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TheRealKalu t1_j1vgyi9 wrote

I liked the story, and I liked the book. Patroclus and Achilles really blossom and develop over time. However, I felt like the prose was lackluster. Looking back, the book is solidly in the Young Adult category, which I did not really expect going into it. Overall its well worth the read! The book is not too memorable, but knowing the myth Illiad is, IMHO, important as its 3000 years of culture.

Its not quite double-plus-good, but its certainly good.

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Bridalhat t1_j1y2g48 wrote

Lol, the prose is one of the few parts I unabashedly like. I’ve read Homer in Greek as well as works that take place in distant, ancient times, and I thought that the choice to mostly eschew Greek-root and even Latinate words was a good one. You go the feeling of pre-history, which considering princes in Bronze Age Greece were likely barely literate, this story was. If only it were in service of more interesting characters.

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my-nips-hurt OP t1_j1vng6l wrote

I kind of agree with your thoughts on the prose, but I think the overall plot and storytelling is good enough that I overlooked it or didn’t take a fault to it. I think it gives off a certain blandness that I just summed up to the difficulty in retelling/giving a twist to an epic.

But I think the characters and the plot drive it enough that the prose wasn’t my focus when enjoying the book. Like, the prose isn’t bad, I would say it’s still above average. The fact that it isn’t over the top and is simple, is what I think made it approachable and enjoyable, especially for someone getting back into reading.

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