Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

Galatea by Madeline Miller

107 reviews

luminifera's review against another edition

dark inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Ideally, Galatea would

not have died at the end

, but I'll take what I have hahah

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Abortion, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Rape, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Misogyny, Grief, Infertility, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence

It's a very dark book. Galatea describes her sufferings with much detail.

macbethish's review against another edition

dark 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? No

3.25

maybe i’m not giving it enough credit since it’s a short story with a limited setting and characters and i’m expecting more, but i’ve read short stories that accomplished just as much with this  length and scope.

everything felt a bit too on the nose and modern. we see galatea being submissive and a victim of abuse without anything else (new?) attached to it. contemporary morals applied to ancient stories with little nuance.

[miranda priestley voice] husbands who cage and rape and mentally abuse their wives are evil, women should be free and independent themes in an ancient story released in the 21st century? groundbreaking.

i’ve seen / heard more nuance in a 5 minute taylor swift song, which considerably has less words.

madeline miller’s prose is very beautiful as always, and it’s partly why i’m willing to reread, apart from wanting to see if there’s anything else to this. i’m excited for her persephone book but after galatea (and seeing some remnants of what i disliked while reading circe despite liking it overall in retrospect),  i’m also a bit fearful.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Rape, Domestic abuse, and Torture

Moderate: Abortion

cassandra_burleson's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring sad fast-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny

Moderate: Abandonment

Minor: Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Excrement, Pregnancy, Abortion, Child abuse, Rape, Sexism, Violence, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

kayteslibrary's review against another edition

fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Abortion and Misogyny

bnelson13's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing sad fast-paced

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

5.0

Cute short story. The character of Galatea is interesting. It's not a Greek myth that I am familiar with, so it's nice to read a "new" (new to me) one.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Bullying, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Medical trauma, Murder, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Abortion, Rape, Physical abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, and Violence

bronzeageholly's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Rape, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Body shaming

Minor: Murder

risten's review against another edition

emotional sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Death, Sexual assault, Sexism, Rape, and Emotional abuse

brittishrcoming's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, and Sexual assault

thebookbin's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

 This book review was delayed in solidarity with the HarperCollins Union Strike. 

This short little story is a gut-punch to the face. Please be wary of any triggers you may have before picking up this book or even continuing this review. We all know and trust Miller's interpretations of history and myth from her fantastic work on both Circe and The Song of Achilles. 

Galatea is no exception. The fact that so much research had to be dedicated just to finding out the name 'Galatea' in the story of Pygmalion is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the brutal misogyny of this book. 

Miller gives Galatea life, and illuminates the dark corners that stories like this pose. The idea of a man giving life to a statue seems fine on the surface, but when you take into the account Galatea's loss of agency, and Pygmalion's disgust with female identity, empowerment, and sexuality--the sweet  story of love becomes a tale of horror, and that's what this is. 

While I love Galatea's quiet snark, and I acknowledge that many women would find empowerment in Galatea's demise, but to me it was hollow and painful. Yes, she got to die on her own terms, but it was still unsatisfying. The entire short story I was feeling how I felt when my dad doesn't take me seriously, or my grandparents cherish their male grandchildren and ignore my sister and I. The dismissal of working in a female-dominated field. The rage, pain, and shame of a sexual assault. Her return to stone felt like a kick when you're already down. 

It's hard to explain, but I don't want every feminist story to end in painful tragedy. It's not that I want to pretend that pain and tragedy never existed, especially for women, because I believe we all intimately know that would be a lie. But at the same time the message that women can only ever find solace in death is one that I deny with my whole heart. It gives Kate Chopin The Awakening vibes and while I acknowledge and respect this era in feminist history, I, personally am ready to move past it and embrace and cherish and love all that makes me a woman. 

3/5 complicated feminist retelling stars 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Suicide, Abortion, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Forced institutionalization, and Physical abuse

Minor: Pedophilia

eleanorrae's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Abandonment, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, and Forced institutionalization