Madeline Miller's ambitious novel, The Song of Achilles, was ten years in the writing. I loved it. Set in Ancient Greece, it traces the lives of Achilles and Patrocles: their childhood friendship, education and training, intimate relationship, and role in the Trojan War. She creates a wonderfully magical world; I was enchanted by the interaction, interpretation, and co-existence of mortals, half-gods, and deities. We are swept into the culture, lifestyle, values, and people of this beautifully-depicted time. The writing is amazing: smooth, sweeping, vivid, and lyrical. The integration of events and characters we knew from childhood with the imagined hinges of the plot is seamless. It made me realize how much I miss and love myths, history, classical literature, and storytelling. I could not put this book down, so I encourage you to carve away a bit of time before picking it up.
Image shown under Fair Use, from Wikipedia.
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