Great book club video as always!! I really enjoyed this book and am so glad you did too. Hyped up books can really be a mixed bag, haha they almost always let me down so I know what you’re talking about but I feel like this one mostly lived up to the hype, as much as it could 😊 I didn’t even think about the whole heel thing, haha but now I am! I also really liked Chiron and think he would be really interesting to interact with. Also, I’m currently reading Clytemnestra and there have been mentions of Achilles, Agamemnon, and other familiar characters so I’m so glad that I’ve already read The Song of Achilles!
Thank you! I really enjoyed it too, I didn't find it disappointing in any way. Sometimes I just wonder what people are comparing things too. Meaning if you usually read kind of meh books and they are fine, and then you read something like this, then you would think it's amazing! Maybe that sounds really snobby 😄 I mean it won the Women's prize, so it's not a bad book by any means. I think it's gotten a revival since Circe and since there are more romances in general now, with other than straight couples. Which is a good thing, of course. I don't know. It was very good and I don't want to take away from anyone's experience of it! It's more the hyping itself I'm annoyed with, if anything, since it affects the reading experience so much. ANYWAYS did I not yap enough in the video already?! 😅 You'll have to watch Bonnie's video to find out why the heel wasn't in there! :) Oh I can't wait to get to Clytemnestra! I'm still on The Power, lots of conflicting thoughts so far! Thank you for joining the premiere and leaving a comment, I really appreciate it! 🥰💜
Welcome to join the premiere of this book club discussion on The Song of Achilles! The discussion about Pachinko will premiere 20 minutes after this one, so if you want to join both, you can! (I know I will!) I'm trying this out, it's on Friday the 13th, what could possibly go wrong? Anyways, welcome! 😊💜
I really enjoyed this video, Ellen! I’ll have to check out Miller’s other novels, as The Song of Achilles was my very first myth retelling. I think I had similar thoughts on the book; the writing was beautiful, the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus was well done, and I was also surprised that it was narrated from Patroclus’ perspective, even after he died! The ending, where Thetis’ lets Patroclus go to the underworld, seemed very fitting - and I was glad that Thetis had some kindness in her after all. Thanks for this great video.
@@joshuacreboreads Thank you Joshua! I loved Circe. Galatea is just a short story, I think the audiobook was about 45 minutes, so that’s an easy one to try out. I really enjoyed both. And Stone blind, like I mentioned, was also very good, especially if you like different perspectives! That has a lot of interesting ones. Yes, I agree, I think Thetis definitely had some kindness in her! Just a bit brutal in her delivery at times 😅 And it wouldn’t have hurt to show that kindness a bit sooner… Thank you for watching!
So many great thoughts about this book! I loved it. I think it helped me personally really not knowing anything about the story (other than a few very basic facts about the Trojan War and Helen). The ending was....so beautiful!!
Thank you! Yes I think it would be enjoyable for anyone who just likes a good story. It's just two ways of reading it I think, as it always is with books that are based on things, or reference things. And I really didn't know what was going to happen either, I just had a little bit of a framework of the big names, but I don't remember the exact stories. Thank you for joining the premiere and leaving a comment, I really appreciate it! 🥰💜
It was really good to hear your detailed and thoughtful answers. I love the range of questions the other viewers asked. Emily's question about why you picked it up is very interesting, and I totally agree with her. How somebody heard about a book and what prompted them to read it is something I love to know. I also expected Achilles to be killed by an arrow to his heel, and was pleasantly surprised it didn't happen. I googled it after reading and the author based the story off another version of the tale that doesn't mention it. That said, I love your idea of Patroclus being his Achilles' Heel. In terms of Greek myth retellings it's Song of Achilles > Circe > Stone Blind, for me, mainly because the Trojan War is a more interesting story to begin with, but they all have different strengths. Interesting what you said about hype and expectation in response to Helen's question about emotion. I didn't expect to enjoy a m-m romance retelling of story I'm familiar with, so my expectation was low going in and I was surprised by how much it resonated emotionally, particularly the ending with the death and interaction with Thetis. But if you expect something from the hype and it merely delivers, then the impression changes. It links back to Emily's question. Sometimes it's much better to know and expect nothing going in, but how would a book like that get on your radar to begin with? I would have thought knowing the story would be a hindrance as there'd be no surprises, but it helped here to see the myth I know and the bits the author added to make the story more compelling. I can see it working the other way, too. I like Nana's battle question. I don't mind reading them but predictable action can get boring very quickly. The internal conflict is much more interesting. I love how Joe Abercrombie writes his battles scenes, as he jumps from character to character and reflects their POV and thoughts rather than the nitty gritty of fighting. Helen's nature ramble question is a very interesting one and I really like your answer. Chiron is a great choice. I'd say the same - there would be so much to learn. I really enjoyed the video. I'll watch the Pachinko one when I eventually read it. A lot of Libby holds came in this month so I didn't have time.
