Get Your Free Audiobook
-
The Song of Achilles
- Narrated by: Frazer Douglas
- Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Historical Fiction
Add to basket failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from Wish List failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Listen with a free trial
Buy Now for $45.57
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
People who bought this also bought...
-
Circe
- By: Madeline Miller
- Narrated by: Perdita Weeks
- Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the Orange Prize-winning, internationally best-selling author of The Song of Achilles comes the powerful story of the mythological witch Circe, inspired by Homer's Odyssey. In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe has neither the look nor the voice of divinity and is scorned and rejected by her kin. Increasingly isolated, she turns to mortals for companionship, leading her to discover a power forbidden to the gods: witchcraft.
-
-
Pure Magic
- By bookreviewer on 06-09-2018
-
Ariadne
- The gripping tale of a mythic heroine seen through modern eyes
- By: Jennifer Saint
- Narrated by: Kristin Atherton
- Length: 13 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As princesses of Crete and daughters of the fearsome King Minos, Ariadne and her sister, Phaedra, grow up hearing the hoofbeats and bellows of the Minotaur echo from the labyrinth beneath the palace. The Minotaur—Minos' greatest shame and Ariadne's brother—demands blood every year. When Theseus, prince of Athens, arrives in Crete as a sacrifice to the beast, Ariadne falls in love with him. But helping Theseus kill the monster means betraying her family and country.
-
-
Couldn't Take the Melodrama
- By Hamish on 19-07-2021
-
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
- By: Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Narrated by: Alma Cuervo, Julia Whelan, Robin Miles
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The entrancing story of a reclusive Hollywood starlet as she reflects on her relentless rise to the top and the long-held secrets the public could never imagine - from the best-selling author of Daisy Jones & The Six. Reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
-
-
A goodie!
- By Sophie van den Bogaerde on 11-09-2021
-
It Ends with Us
- By: Colleen Hoover
- Narrated by: Olivia Song
- Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lily hasn't always had it easy, but that's never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She's come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up - she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily's life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.
-
-
If I can save one person from reading this..
- By Anonymous User on 30-06-2021
-
The Priory of the Orange Tree
- By: Samantha Shannon
- Narrated by: Liyah Summers
- Length: 25 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction - but assassins are getting closer to her door. Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.
-
-
Mispronunciation strikes again!
- By Anonymous User on 05-03-2020
-
They Both Die at the End
- By: Adam Silvera
- Narrated by: Michael Crouch, Robbie Daymond, Bahni Turpin
- Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On 5th September, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: they're going to die today. Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they're both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: there's an app for that. It's called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure—to live a lifetime in a single day.
-
-
i am not ok!!
- By Anonymous User on 09-04-2022
-
Circe
- By: Madeline Miller
- Narrated by: Perdita Weeks
- Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the Orange Prize-winning, internationally best-selling author of The Song of Achilles comes the powerful story of the mythological witch Circe, inspired by Homer's Odyssey. In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe has neither the look nor the voice of divinity and is scorned and rejected by her kin. Increasingly isolated, she turns to mortals for companionship, leading her to discover a power forbidden to the gods: witchcraft.
-
-
Pure Magic
- By bookreviewer on 06-09-2018
-
Ariadne
- The gripping tale of a mythic heroine seen through modern eyes
- By: Jennifer Saint
- Narrated by: Kristin Atherton
- Length: 13 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As princesses of Crete and daughters of the fearsome King Minos, Ariadne and her sister, Phaedra, grow up hearing the hoofbeats and bellows of the Minotaur echo from the labyrinth beneath the palace. The Minotaur—Minos' greatest shame and Ariadne's brother—demands blood every year. When Theseus, prince of Athens, arrives in Crete as a sacrifice to the beast, Ariadne falls in love with him. But helping Theseus kill the monster means betraying her family and country.
-
-
Couldn't Take the Melodrama
- By Hamish on 19-07-2021
-
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
- By: Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Narrated by: Alma Cuervo, Julia Whelan, Robin Miles
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The entrancing story of a reclusive Hollywood starlet as she reflects on her relentless rise to the top and the long-held secrets the public could never imagine - from the best-selling author of Daisy Jones & The Six. Reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
-
-
A goodie!
