Circe
Madeline Miller
The witch of the Odyssey, daughter of a Titan, tells her own long story, from exile on an island onward, in the same author's voice.
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Books like The Song of Achilles
The Song of Achilles retells the Trojan War through Patroclus and his bond with Achilles, in lyrical prose. These six books return to Greek myth, each one centered on women from the old stories.
Books to read next
The Silence of the Girls
Pat Barker
A woman taken captive when her city falls tells the Trojan War from the Greek camp, in an unsparing book that deals with slavery and sexual violence.
Ariadne
Jennifer Saint
Crete's princess, half-sister of the Minotaur, narrates the old story alongside her sister Phaedra.
A Thousand Ships
Natalie Haynes
The Trojan War through many voices, Trojan and Greek women and goddesses alike, framed by a muse telling the tale.
The Penelopiad
Margaret Atwood
Odysseus's wife looks back on her life from the underworld, with dry humor and a chorus of her maids, in a short novella.
Lavinia
Ursula K. Le Guin
A minor figure in Virgil's Aeneid narrates her own life as the Trojans arrive in Italy, in a reflective, slower book.
How to choose
The Song of Achilles is both a myth retelling and a love story, so decide which you want more of. For the same author and a more solitary mood, read Circe. For the Trojan War itself, The Silence of the Girls is grittier and A Thousand Ships is wider, with many narrators. Ariadne and The Penelopiad bring other myths into view, and The Penelopiad is a short novella with dry humor. Lavinia is the most reflective, a good fit if you liked the quieter moments. You do not need to know Homer or Virgil, though a little background adds to the enjoyment. Several of these deal with war and cruelty, and The Silence of the Girls includes sexual violence.
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