I loved all the questions too, thank you for that! There was a really good range :) Bonnie explained in her discussion video why the heel wasn't mentioned in the book, and I was so bummed my theory didn't hold up! 😅 It can still work as a metaphor though, and maybe the heel part was added later as a symbol for Patroclus, as he maybe couldn't be named as his weak spot, because of their romantic relationship. Just adding my own little spin here ^^ How interesting that this is your favorite out of those three, since your expectations were low, and with the m-m relationship. I haven't read a lot of those either, but I can relate to being in love, so it didn't really matter! I wish more people would try it out even it they don't think it's for them, I'm glad you did. Just think what a different world it would be if people had an open mind. I probably had the least expectations of Stone Blind, so maybe that contributed to why I enjoyed it so much. When there's hype, I fint myself just waiting for the amazing-ness to hit, and it never does. Better to go in with no expectations and just be allowed to have your own experience! I think when it comes to hype, I'm very particular about wording! I'm fine with people saying "I loved it" but I don't want to hear "It's this and this". I say things like that myself, but that's just how it works :D I'm very curious to know what books came in for you to read this month! Thank you so much for participating with the questions and sharing your thoughts as well! I really appreciate hearing your take on everything as well. I hope football was great and that you'll have a lovely weekend!
after watching the video and now reading your comment this really feels like a bookclub. now I kind of wanna spend a cozy afternoon tea with you all and chat books 🙃💜
@@ellenmadebookclub So, here's what came in on Libby, mostly on audio - I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll Challenger by Adam Higginbotham Funny Story by Emily Henry You Are Here by David Nicholls Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby Babel by R F Kuang Kill For Me Kill For You by Steve Cavanagh I'm Travelling Alone by Samuel Bjørk and a few Poirot books Have a good weekend, too!
@@nanana_naaaa Yes, it's great that Ellen set up the book club and that quite a few people ask questions and comment. Everybody seems very nice and thoughtful and it's interesting to hear the different views. An afternoon book chat would be fun, even more so if there are sandwiches and cakes :)
@@RDsLibrary Oh wow, what a list! I'm curious about the first two on the list, but I'm not sure if BYW is too scary for me. Report back please! Babel and the Cavanaugh one are also ones I want to read.
omg yes, Chiron would be the perfect choice for a chat. So many questions could be asked! I had a similar feeling after reading the book. It did make me emotional (books do that very quickly so that wasn’t a surprise), but it didn’t blow me away. I liked it, gave it 4 stars, but now after one year I actually don’t remember that much apart from the bits I already knew before and a few other bits. It’s a good book, but as you said, shouldn’t we expect that from a book? 😅
Chiron seemed so nice! 😊 And knowledgable! I feel like I get emotionally involved pretty easily too, so I was surprised I wasn't in this, that much. I was involved to an extent, but not like I've heard from others. Haha exactly, thank you for saying that! 😅 I felt like such a snob saying it haha but I mean... I don't have an infinite amount of hours, I don't want to waste them on meh books! They don't all have to be devastating or super serious or anything, but I do want quality. It's like food, if I want to indulge in something, it needs to be proper tasty, I don't want to waste dessert on some meh cake 😂 And this was quality, absolutely, but not like... the best ever.
I very much relate to your overall impression of the book - it was a very good book, beautifully written, interesting characters and story, but because there was so much hype around it, I was expecting more from it, so it didn't hit as hard for me as it seems to for other people. Also, having read Circe first, I was much more wowed by Miller's writing in that one. It's not really fair to compare her first book to the second one, because obviously, she's grown and evolved as a writer between the two, but I felt even the writing was strong in this one, there is quite a gap and Circe felt much stronger on that front for me.
@@Curious-Cat Yes, agree on all of it! 😊 I did really enjoy the reading experience, I just think I would have enjoyed it more if had gone in to it with less expectations. I felt like I was waiting for something even more amazing to happen, instead of just enjoying it as it was. Thank you for watching 💜
I like the separate videos (for those who want 100% spoiler free) at least and that way they won't accidentally spoil themselves 🥰 Does it affect me? No. But I love how mindful you are 🧡 I didn't read this book but for me... I find it foreign/confused on the initial read of retellings because authors have different interpretations. I still really appreciate every variations but definitely my brain tries to go like "in this version... it's like this" and then confuses me a bit. Definitely a MY BRAIN issue, not the author 🤣 I've even read a variation where they're alien mechs in the past so... a lot of versions in my head. The take of choosing to read it more as a story is something I'm taking away from this book (especially given than I'm reading Clytemenestra right now). Viewing it as a story might help me process the actually book itself rather than trying to figure how it is the same/different than other variations I've read. Especially since books that focuses on more minor characters of myths might have very different takes. The extra photos makes the video so much more fun 😂 MORE OF THOSE!
