The Song of Achilles

Just a couple months ago I was all set to read Emily Wilson's translation of the Iliad. Sat down, all excited - only to immediately bounce off harder than I've bounced off any book in a while. Which wasn't Wilson's fault (she's more than competent generally, I loved Inanna) just I'd managed to forget how much the beginning of the Iliad is men shouting and posturing. After a few pages, it all started to sound like "Penis. Penis penis penis, penis penis" and I couldn't take it seriously any more. (Again. I do not blame Wilson, whose translation skills are renowned, in the slightest. I blame the original source material.)

Unless for some reason I need a direct quote, I doubt I'll bother reading the actual Iliad again. I'll just read Song of Achilles. This book is just...full of light. It's one of the most exquisitely written things I've read in a long time - and I read Circe! And as much as I sobbed through that, there's a warmth and depth to Patroclus's relationship with Achilles that isn't achievable by a single character, however resonant she is.

I loved this so much. If you haven't read it yet you're really missing out.