Yes, it is naive in style, but at the outset it is meant to be the voice of a young boy who describes himself (at one point early on) as the simple son of a simple mother.' 'I think the narrative voice works quite well. To go for the last first, ID6256988 writes: But there are points that should be addressed. I'm not sure about that – and Dylanwolf himself later recanted. Dylanwolf also complained – as have plenty of other commenters – that Patroclus is portrayed as 'camp, effeminate and psychologically immature'.

'Miller seems to have plumped for a 'condescending Ladybird' slash 'inept soap opera' combo which makes for dull reading, laughably prosaic dialogue, a total lack of psychological depth in the characters, embarrassingly juvenile soft-porn love scenes and the resulting conviction that neither Achilles nor Patroclus had even the tiniest aptitude for the field of battle.' 'Surely if you were going to undertake the retelling of a story from the Illiad, you'd attempt to utilise some eloquence even if you are going to ditch or, rather more prudently, not attempt to match Homer's epic poetic-heroic style. Homer would be proud of her.'ĭylanwolf wanted to know what Trollope 'had been smoking'. 'This is a more than worthy winner – original, passionate, inventive and uplifting. Dylanwolf told us that when The Song of Achilles won the Orange prize, Joanna Trollope, chair of the judges, said: As for children's-book plotting, well, take that one to Homer.īut nightjar12 was mild compared to some other commenters. We're talking about the oldest and most influential heroes in western literature, after all. Miller wouldn't be doing her job properly if the characters weren't familiar. There are, however, pretty strong defences against the claims of cliche and and infantilism. This kind of objection cropped up often, and Nightjar was clearly striking a chord.

'The writing seems pedestrian, the characters cliched and the plot more appropriate for a children's book.' On reaching chapter six, Nightjar12 noted: Perhaps in response to such extravagant applause, reactions from the Reading group have been more mixed. 'Page turning … Nothing strikes a false note in her intricately created world.'

The Guardian's resident classics expert, Charlotte Higgins, writes: 'A hard book to put down, any classicist will be enthralled by her characterisation of the goddess Thetis, which carries the true savagery and chill of antiquity.' 'I read this book awestruck with admiration for the quality of its writing, its narrative pace and its imaginative depth.'

Achilles the song of achilles