Haha thank you 😂 I should do special Mimi-episodes with full on spoilers! I appreciate the feedback though, I'm glad you like the separate videos and the added artwork! I would love to add more of that, when possible! Especially for Greek mythology, there are so many crazy ones. I highly recommend browsing the Galleries on the Wikipedia pages 😅 I know what you mean, I can get hungup on things like that too! But I think especially with mythology, there are always going to be different versions, even within mythology itself! So I say just take everything with a grain of salt and enjoy the story for what it is! 😄 Some might stray too far away though, but I feel like that more of a marketing issue, if something is a "retelling" or "insprired by" etc. I can't wait to start on Clytemnestra, I hope everyone will love it! Including me! 💜
@@ellenmadebookclub LOL! I'd love that but I think most people are #teamnospoilers 😂 I honestly can't wait to see what you're going to add for Clytemnestra. I'm not too far into it due to work but I'm hoping to finish it this week 🥰 How's your reading going? I feel like mine is going through really well even though I had a slow start.
@@itsmimiduongYour comment got thrown in jail again 😂 but I got you! Looking there more often now haha I’m glad your reading is going well! I’ve only finished The Power so far, I’m so annoyed! Have started on Clytemnestra but only on page 60 or something
@@ellenmadebookclub ALWAYS IN JAIL 😭 Maybe you were onto something. Suhba and Chelsea finished it so fast!! My work has been too busy to be super into the book until recently but finally made it to the 1/2 mark of the book!! Can't wait to see how you feel about it because I have many feelings on this book towards characters and I think the author does a great job writing them LOL
@@itsmimiduong I’m only on page 100! Liking it so far, but not as hooked as I thought. But probably because of other life things. We keep trucking, there’s no rush 😊 Hopefully I can make some progress this weekend
Great book club video as always!! I really enjoyed this book and am so glad you did too. Hyped up books can really be a mixed bag, haha they almost always let me down so I know what you’re talking about but I feel like this one mostly lived up to the hype, as much as it could 😊 I didn’t even think about the whole heel thing, haha but now I am! I also really liked Chiron and think he would be really interesting to interact with. Also, I’m currently reading Clytemnestra and there have been mentions of Achilles, Agamemnon, and other familiar characters so I’m so glad that I’ve already read The Song of Achilles!
Thank you! I really enjoyed it too, I didn't find it disappointing in any way. Sometimes I just wonder what people are comparing things too. Meaning if you usually read kind of meh books and they are fine, and then you read something like this, then you would think it's amazing! Maybe that sounds really snobby 😄 I mean it won the Women's prize, so it's not a bad book by any means. I think it's gotten a revival since Circe and since there are more romances in general now, with other than straight couples. Which is a good thing, of course. I don't know. It was very good and I don't want to take away from anyone's experience of it! It's more the hyping itself I'm annoyed with, if anything, since it affects the reading experience so much. ANYWAYS did I not yap enough in the video already?! 😅
You'll have to watch Bonnie's video to find out why the heel wasn't in there! :)
Oh I can't wait to get to Clytemnestra! I'm still on The Power, lots of conflicting thoughts so far!
Thank you for joining the premiere and leaving a comment, I really appreciate it! 🥰💜
Welcome to join the premiere of this book club discussion on The Song of Achilles! The discussion about Pachinko will premiere 20 minutes after this one, so if you want to join both, you can! (I know I will!) I'm trying this out, it's on Friday the 13th, what could possibly go wrong? Anyways, welcome! 😊💜
I really enjoyed this video, Ellen! I’ll have to check out Miller’s other novels, as The Song of Achilles was my very first myth retelling. I think I had similar thoughts on the book; the writing was beautiful, the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus was well done, and I was also surprised that it was narrated from Patroclus’ perspective, even after he died! The ending, where Thetis’ lets Patroclus go to the underworld, seemed very fitting - and I was glad that Thetis had some kindness in her after all. Thanks for this great video.
@@joshuacreboreads Thank you Joshua! I loved Circe. Galatea is just a short story, I think the audiobook was about 45 minutes, so that’s an easy one to try out. I really enjoyed both. And Stone blind, like I mentioned, was also very good, especially if you like different perspectives! That has a lot of interesting ones. Yes, I agree, I think Thetis definitely had some kindness in her! Just a bit brutal in her delivery at times 😅 And it wouldn’t have hurt to show that kindness a bit sooner… Thank you for watching!
