The Song of Achilles

This was an absolutely stunning read. I came across a review on Goodreads that said it was misogynistic & homophobic, and the more I read the book, the more this angered me. This was incredible work of fleshed out characters and stories and emotions. You see the world from the eyes of someone who you think is forgettable, and you slowly watch them reach the height of their potential, someone who is driven by the best traits of humanity - courage and love and empathy. Somehow, despite the poetic descriptions of Achilles, he eclipsed him. This is probably the first book I've read that made me cry. Yes, we can all shudder at the descriptions of barbaric acts of violence against women, but that does not make a book misogynistic. Use it as a reminder of how things used to be. My only gripe is sometimes the metaphors flew over my head - is that bad writing or is it my obtuse brain?