The Song of Achilles

A captivating retelling of the Iliad and events leading up to it through the point of view of Patroclus: it's a hard book to put down, and any classicist will be enthralled by her characterisation of the goddess Thetis, which carries the true savagery and chill of antiquity -- Donna Tartt * The Times Christmas Books * I loved it * J.K. Rowling * Mary Renault lives again! A ravishingly vivid and convincing version of one of the most legendary of love stories * Emma Donoghue, author of number one bestseller, <I>Room</I> * Original, clever, and in a class of its own ... an incredibly compelling and seductive read * Independent on Sunday * A remarkably fresh take on one of the most familiar narratives in western literature * The Times * Extraordinary ... Beautifully descriptive and heart-achingly lyrical, this is a love story as sensitive and intuitive as any you will find * Daily Mail * Sexy, dangerous, mystical * Bettany Hughes * If I were to give a prize for the best work of fiction I've read this year, this would be the runaway winner. As a first novel, it heralds the arrival of a major new talent * A.N. Wilson, Reader's Digest * Inventive, passionate, uplifting and different. It will appeal to all ages. It's a book which despite some of the stiffest competition in the modern world is a truly worthy winner * Joanna Trollope, chair of the judges for the Orange Prize for Fiction 2012 *

Madeline Miller has a BA and MA from Brown University in Latin and Ancient Greek, and has taught both for over a decade. She has also studied at the Yale School of Drama, specialising in adapting classical tales to a modern audience. The Song of Achilles, her first novel, was awarded the 2012 Orange Prize for Fiction and was a New York Times Bestseller. It has been translated into twenty-three languages including Dutch, Mandarin, Japanese, Turkish, Arabic and Greek. Madeline was also shortlisted for the 2012 Stonewall Writer of the Year, and her essays have appeared in a number of publications including the Guardian and Wall Street Journal. She currently lives in Narberth, MA, where she is working on her second novel.