THE INTERNATIONAL SENSATION; WINNER OF THE ORANGE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION
Madeline Miller is the author of The Song of Achilles, which won
the Orange Women's Prize for Fiction, was shortlisted for the
Stonewall Writer of the Year 2012, was an instant New York Times
bestseller, and was translated into twenty-five languages. Miller
holds an MA in Classics from Brown University, and she taught
Latin, Greek and Shakespeare to high school students for over a
decade. Her second novel Circe was a number one international
bestseller and shortlisted for the Women's Prize.
madelinemiller.com
A captivating retelling of the Iliad and events leading up to it
through the point of view of Patroclus: it's a hard book to put
down, and any classicist will be enthralled by her characterisation
of the goddess Thetis, which carries the true savagery and chill of
antiquity
*The Times*
This is a deeply affecting version of the Achilles story: a fully
threedimensional man – a son, a father, husband and lover – now
exists where a superhero previously stood and fought
*Observer*
Extraordinary ... Beautifully descriptive and heart-achingly
lyrical, this is a love story as sensitive and intuitive as any you
will find
*Daily Mail*
I loved it
*J K ROWLING*
A remarkably fresh take on one of the most familiar narratives in
western literature
*The Times*
Mary Renault lives again! A ravishingly vivid and convincing
version of one of the most legendary of love stories
*EMMA DONOGHUE*
Original, clever, and in a class of its own ... an incredibly
compelling and seductive read
*Independent on Sunday*
Sexy, dangerous, mystical
*BETTANY HUGHES*
If I were to give a prize for the best work of fiction I've read
this year, this would be the runaway winner. As a first novel, it
heralds the arrival of a major new talent
*A.N. Wilson, Reader's Digest*
Original, passionate, inventive and uplifting
*JOANNA TROLLOPE*
An original page-turning homage to The Iliad … Miller’s prose is
vividly atmospheric, retelling the siege of Troy in all its heroic
devastation
*Marie Claire*
Following in Mary Renault's footsteps and adding some surefooted steps of her own, Miller debuts with a novel that combines the poetic drama of The Iliad with a 21st-century understanding of war, sex, sexual politics, and Trojan War heroism. Miller's tale begins with Patroclus' unhappy childhood as the disappointing son of an ambitious king. Exiled to Phthia, the 10-year-old is befriended by confident Prince Achilles. Over time their friendship blooms into love, while Achilles' mother, the sea nymph Thetis, grows jealously resentful. Patroclus and Achilles follow Agamemnon to recapture Helen from Troy, but the siege wears heavily on Achilles, who awaits the destiny his mother has foretold and his mentor, the centaur Master Chiron, has forewarned: to become the greatest of Greek warriors. In addition to the central story of Achilles and Patroclus, Miller offers a complex study of Briseis, the trophy beauty who inspires a rift between Achilles and Agamemnon; evokes Iphigenia's sacrifice at Aulis in one quick, brutal image; and probes relationships Homer only hinted at. With language both evocative of her predecessors and fresh, and through familiar scenes that explore new territory, this first-time novelist masterfully brings to life an imaginative yet informed vision of ancient Greece featuring divinely human gods and larger-than-life mortals. She breaks new ground retelling one of the world's oldest stories about men in love and war, but it is the extraordinary women-Iphigenia, Briseis, and Thetis-who promise readers remarkable things to come as Miller carves out a custom-made niche in historical fiction. Agent: Barer Literary. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Patroclus, exiled prince of ancient Greece and lover of the famous warrior Achilles, is at the center of this romantic tale, Miller's first novel, which also features many other mythical heroes, both human and divine, with the Trojan War as a backdrop. VERDICT The interference of the Greek deities in mortals' daily lives makes for a stunning mix of larger-than-life action and authentically human emotions, while stellar writing and sympathetic portrayals of complex characters breathe new life into an ancient story. (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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