Reviews with content warning for Murder - Galatea

This is a retelling of the myth of Pygmalion. This myth is included in Edith Hamilton’s Mythology, which I am gradually making my way through in a piecemeal fashion. I read Miller’s story before Hamilton’s, and wrongly assumed—because Hamilton places it in a section called ‘Eight Brief Tales of Lovers’—that it was a romance/love story. Miller’s Galatea is basically about misogyny and abuse. There is no love, except that between Galatea and her daughter. I would not consider this a particularly pleasurable reading experience, but it was written well.

After finishing Miller’s short story, I read Hamilton’s version in Mythology and couldn’t help making some comparisons. In both stories, Pygmalion is a misogynist. Hamilton’s first sentences are (the italicized part is Hamilton quoting Ovid):

A gifted young sculptor of Cyprus, named Pygmalion, was a woman-hater. Detesting the faults beyond measure which nature has given to women, he resolved never to marry.

Hamilton’s story gives Pygmalion sort of a redemption arc, and it ends on an ambiguous, yet somewhat happy note:

With unutterable gratitude and joy he put his arms around his love and saw her smile into his eyes. Venus herself graced their marriage with her presence, but what happened after that we do not know…

It seems that Miller set out to tell the story of “what happened after” and in her version their marriage is not a happy one. The ending is bittersweet.

Endnotes: Literary fiction, mythology, 1st-person single POV, short story (6k words), ebook borrowed from Hoopla

Further Reading: The Pygmalion myth comes from The Metamorphoses of Ovid

Content Warnings

rtaire's review against another edition

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challenging dark medium-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

4.0

Again, I love Madeline Miller's prose; it always captivates me. I liked this dark, feminist interpretation of the Galatea and Pygmalion myth. In some ways, it answers some unpleasant questions that always lingered in the back of my head when I heard the story of a man creating what he perceived to be the perfect woman and said woman coming to life -- like what of her agency and will? Quick read, that I highly recommend if you are in a place to handle the insidious implications that Miller explores.

Content Warnings

slowly_dying_inside's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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emilypete17's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

Super quick to read but the content was such an interesting and important commentary on feminism and female autonomy. The recentering of a woman in a classic myth that originally sidelined and disregarded her feels so relevant to our world today and the aspect of female rage was done exceptionally well. I will literally read anything Madeline Miller writes

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cpilar's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

A harrowing and beautiful short story from one of my favorite authors. Miller’s ability to make whole a character who has been denied agency is impeccable.

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