4.5 stars 
 "And as we swam, or played, or talked, a feeling would come. It was almost like fear, in the way it filled me, rising in my chest. It was almost like tears, in how swiftly it came. But it was neither of those, buoyant where they were heavy, bright where they were dull." 
 I'm not crying, just drowning in my own tears. I tought it wouldn't happen considering that this book is a retelling, and I'm not that huge fan of this genre. And yet since the first chapter I was already hooked, madly in love with a couple that hadn't been born yet. I delighted witnessing Achilles and Patroclus grow up and fall in love, and I suffered with them during the hard times. Suffered a lot. 
 I knew how it would end since I studied the Iliad at school, but while reading I was in a state of complete denial even as I reached the "worst" part of the story. I still hoped that things would turn another way, but I ended up weeping anyway. 
 What I probably enjoyed the most (apart of the adorable and sweet romance between Achilles and Patroclus of course!) was without any doubt the stunning character development. It really left me speechless seeing how Patroclus transformed from a weak, envious and scared boy into a decisive, corageous, skillful and strong man. Even more striking was Achilles' evolution. At the end I was totally in love with him, therefore I was really heartbroken to witness how war and research of glory changed him in worse. But the final blow was seeing what grief did to him. 
 And though I'm aware that the original work is of course different from this retelling, I can't help but thinking that from now on I will look at the Iliad from another point of view. Not just an old, boring story in verses, but something living, almost real. All this thanks to the smooth, delicate Madeline Miller's style that managed to make modern a story belonging to such a far culture and history, giving a face and a voice to the characters and making them impossible not to love.