- By Sophie van den Bogaerde on 11-09-2021
-
It Ends with Us
- By: Colleen Hoover
- Narrated by: Olivia Song
- Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lily hasn't always had it easy, but that's never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She's come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up - she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily's life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.
-
-
If I can save one person from reading this..
- By Anonymous User on 30-06-2021
-
The Priory of the Orange Tree
- By: Samantha Shannon
- Narrated by: Liyah Summers
- Length: 25 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction - but assassins are getting closer to her door. Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.
-
-
Mispronunciation strikes again!
- By Anonymous User on 05-03-2020
-
They Both Die at the End
- By: Adam Silvera
- Narrated by: Michael Crouch, Robbie Daymond, Bahni Turpin
- Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On 5th September, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: they're going to die today. Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they're both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: there's an app for that. It's called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure—to live a lifetime in a single day.
-
-
i am not ok!!
- By Anonymous User on 09-04-2022
-
Norse Mythology
- By: Neil Gaiman
- Narrated by: Neil Gaiman
- Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The great Norse myths are woven into the fabric of our storytelling - from Tolkien, Alan Garner and Rosemary Sutcliff to Game of Thrones and Marvel Comics. They are also an inspiration for Neil Gaiman's own award-bedecked, best-selling fiction. Now he reaches back through time to the original source stories in a thrilling and vivid rendition of the great Norse tales.
-
-
Great book! Fantastic narration
- By Troy Abraham on 19-05-2017
-
House of Sky and Breath
- By: Sarah J. Maas
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Evans
- Length: 27 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar have made a pact. As they process the events of the spring, they will keep things platonic until the solstice. But can they resist when the crackling tension between them is enough to set the whole of Crescent City aflame? And they are not out of danger yet. Dragged into a rebel movement they want no part of, Bryce, Hunt and their friends find themselves pitted against the terrifying Asteri - whose notice they must avoid at all costs. But as they learn more about the rebel cause, they face a choice: stay silent while others are oppressed or fight.
-
-
You are not ready for this!
- By Bibliophile Mom on 22-02-2022
-
House of Hollow
- By: Krystal Sutherland
- Narrated by: Eleanor Bennett
- Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Iris Hollow and her two older sisters are unquestionably strange. Ever since they disappeared on a suburban street in Scotland as children, only to return a month a later with no memory of what happened to them, odd, eerie occurrences seem to follow in their wake. And they're changing. First, their dark hair turned white. Then, their blue eyes slowly turned black. People find them disturbingly intoxicating, unbearably beautiful and inexplicably dangerous.
-
-
Modern folklore
- By Naedrax17 on 02-05-2021
-
The Love Hypothesis
- By: Ali Hazelwood
- Narrated by: Callie Dalton
- Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As a third-year PhD candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships, but her best friend does, and that's what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive on her way to a happily ever after was always going to be tough, scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting woman, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees. That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor and well-known ass.
-
-
Read It!
- By Kady Stan on 02-10-2021
-
House of Earth and Blood
- The Crescent City, Book 1
- By: Sarah J. Maas
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Evans
- Length: 27 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Half-Fae, half-human Bryce Quinlan loves her life. Every night is a party and Bryce is going to savour all the pleasures Lunathion - also known as Crescent City - has to offer. But then a brutal murder shakes the very foundations of the city, and brings Bryce's world crashing down. Two years later, Bryce still haunts the city's most notorious nightclubs - but seeking only oblivion now. Then the murderer attacks again. And when an infamous Fallen angel, Hunt Athalar, is assigned to watch her every footstep, Bryce knows she can't forget any longer.
-
-
Did not disappoint
- By Anonymous User on 11-03-2020
-
Call Me by Your Name
- A Novel
- By: André Aciman
- Narrated by: Armie Hammer
- Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Call Me by Your Name first swept across the world in 2007. It is the story of a sudden and powerful romance that blossoms between an adolescent boy and a summer guest at his parents' cliffside mansion on the Italian Riviera. During the restless summer weeks, unrelenting but buried currents of obsession, fascination, and desire intensify their passion as they test the charged ground between them and verge toward the one thing both already fear they may never truly find again: total intimacy.
