I confess that I wept when I finished this stunning book by Madeline Miller.
What an absolutely magnificent and captivating book. The imagination of thI confess that I wept when I finished this stunning book by Madeline Miller.
What an absolutely magnificent and captivating book. The imagination of the author is remarkable. It is not just the story but the writing style that truly brings Achilles to life from Greek Mythology.
There are countless excellent reviews of this book and so I will just give a brief outline.
This is the love story and riveting life of Achilles, beginning as a young boy through to the Trojan War. The war came about because of the abduction of Helen, wife of Menelaus, King of Sparta and brother of Agamemnon. Menelaus and the Greeks wanted her back and to avenge Trojan impudence.
Characters such as Agamemnon, Odysseus, Nester, Ajax, Hector and Patroclus indeed add spice throughout, especially the latter.
I was particularly taken with Chiron, the centaur. I found him to be very soothing as he wisely gave advice to Achilles when the latter was staying with him.
Thetis, the mother of Achilles, was a sea nymph and a goddess and appears rather dramatically from time to time. She had a great deal of influence over Achilles, who was brought up with the good and bad prophecies of the gods.
What an utterly fascinating and mesmerising book by Madeline Miller. A tour de force. She has turned an enchantress and a minor goddess, who was not pWhat an utterly fascinating and mesmerising book by Madeline Miller. A tour de force. She has turned an enchantress and a minor goddess, who was not portrayed much in Greek mythology, into a very significant character. Circe was the least loved child of the god Helios and the ocean nymph Perse. Her three siblings Aeëtes, Pasiphaë, Perses appeared to dislike her too.
Then one day Circe found love with a mortal, Glaucos, a fisherman. She was convinced that this was the man for her. Unfortunately Scylla, one of the nymphs in her father’s halls, was preferred by Glaucos and he asked Scylla to marry him. Quiet Circe was vengeful. She rushed down to the cove that she knew Scylla used and put down some of the magical potions she had concocted. This was a decision that she would regret all her life.
Due to Circe admitting what she had done, Helios and Zeus decided that there was only one solution for a sorceress and she was accordingly banished to the island of Aiaia.
What a fascinating life she had there! She met all kinds of gods and mortals alike: Athena, Daedalus, Odysseus, Hermes, Penelope, Telemachus to name but a few.
Circe explored the entire island. She examined all the plants, whereby she made her various magical potions (including one that protected the island from unwanted visitors such as sailors). She befriended the lions and wolves. In fact one lioness became such a close friend that she slept on her bed. The author did mention that there was the possibility that these animals could originally have been people but she decided to leave them as animals.
Circe was excellent at transformation and could change people into pigs which she did. But Odysseus, when he visited her island was protected by the herb moly (a gift from Hermes), compelled her to restore them to their original shape. He stayed with her for one year before resuming his journey. He left a “gift� for her that was going to cause dire problems later.
But just to read about the minotaur, Scylla and Trigon, the sea creature with the poisoned tail, among others, is just so remarkable, quite thrilling in fact.
I cannot recall when I last read such a well-structured book where every word is a delight. I can be a skim reader at times and it is most unlike me to hang on to every word.
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