedies live on. Return to Ithaca it ain't, but it gets the job done.