Susan Hated Even More Stuff

odyssian:

I agree that there was plenty from the Epic that was missing from this book, but that didn’t bother me when I read it. I usually try to ignore (in as much as it is possible) the source when reading an adaptation. I don’t always succeed, especially if it is something that I am passionate about, but I do try.

I will agree that what exactly Achilles saw in Patroclus was a bit of a mystery, but I sorta saw it as Patroclus’ own lack of self-esteem.

I will say this much for the book: it’s a gay love story that’s beautifully written.

That, and it joins the rare club of literature (a whole two books I can name off the top of my head) that actually presents one of the Trojan War’s primary heroes as something of a decent human being. It’s not a viewpoint actively shared in retellings of the Epic Cycle, and it’s nice to see that Achilles isn’t constantly demonized.

Beyond that, however, I can’t say that I was incredibly impressed with Miller’s take on the Trojan War. Don’t get me wrong, the book was very beautifully written, engaging, and for all its fallacies, I found myself continually driven toward the end (like the long-list of inaccurate interpretations of myth that I find myself enjoying despite their nature.)

But let me get a few things straight here. And spoilers will be all over the place here on out (though if the story itself surprises you, we have a few things to discuss, like that boulder you’ve been living under for 3000 years).

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