Reviews tagging 'Cursing'

Galatea by Madeline Miller

30 reviews

lacrimaeignis's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

The story of Galatea and Pygmalion is one that has always been a source of controversy for many. Madeline Miller's version tells the story from Galatea's perspective and allows Galatea to have a hand in her own destiny rather than being forced to abide by Pygmalion's desires. It would have been interesting to see how things would have played out in a full novel version of the story but the short definitely covers everything it needed to. With it being a short story, it echoes the tradition of many mythological sources especially Ovid's Metamorphoses which Miller was inspired by for this retelling.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Confinement, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, and Suicide

nickbreniuc's review against another edition

emotional fast-paced

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

4.0

The myth of Galatea has inspired many romantic films and literatues. What Madeline Miller does with this short novel, is perfectly showcase how disgustingly misogynistic it actually is, and is nothing romantic about it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny

Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Fatphobia, and Forced institutionalization

kaitlyng's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Murder, Sexual content, Suicide, Pregnancy, and Cursing

Minor: Domestic abuse and Medical content

Themes of sex and pregnancy, and forced hospitalisation. Frequent cursing and

dying&killing to protect those you love

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em_davies7019's review against another edition

dark reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Suicide, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Domestic abuse, Rape, Emotional abuse, and Abortion

Moderate: Abandonment, Pedophilia, Gaslighting, Cursing, Violence, and Medical content

thesawyerbean's review against another edition

emotional sad fast-paced

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

2.5

This was an interesting short story with a poignant message about misogyny and patriarchal ‘ownership’ within the scope of Greek myth. 

I did however think the voice was strange and alien to the context - it read more like a contemporary than a myth retelling, which isn’t necessarily a problem but made it read rather weirdly. 

The afterword in this edition was amazing for explaining how Madeline Miller came about writing this adaptation and the discourse she intended to portray.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexism, Abortion, Medical content, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Body shaming, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Cursing, and Sexual content

moogle_exe's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

I wish the story was longer, I could not get enough of the characters and the story! An insightful outlook on incel males and the perverse artistic pursuit for perfection. It was a twisted story of possession and freedom, with a very strong willed female lead. A must read for lovers of Miller’s other works. A short story you can eat through in one sitting, but will stay memorable for the rest of your life. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Abortion, Confinement, Sexism, and Sexual content

belladonnashrike's review against another edition

dark hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

god I wish this was a whole book, such a stunning short story 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Abortion, Death, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Body shaming and Cursing

laurendenton's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.5

The short story Galatea is mediocre at best, a quippy feminist piece that seems as though it was written by anyone but Madeline Miller. On it's own, I would probably give it a 3-star rating. It was okay. It kept me entertained for about half an hour and sucked me in, sure, but the story itself lacked depth. The extra 0.5 stars comes from the Afterword by Miller included at the end, which details the history of Galatea's story and the ways in which she had shaped the character into a more straight-forward and feminist individual. I personally found this section of the book the most intriguing - seeing the way that Madeline Miller was able to take a sparse and misogynistic story about women and their relationship to male desire, and crafted her into a badass heroine who risks it all to grant her daughter freedom. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, and Misogyny

Moderate: Death, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Suicide, Abortion, Cursing, and Death of parent

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

4.0

This was a great short story. I think I would have wanted it to be slightly longer but Madeline Miller has always had such a captivating and descriptive writing style. I could read her shopping list. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Sexism, Violence, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Gaslighting, and Death

hiddeninfantasy's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Abortion, and Misogyny