Roar Cat Reads

Tag: boyfriends

  • Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

    Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

    Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. By all rights their paths should never cross, but Achilles takes the shamed prince as his friend, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine their bond blossoms into something deeper – despite the displeasure of Achilles’ mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But then word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus journeys with Achilles to Troy, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.

    Profoundly moving and breathtakingly original, this rendering of the epic Trojan War is a dazzling feat of the imagination, a devastating love story, and an almighty battle between gods and kings, peace and glory, immortal fame and the human heart.

    Goodreads

    Oh wow, I am losing it!  This book made me feel EVERYTHING, and there’s no way this review will be anything coherent.  I guess I know why The Iliad continues to be read millenia after it was created–no one can create a drama like the Greeks!  The tragedy here is SO STRONG, with characters acting so stupidly human that you want to shake them, but you totally see their point, and then everything falls apart because there are no real “good” guys and “bad” guys, only dumb humans seeking glory, and AHHHH!

    Okay, I’ll try again.  Reading The Song of Achilles is like watching Titanic.  I knew what was going to happen, but I couldn’t help but desperately hope things would turn out differently.  Every bit of foreshadowing heightened the horrified anticipation so that when the climax came I was just helplessly awash in emotion.  I mean, I actually thought I was holding it together pretty well, until I read the very last paragraph and surprised myself by bursting into tears.  

    Miller takes one of Western history’s greatest stories and plays up the romance angle, milking two sets of drama for all they’re worth.  She doesn’t have to change anything at all for Achilles and Patroclus to believably be in the most epic romance of all time.  I am a total sucker for friendship turning into romance, so one set in ancient Greece against the backdrop of gods and goddesses, blood oaths and battles – I was a goner.

    The Song of Achilles was amazing and everyone should read it. I want to read it again as soon as I stop jumping up and down to get rid of all the feels crawling around in my heart.

    Rating: 5 out of 5.

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

  • Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

    Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

    A lyrical novel about family and friendship from critically acclaimed author Benjamin Alire Sáenz.

    Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship–the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.

    Goodreads

    SPOILER because I’m annoyed by the book description: By “friendship,” the paragraph above means BOYFRIENDS. This book is queer as hell and so cute.

    This book is lovely.  I read it for the first time in one day, staying up until 2:00 in the morning because I couldn’t sleep until I had the whole thing finished.  This book has everything I love – friendship and the awkwardness of a new romance, families that are deeply scarred but deeply loving, introspective thoughts about growing up and finding yourself.  And the whole thing is told in Saenz’s beautifully simplistic prose.

    I honestly don’t know how to describe how awesome this book is.  Aristotle (Ari) is a loner because he lives too much in his own head, burying himself under pain and doubt and confusion.  Dante is a loner because he is too enthusiastic, too smart and too concerned with beauty and life.  Together they complete each other, in both stupid and meaningful ways.

    I loved the subtle comparisons between Ari and Dante’s relationships and those of their parents.  Seems like quiet melancholy people need outgoing emotional people and vice versa.  Relationship dynamics are so fascinating to me, and it was cool to see three different variations on the same theme of opposites attracting and complementing one another.

    Underlying all the relationships is Ari’s struggle with growing up.  Everything is changing for him, and he doesn’t know how to be himself.  I’m a huge fan of coming-of-age stories, and Ari’s introspective nature makes for a really wonderful look inside an adolescent’s head.

    This book is so fantastic, I wish I could read it again for the first time over and over.

    NOTE: The audiobook is read by Lin-Manuel Miranda, so do yourself a favor and read the hard copy AND listen to the audiobook.

    Rating: 5 out of 5.

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!