So many great thoughts about this book! I loved it. I think it helped me personally really not knowing anything about the story (other than a few very basic facts about the Trojan War and Helen). The ending was....so beautiful!!
Thank you! Yes I think it would be enjoyable for anyone who just likes a good story. It's just two ways of reading it I think, as it always is with books that are based on things, or reference things. And I really didn't know what was going to happen either, I just had a little bit of a framework of the big names, but I don't remember the exact stories.
Thank you for joining the premiere and leaving a comment, I really appreciate it! 🥰💜
It was really good to hear your detailed and thoughtful answers. I love the range of questions the other viewers asked. Emily's question about why you picked it up is very interesting, and I totally agree with her. How somebody heard about a book and what prompted them to read it is something I love to know. I also expected Achilles to be killed by an arrow to his heel, and was pleasantly surprised it didn't happen. I googled it after reading and the author based the story off another version of the tale that doesn't mention it. That said, I love your idea of Patroclus being his Achilles' Heel. In terms of Greek myth retellings it's Song of Achilles > Circe > Stone Blind, for me, mainly because the Trojan War is a more interesting story to begin with, but they all have different strengths. Interesting what you said about hype and expectation in response to Helen's question about emotion. I didn't expect to enjoy a m-m romance retelling of story I'm familiar with, so my expectation was low going in and I was surprised by how much it resonated emotionally, particularly the ending with the death and interaction with Thetis. But if you expect something from the hype and it merely delivers, then the impression changes. It links back to Emily's question. Sometimes it's much better to know and expect nothing going in, but how would a book like that get on your radar to begin with? I would have thought knowing the story would be a hindrance as there'd be no surprises, but it helped here to see the myth I know and the bits the author added to make the story more compelling. I can see it working the other way, too. I like Nana's battle question. I don't mind reading them but predictable action can get boring very quickly. The internal conflict is much more interesting. I love how Joe Abercrombie writes his battles scenes, as he jumps from character to character and reflects their POV and thoughts rather than the nitty gritty of fighting. Helen's nature ramble question is a very interesting one and I really like your answer. Chiron is a great choice. I'd say the same - there would be so much to learn. I really enjoyed the video. I'll watch the Pachinko one when I eventually read it. A lot of Libby holds came in this month so I didn't have time.
I loved all the questions too, thank you for that! There was a really good range :)
Bonnie explained in her discussion video why the heel wasn't mentioned in the book, and I was so bummed my theory didn't hold up! 😅 It can still work as a metaphor though, and maybe the heel part was added later as a symbol for Patroclus, as he maybe couldn't be named as his weak spot, because of their romantic relationship. Just adding my own little spin here ^^
How interesting that this is your favorite out of those three, since your expectations were low, and with the m-m relationship. I haven't read a lot of those either, but I can relate to being in love, so it didn't really matter! I wish more people would try it out even it they don't think it's for them, I'm glad you did. Just think what a different world it would be if people had an open mind.
I probably had the least expectations of Stone Blind, so maybe that contributed to why I enjoyed it so much. When there's hype, I fint myself just waiting for the amazing-ness to hit, and it never does. Better to go in with no expectations and just be allowed to have your own experience!
I think when it comes to hype, I'm very particular about wording! I'm fine with people saying "I loved it" but I don't want to hear "It's this and this". I say things like that myself, but that's just how it works :D
I'm very curious to know what books came in for you to read this month!
Thank you so much for participating with the questions and sharing your thoughts as well! I really appreciate hearing your take on everything as well.
I hope football was great and that you'll have a lovely weekend!
after watching the video and now reading your comment this really feels like a bookclub. now I kind of wanna spend a cozy afternoon tea with you all and chat books 🙃💜
@@ellenmadebookclub So, here's what came in on Libby, mostly on audio -
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
Challenger by Adam Higginbotham
Funny Story by Emily Henry
You Are Here by David Nicholls
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby
Babel by R F Kuang
Kill For Me Kill For You by Steve Cavanagh
I'm Travelling Alone by Samuel Bjørk
and a few Poirot books
Have a good weekend, too!
@@nanana_naaaa Yes, it's great that Ellen set up the book club and that quite a few people ask questions and comment. Everybody seems very nice and thoughtful and it's interesting to hear the different views. An afternoon book chat would be fun, even more so if there are sandwiches and cakes :)
@@RDsLibrary Oh wow, what a list! I'm curious about the first two on the list, but I'm not sure if BYW is too scary for me. Report back please! Babel and the Cavanaugh one are also ones I want to read.