-
-
It made me cry
- By Barry Dickinson on 20-12-2017
-
Something Wilder
- By: Christina Lauren
- Narrated by: Christina Lauren, Jon Root, Patti Murin
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lily has never forgotten the man that got away...but she certainly hasn't forgiven him either! As the daughter of a notorious treasure hunter, Lily makes ends meet using her father's coveted hand-drawn maps, guiding tourists on fake treasure hunts through the canyons of Utah. When the man she once loved walks back into her life with a motley crew of friends, ready to hit the trails, Lily can't believe her eyes. Frankly, she'd like to take him out into the wilderness—and leave him there.
-
A Court of Thorns and Roses
- By: Sarah J. Maas
- Narrated by: Jennifer Ikeda
- Length: 16 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Feyre kills a wolf, a beastlike creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a magical land Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal. As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient shadow is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it....
-
-
Great book, terrible narrator!
- By Emma Dalmazzo on 14-03-2020
-
The House in the Cerulean Sea
- By: TJ Klune
- Narrated by: Daniel Henning
- Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Linus Baker is a by-the-book case worker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He's tasked with determining whether six dangerous magical children are likely to bring about the end of the world. Arthur Parnassus is the master of the orphanage. He would do anything to keep the children safe, even if it means the world will burn. And his secrets will come to light.
-
-
Best book I've listened to in ages!
- By Nicole C. Lopes on 11-05-2020
-
Hood Feminism
- Notes from the Women White Feminists Forgot
- By: Mikki Kendall
- Narrated by: Mikki Kendall
- Length: 6 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
All too often the focus of mainstream feminism is not on basic survival for the many, but on increasing privilege for the few. Meeting basic needs is a feminist issue. Food insecurity, the living wage and access to education are feminist issues. The fight against racism, ableism and transmisogyny are all feminist issues. White feminists often fail to see how race, class, sexual orientation and disability intersect with gender. How can feminists stand in solidarity as a movement when there is a distinct likelihood that some women are oppressing others?
-
-
So many pearls
- By Anonymous User on 27-06-2020
-
Piranesi
- By: Susanna Clarke
- Narrated by: Chiwetel Ejiofor
- Length: 6 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Piranesi lives in the House. Perhaps he always has. In his notebooks, day after day, he makes a clear and careful record of its wonders: the labyrinth of halls, the thousands upon thousands of statues, the tides that thunder up staircases, the clouds that move in slow procession through the upper halls. On Tuesdays and Fridays Piranesi sees his friend, the Other. At other times he brings tributes of food to the Dead. But mostly, he is alone.
-
-
Be patient
- By Peter on 19-12-2020
-
Any Way the Wind Blows
- Simon Snow, Book 3
- By: Rainbow Rowell
- Narrated by: Euan Morton
- Length: 15 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Carry On, Simon Snow and his friends realized that everything they thought they understood about the world might be wrong. And in Wayward Son, they wondered whether everything they understood about themselves might be wrong. In Any Way the Wind Blows, Simon and Baz and Penelope and Agatha have to decide how to move forward. For Simon, that means deciding whether he still wants to be part of the World of Mages – and if he doesn't, what does that mean for his relationship with Baz?
-
-
Amazing book, amazing narration.
- By Dana on 10-07-2021
Publisher's Summary
Bloomsbury presents The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, read by Frazer Douglas.
The international sensation.
Winner of the Orange Women's Prize for Fiction.
A Sunday Times and New York Times best seller.
Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son, Achilles. Despite their differences, Achilles befriends the shamed prince, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into something deeper - despite the displeasure of Achilles' mother, Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, Achilles must go to war in distant Troy and fulfil his destiny. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus goes with him, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.
