Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Galatea by Madeline Miller

109 reviews

reads2cope's review against another edition

5.0

A horror story. That is usually not my genre, but like Miller’s other work, this story completely gripped me. 
Though I know she wrote it before getting Long COVID, I couldn’t help but connect the rage and despair of Galatea begging the doctor to believe her with the millions having the same fight today. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Body horror, Medical content, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Death, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, and Abandonment

rebekah_leigh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Sexual violence, and Misogyny

Moderate: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Physical abuse, and Medical content

Minor: Abortion

place6o_ffct's review against another edition

dark reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Murder, Death, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Confinement, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Suicide, Body shaming, and Gaslighting

mirandahems's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

sad, very very sad, but beautiful interpretation 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement

Moderate: Sexual assault

carlithian's review against another edition

dark inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Toxic relationship, Rape, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Murder, Misogyny, Suicide, and Sexual violence

thenoboshow's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Medical content, Murder, Abortion, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Misogyny, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Incest, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

el_wheel's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was beautifully written but also so short and sad and I wanted more, especially of the characters and the mother/daughter relationship 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Domestic abuse, and Misogyny

Moderate: Body shaming, Suicide, and Murder

books_and_fairy_lights's review against another edition

reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I quite liked it. Very different from The Song of Achilles but still quite good. This novella is a worthy successor of previous great feminist literature. You can definitely feel the influence of authors such as Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Angela Carter, or Katherine Mansfield. It is similarly heavy and mysterious (in a gothic kind of way) and has very similar themes though with a more modern twist were the woman actually takes her fate back into her own hands. It's an interesting exposition of how men attempt to control women's bodies and it's especially well done here as we only get Galatea's perspective - how she experiences that oppression, how smart and cunning she is, how she reaches freedom and takes revenge.

Would have loved to include this in some essay at uni, which makes me say it's well-written and interesting inany ways.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement

Moderate: Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Abortion

Minor: Domestic abuse and Suicide

tashtasher's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, Murder, Pregnancy, and Abortion

ursa_arlo's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Positives. As far as short stories go, this one is very strong. It is a story of a beautiful woman coming into her own as someone who is more than her beauty; she is curious, daring, intelligent and a loving mother. All of which is spoiled by her abusive husband who would rather see her as an obedient object of lust without thoughts or personality. The ending is devastating: while her last act gives her back her agency and stops her from being an object of lust, it also deprives her of the future she deserves. 

Negatives. This story would have worked better as an addition to a collection or anthology. Ovid's stories are well known for connecting back to a larger theme. If you want to thoroughly critique Ovid's work, creating an anthology with an overarching theme would be the way to go. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Body shaming

Minor: Adult/minor relationship