Thank you for choosing this book. I may not have read it otherwise.
I'm so happy you enjoyed it so much! It is a beautiful story!
omg yes, Chiron would be the perfect choice for a chat. So many questions could be asked!
I had a similar feeling after reading the book. It did make me emotional (books do that very quickly so that wasn’t a surprise), but it didn’t blow me away. I liked it, gave it 4 stars, but now after one year I actually don’t remember that much apart from the bits I already knew before and a few
other bits. It’s a good book, but as you said, shouldn’t we expect that from a book? 😅
Chiron seemed so nice! 😊 And knowledgable!
I feel like I get emotionally involved pretty easily too, so I was surprised I wasn't in this, that much. I was involved to an extent, but not like I've heard from others.
Haha exactly, thank you for saying that! 😅 I felt like such a snob saying it haha but I mean... I don't have an infinite amount of hours, I don't want to waste them on meh books! They don't all have to be devastating or super serious or anything, but I do want quality. It's like food, if I want to indulge in something, it needs to be proper tasty, I don't want to waste dessert on some meh cake 😂 And this was quality, absolutely, but not like... the best ever.
I very much relate to your overall impression of the book - it was a very good book, beautifully written, interesting characters and story, but because there was so much hype around it, I was expecting more from it, so it didn't hit as hard for me as it seems to for other people. Also, having read Circe first, I was much more wowed by Miller's writing in that one. It's not really fair to compare her first book to the second one, because obviously, she's grown and evolved as a writer between the two, but I felt even the writing was strong in this one, there is quite a gap and Circe felt much stronger on that front for me.
@@Curious-Cat Yes, agree on all of it! 😊 I did really enjoy the reading experience, I just think I would have enjoyed it more if had gone in to it with less expectations. I felt like I was waiting for something even more amazing to happen, instead of just enjoying it as it was. Thank you for watching 💜
I like the separate videos (for those who want 100% spoiler free) at least and that way they won't accidentally spoil themselves 🥰 Does it affect me? No. But I love how mindful you are 🧡
I didn't read this book but for me... I find it foreign/confused on the initial read of retellings because authors have different interpretations. I still really appreciate every variations but definitely my brain tries to go like "in this version... it's like this" and then confuses me a bit. Definitely a MY BRAIN issue, not the author 🤣 I've even read a variation where they're alien mechs in the past so... a lot of versions in my head.
The take of choosing to read it more as a story is something I'm taking away from this book (especially given than I'm reading Clytemenestra right now). Viewing it as a story might help me process the actually book itself rather than trying to figure how it is the same/different than other variations I've read. Especially since books that focuses on more minor characters of myths might have very different takes.
The extra photos makes the video so much more fun 😂 MORE OF THOSE!
Haha thank you 😂 I should do special Mimi-episodes with full on spoilers! I appreciate the feedback though, I'm glad you like the separate videos and the added artwork! I would love to add more of that, when possible! Especially for Greek mythology, there are so many crazy ones. I highly recommend browsing the Galleries on the Wikipedia pages 😅
I know what you mean, I can get hungup on things like that too! But I think especially with mythology, there are always going to be different versions, even within mythology itself! So I say just take everything with a grain of salt and enjoy the story for what it is! 😄 Some might stray too far away though, but I feel like that more of a marketing issue, if something is a "retelling" or "insprired by" etc. I can't wait to start on Clytemnestra, I hope everyone will love it! Including me!
💜
@@ellenmadebookclub LOL! I'd love that but I think most people are #teamnospoilers 😂 I honestly can't wait to see what you're going to add for Clytemnestra. I'm not too far into it due to work but I'm hoping to finish it this week 🥰 How's your reading going? I feel like mine is going through really well even though I had a slow start.
@@itsmimiduongYour comment got thrown in jail again 😂 but I got you! Looking there more often now haha
I’m glad your reading is going well! I’ve only finished The Power so far, I’m so annoyed! Have started on Clytemnestra but only on page 60 or something
@@ellenmadebookclub ALWAYS IN JAIL 😭 Maybe you were onto something.
Suhba and Chelsea finished it so fast!! My work has been too busy to be super into the book until recently but finally made it to the 1/2 mark of the book!! Can't wait to see how you feel about it because I have many feelings on this book towards characters and I think the author does a great job writing them LOL
@@itsmimiduong I’m only on page 100! Liking it so far, but not as hooked as I thought. But probably because of other life things. We keep trucking, there’s no rush 😊 Hopefully I can make some progress this weekend