Critic Reviews
"Captivating." (Donna Tartt)
"Sexy, dangerous, mystical." (Bettany Hughes)
"Ravishingly vivid." (Emma Donoghue)
More from the same
Author
Narrator
What listeners say about The Song of Achilles
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 18-12-2021
Beautiful
As someone who had never heard the story of Achilles and merely knew the name, this book was a beautiful, informative and emotional surprise. The writing style made you feel all of the emotions and beauty of the love felt in this story and the narrator did an excellent job of performing each role and doing it justice.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Chris
- 25-01-2022
Just okay
I found this kind of boring. Not nearly as good as her other book.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Angela
- 01-12-2021
Breathtaking and beautiful
Enthralled by Miller's recollection of Achilles and well narrated by Frazer Douglas. This really swept me off my feet from the beginning
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Emjax
- 28-09-2021
Great story, great narrator
Loved it, great narrator, so well paced. Constantly amazed at how the author breathes new life into ancient stories.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 04-05-2022
Interesting story
A lot of hype around this book.
I found the story interesting and for the most of it engaging. Definitely some unnecessary chapters in my opinion.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Monica lewis
- 26-04-2022
a perfect holiday audible book! loved it!
beautifully read...a voice that draws you in. linking many names I have heard of, and now I know how they related...shall read more of her books!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 24-04-2022
A beautiful story
Madeline Miller has a way with words; her imagery really brings everything to life. I couldn’t not get emotionally involved with these characters
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 01-04-2022
The best book I have read in a while
I could not put it down. Poetic, epic and perfect. Would read again. Originally witty quotes shared amongst friends drew me to this book, most notably "he is half my soul as the poets say". I was worried that these quotes might have been lost in a sea of uninterested writing before reading the book.
I very quickly realised that all my fears were unfounded. Every part of this book was well written. I won't spoil the story but the themes of unconditional love, honour and the dichotomy of determinism vs pre-determinism were interestingly explored. I think this is one of those books that will only grow more beloved with time.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 09-03-2022
Highly recommend
The narrator is incredible! The story is beautifully written. The character development is great and I truly enjoyed listening to this book. So much life lessons and it’s well written.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mila
- 03-02-2022
encapturing!
I was so engrossed I couldn't tear my ears away!!!
I read this book years ago, was lovely.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- TheScribe
- 29-08-2021
Gorgeous prose and strong storytelling
Narrator has such skill in weaving the story. Reccomended this highly story highly and I listened to the whole thing in 3 days.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- I Leaver
- 20-02-2022
Miller is a marvel
An excellent follow up to Circe, Miller’s story telling creates rich characters that pull the listener in and her style is perfectly suited to this period of classical history and mythology.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anonymous User
- 21-01-2022
Beautiful Narration
Love Madeline Miller's writing style and the reader ( Frazer Doughlas ) nailed every characters intonations !!! would repear on the listen
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Madelein
- 11-01-2022
Beautiful
Oh the drama of the gods, the theatre of ancient Greece. I loved the every second.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anonymous User
- 29-10-2021
Book Tok was right
I need a year to emotionally recover but I loved it 😭😭 Frazer Douglas brought the story to life and it was perfect.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Amazon Customer
- 04-10-2021
Amazing! Loved every minute!
Absolutely worth listening to! It is well written and well read. Would definitely recommend it.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Amy Rice
- 04-08-2021
Stunning, beautifully written epic
This book really blew me away. A story of love, adventure and loss. I read Circe first, and this is probably even better. The character development is exquisite, the plot is beautifully written and the familiar story is told from a surprising new angle.
(I usually do laundry/chores while I listen, but there were numerous occasions during this sorry when I just stood frozen to the spot listening - it’s so mesmerising!)
28 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Justin
- 06-09-2021
Loved it
This book was gifted to me and I honestly thought it was going to be just another gay coming of age story, but it was so much more, I wanted to pull the characters from the pages and make them real. This is now one of my top 5 and I would recommend to anyone!
