The Song of Achilles - May 2019 Book Group discussion thread

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Deinonychus
Deinonychus
May 2019
9:16am, 22 May 2019
115 posts
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Deinonychus
Ancient Greek mythology is vast enough, that she’s not likely to run out of material. And the timeline of the Odyssey is only a small part of Circe. Odysseus only appears in chapter 15 (of 27)
Columba
Columba
May 2019
7:26pm, 23 May 2019
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Columba
Thoughts on Achilles:

It didn't really grip me until nearly at the end. (When a book is "gripping" me, I am living with the characters at the back of my mind all the time, not just when I'm reading the book). I am more intrigued by the research the author must have done, given that she took 10 years over it. What, besides the Iliad, were her sources? - I haven't read the Iliad (but am now in process of), but I presume she looked at Greek myths and archaeology among other things. I was intrigued by the relationships between human and non-human entities, firstly Chiron (liked Patroclus's awe and amazement on first encountering him) and primarily Thetis. But could not really summon up much feeling for any of the characters, even Patroclus.
Columba
Columba
May 2019
7:39pm, 23 May 2019
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Columba
Now having read back:
"gay porn"? - I was wondering whether to characterise it as that, primarily because I thought I would pass the book on to Youngest Son (Ancient History and Archaeology at Uni), and thought I might forewarn him of "soft porn, mainly gay" - not that he would need warning for himself, but might be a bit surprised at his Old Mum reading it without a qualm.

Yes, the lack of mention of Achilles' heel, and of the Trojan Horse, surprised me too. The spirit narration of Patroclus didn't grate at all, given the Greeks' beliefs about the Underworld.

That looks like one to add to the want-to-read pile, the one McG posted the Guardian review of.

(The one of which McG posted the Guardian review).
Little Nemo
Little Nemo
May 2019
7:33pm, 24 May 2019
9,396 posts
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Little Nemo
I chose this book because a few months ago it was 99p on Kindle. I got a sample and enjoyed the first few pages so much that I decided I would buy a physical copy with my book token present.

I found this book very readable and it was just the right length for me. It's not a book that has a revolutionary take on the original story and is not breaking new ground with its style but it is well written. I think she does a (mostly) good job at portraying the arbitrary nature of Gods and people's reactions to these.

I realised when I started this that I didn't know much (or had forgotten a lot!) about Achilles and the Troy story. I think this worked for me as almost all the story was new and the shocking bits (poor Iphigenia!) were truly unexpected. The only part that didn't feel right was the last 20-30 pages. I thought I knew how it was going to end (i.e. Achilles' heel) so I was thrown a bit when that didn't happen. I was also expecting the whole bit with the wooden horse but it turns out he died before this part. It made the ending quite abrupt.

I did some research afterwards to find out if she had made any major changes to the story but it seems there are multiple versions and she's merged a few of these to make her story. It made the ending made a lot more sense after this.

I'll definitely try Circe when it comes out in paperback!

I was probably going to give this book a 9 but I've downgraded it to an 8 because the ending was a slight let down.
Little Nemo
Little Nemo
May 2019
7:43pm, 24 May 2019
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Little Nemo
Ha! Everyone else was thrown by the heel as well ;-)
McGoohan
McGoohan
May 2019
8:03pm, 24 May 2019
39,677 posts
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McGoohan
Sounds painful!
Deinonychus
Deinonychus
May 2019
8:09pm, 24 May 2019
141 posts
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Deinonychus
For those worrying about the lack of the wooden horse, it is mentioned in Circe, so definitely forms part of Miller’s universe. I guess the reason it doesn’t appear in The Song of Achilles is because Achilles dies beforehand. But Odysseus mentions his rôle

in creating the horse, when he meets Circe.

I think I saw a paperback copy of Circe in Waterstones the other day. I got my hardback in January at a heavily discounted price, which usually means the paperback is imminent.
Sharkie
Sharkie
May 2019
8:18pm, 24 May 2019
14,844 posts
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Sharkie
Circe is in paperback - I got it for £3.99 at Sainsburys, have read about a third and stalled which I seem to be doing with a lot of books at the moment.

Wasn't mad about Achilles so I'm not quite sure why I bought it anyway. The Pat Barker looks more promising.
McGoohan
McGoohan
May 2019
8:21pm, 24 May 2019
39,678 posts
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McGoohan
It's an Achilles-off!
Deinonychus
Deinonychus
May 2019
8:31pm, 24 May 2019
142 posts
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Deinonychus
I thought Circe was better and more engaging than Achilles. Looking forward to Pat Barker when I get round to reading it as well.

And then there’s this: theguardian.com

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Maintained by McGoohan
When Adrian Chiles was a little boy his greatest wish was that when he grew up he'd present a t...

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