Book Review: The Song of Achillies

“And perhaps it is the greater grief, after all, to be left on earth when another is gone.”

Hey guys,
this week's book was The Song of Achilles, which practically retells the story of Homer's epic poem Iliad. However, in  Madeline Miller's version the narrative is through Patroclus point of view, and it explores his relationship with Achilles.

Goodreads synopsis:

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 difference, 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 fulfill 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.

My opinion:
It's extremely difficult for me to decisively say whether I liked this book or not. It started strong, the middle was just blah, and the end was heartbreaking. I think there's no one who doesn't know how Achilles' story ends.The familiar plot only made the looming end and the inevitability of his and Patroclus fate much more arduous.
The story begins with Patroclus childhood and the events which led him to be exiled from his father's home and how he got to know Achilles and their childhood. And how their love blossomed. At times they seemed truly inlove, but their characters remained... a tad flat in my opinion. 
While Achilles is hiding and pretending to be a girl in Lycomede's court, his mother tricks him into marrying princess and to sleep with her. After Patroclus learns about this he's hurt, but he forgives his partner. And what do you think Patroclus does? He tries to comfort D. and in doing so he sleeps with her. Just minutes before he thinks how: "Achilles had told me about their nights together when I asked. It had not been awkward for him to do so - nothing was forbidden between us." And after Patroclus sleeps with Deidamia he doesn't confess to Achilles, but you know nothing is forbidden between them!
The relationship between the two men progresses into a sort of submission in Patroclus' part. He sees the errors in Achilles' actions but he virtually says nothing. He's always forgiving of Achilles pride, and his mistakes. Patrocles just accepts whatever Achilles decides.We are supposed to believe that this is because of how pure Patrocles' love is, but to me it looked like he idolized Achilles too much. And I was tired of reading about how perfect and marvelous Achilles' feet were - honestly, it felt like they were mentioned every 5 pages.
On the other hand, the writer couldn't escape of the myth and how the events played out: she stuck pretty closely with it. Which is both a plus and a negative. Her version of Achilles, at least to me, wasn't likable. We all know of Achilles pride, but he was supposed to be also honorable and righteous, but here he showed all of this qualities only when he was urged by Patrocles.
I must admit I skimmed through the pages describing the battle scenes, because I'm not interested in them. I mentioned that the end was heartbreaking and this wasn't because of Achilles and Patrocles death, after all everyone knows it's coming. For me, it was the wandering spirit of Patrocles and the story about Achilles' son who turned out to be pure evil. 
All in all I'm on the fence about this book. If you have no problems with the main characters cheating on each other, and reading about practically one sided relationship then this book may be intriguing to you. However, it left me with sense of infirmity towards the epic of the myth.