17 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Connor
- 03-08-2021
A compelling story wonderfully narrated
Having read the Iliad, I knew what the ultimate outcome of this story would be. And yet I did not know the journey would be so beautiful, so tragic, so utterly compelling. This is such a wonderful retelling of a story that many of us will know; using original material combined with creativity to imagine what life would have been like for Patroclus. He is such an interesting character, his actions change the outcome of the war and yet in many ways, he is overlooked. Getting to read this story from his point of view was wonderful and my words aren't doing it justice. I thought the narration of this title was good, the characters had distinct voices and the emotion of the story came across very well. I spent the last hour sobbing, but I know I will listen to this again.
13 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Bethan Rose
- 25-09-2021
It’s beautiful, people.
I have listened to a LOT of audiobooks and rarely have I been as emotionally invested as I was with this. Apologies to all TFL customers who had to witness me crying with joy/pain/relief on the tube whilst listening to it.
I knew the myth beforehand, so knew some of what was coming, and was still utterly hooked and surprised. Huge congratulations to the author and narrator.
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Nicole Jain
- 19-08-2021
Brilliant
I loved listening to Circe and I loved listening to this. Such a moving story and so interesting to hear all about the Greek mythology. I'm going to re-listen now and I urge you to listen too!
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- K Walts
- 13-09-2021
Beautiful!
One of the best audiobooks I have ever listened to. One of the best books I have ever read, and the audio almost beats the book.
The narrator draws you in, so you are almost in the book with the characters. The descriptions, the characters were just perfect. I would recommend this book, and re-listen over again.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- J. Matias
- 27-09-2021
I thought I didn't care but I couldn't stop crying
I don't think I have ever read a book that was quite this hyped to me.
Anyway, this book is the current darling of booktube, bookstagram and booktok even though it's already 10 years old by now, which I think is quite remarkable. I feel like social media tends to focus of new releases, so to see a book endure felt like a good omen to me. Plus, this fit right into the Mythic square on book bingo, and the cover was so pretty in the store that I just had to get it.
A disclaimer: although I have recently read Mythos by Stephen Fry, my knowledge of Greek mythology is weak at best. I have a mostly superficial knowledge of the main myths from primary school books and I am fairly certain we discussed the broad strokes of the Odyssey in high school 20 years ago, but I have most definitely never read the Illiad. All I knew of Achilles before embarking into this book was the pop culture reference translated into a distant memory of him being the invincible warrior who died because someone kicked his heel? Yes, that definitely sounds about right... ¬¬
I expected to be swept up by this book, and find myself unable to put it down. Conversely, I had to force myself to pick it up again and again over the almost two months it took me to finish (I even tried it on audio, which just didn't work for me for whatever reason). But I decided I was going to force myself to finish it this weekend, even if I had to skim through the last 150 pages.
I don't know what happened, and I need to talk it through, so I apologize but this will be full of spoilers.
Let me tell you a little bit about this story: funnily enough, The Song Of Achilles tells the story of Patroclus - a very young prince who is not interested in fighting, who accidently kills a boy who is trying to bully him and is exiled by his father to Phthia. There, he is expected to train and join the army, but instead finds himself infatuated with Achilles, the demi-God who is Peleus' son, a boy so beautiful and perfect -- fated to be the best warrior of Greece, but who is gentle and smart, and plays the lyre like an angel.
Achilles takes a liking to young Patroclus and claims him for his companion, and when he is sent to learn from Chiron the centaur, Patroclus runs and follows him. We watch the 2 of them grow up and fall in love and I am sure it's all sweet and beautiful, I just couldn't find it in myself to care.
When Helen is kidnapped and taken to Troy and all Greek heroes called to action to rescue her and Thetis (Achilles' Goddess mother) hides her son in a foreign land and marries him off to a princess in secret, Patroclus searches until he finds him which I guess is again sweet, but this stop really lost me as a reader.
Apparently, the princess is pregnant with Achilles' child, but there is this thing where she convinces Patroclus to sleep with her and the only reason I could see for that is that she wasn't really pregnant and needed to be so that she could have a reason to claim the scheme with Thetis was true? But if that is the case, who is the father? I would understand the existence of this passage if it was Patroclus, because it'd make the ending even more bittersweet. But the child is then raised by Thetis under water, which I don't think it'd have been possible if he'd been human, so I don't understand why this was necessary. Maybe I missed the point altogether.
