The Song of Achilles
Score Modern
What it's about
Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, is exiled to the court of King Peleus and raised alongside his golden son, Achilles: strong, beautiful, the child of a goddess and everything Patroclus is not. The two boys become inseparable, and their bond deepens into love as they grow, to the fury of Achilles' mother, the sea goddess Thetis. Then word comes that Helen of Sparta has been taken, and the Trojan War calls Achilles to his destiny.
Why it's worth reading
It won the Women's Prize for Fiction and has spent more than 100 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists. It turns the Iliad into an intimate love story that readers find impossible to forget.
You'll love it if you liked
Circe, The Iliad or The Secret History
Good to know
You don't need to know Homer. If you do, you know how it ends, and the book is no less heartbreaking for it.
Quick answers
Is The Song of Achilles worth reading?
Yes. It won the Women's Prize for Fiction and has spent more than 100 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists. It ranks #65 of the 2,819 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 88.1 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Song of Achilles about?
Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, is exiled to the court of King Peleus and raised alongside his golden son, Achilles: strong, beautiful, the child of a goddess and everything Patroclus is not. The two boys become inseparable, and their bond deepens into love as they grow, to the fury of Achilles' mother, the sea goddess Thetis. Then word comes that Helen of Sparta has been taken, and the Trojan War calls Achilles to his destiny.
How long does it take to read The Song of Achilles?
About 10 hours (384 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has The Song of Achilles won?
Women's Prize for Fiction winner (2012).
What should I read after The Song of Achilles?
If you liked it, try Circe by Madeline Miller, The Iliad by Homer or The Secret History by Donna Tartt.
By the numbers
- Readers90 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics56 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller78 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz1 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Women's Prize for Fiction winner (2012). 104 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists since 2012.
Where it ranks
- #6 of the 233 romances we rank
- #34 of the 1,575 modern books we rank
- #65 of the 2,819 books we rank
Won
- Women's Prize for Fiction winner (2012)
Bestseller
- 104 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists since 2012
Reads as
Moving, Epic
More by Madeline Miller
If you like this, read next
Outlander
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries
House of Earth and Blood
Six of Crows
A Court of Thorns and Roses
The Underground Railroad