Regardless, Odysseus finds Achilles and Patroclus and carries them off to war. Achilles is aware of a prophecy that says he will not die while Hector (Troy's best warrior) lives, so he makes sure not to kill him and the war drags on for 10 years. Achilles fights and is a bit of an arse about it. Patroclus becomes a medic and is compassionate of the terrible fate of women in misogynistic Greece and tries to save as many as he can through Achilles' choice in "spoils of war". But they're still living a fairly happy life together, I guess.
The thing is, so much of this is about "pride" and "war" and I just can't relate. I think wars are stupid and I couldn't bring myself to care while soldiers revolted, and Gods got angered, and Achilles became a stubborn knobhead so worried about his own glory that he'd rather see everyone dead than to stop a massacre. So when Patroclus disguised himself as Achilles to try and lead the Phthian army to help and actually fought quite well before being killed by Hector, I still didn't care too much.
When Achilles realized Patroclus was dead and went all out on a revenge-filled murderous rage and killed Hector, bringing on his own demise, all I thought was: you brought this all on yourself.
You know what killed me? This book is entirely told by Patroclus, and once he died his spirit continues to narrate the story, as he is bound to walk the earth by where he died until his body is burnt and his ashes are set to the Earth in his name. And Achilles asks to have their ashes mingled and buried together because regardless of how much of an dick he was, he did love Patroclus with all his heart.
But this is where we re-enter Pyrrhus into the story. This is Achilles' (or Patroclus') son, who comes into the war, after being raised by Thetis. He is the worst character is this book who comes in the last minute just to make everything worse. He is all the arrogance of a soul-less God mingled with the entitlement of a rich little adolescent boy. And he basically says that it's too bad if his father's ashes are mingled with this nobody-slave's, but only Achilles' name shall be written in the monument they're erecting.
And this is heartbreaking. I'm tearing up again just writing this down. I think it's Patroclus' despair at this absolute erasure that really got to me. It destroyed me. Because Achilles is off to the underworld, and Patroclus, who really was the best of the Greeks, is doomed to wander Anatolia alone after all the Greeks have gone back home.
It is only after a long long time, long after Pyrrhus is long dead from being a douche, that Patroclus convinces Thetis, who always hated him, to write his name next to Achilles', so he can move on to the underworld.
So am I left with a conundrum when trying to rate this book. Because this was really hard work, and I didn't enjoy reading it for the most part. But I can't stop thinking about those last 20-30 pages and it's been quite a while since a book has gotten such a visceral reaction out of me. So while I wanted to give it 3 stars, I think I might have to raise it up.
Thank you for putting up with me and my rants :)
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Emily Butlin
- 24-01-2022
Sad to now leave Patroclus' world
Loved this so very much. I wasn't sure what to expect and loved Circe so had high hopes. Heartbreaking but a beautiful journey that I wish didn't end. The descriptive and romantic writing style draws you in.
The narration is perfect. The voice felt ideal for the role of Patroclus.
Only slight criticism is the enchantment was slightly hindered when other voices were used for different characters. Particularly those of women. It felt a little unnecessary and distracting. It also took me a while to become accustomed to the voice used for Achilles.
I'd be keen to read the actual novel myself and if I interpret it the same.
Thoroughly enjoyed, would recommend.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Sorbiq
- 23-01-2022
I loved it, amazing
I loved it, best thing I've ever read, the tragedy and romance are just😙👌🏼
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- D. Mills
- 07-09-2021
loved it
Loved the narration, thought the narrator did very well with all the voices involved. Scared the wits out of me with his portrayal of Thetis. Beautiful story too and richly written, lovely to listen to.
3 people found this helpful
20 Best Fantasy Audiobooks
This genre is so full of talent, it can be difficult to know what to listen to next — so look no further than this list to get you started.



20 Best Nonfiction Audiobooks
From the entire history of humanity to astrophysics, to our gut and mental health, dig into this list and learn something new.



Best Australian Podcasts on Audible
Audible Original Podcasts are free for Audible members. Check out this list of home-grown content, from binge-worthy true crime to self-help.


