Reviews with content warning for Body shaming - Galatea

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

Content Warnings

dummehure's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This book is absolutely breathtaking in it's horrifying depiction if misogyny and violence towards women and is a brilliant take on the story of Galatea!!! Would recommend to anyone (but strongly urge to check the trigger warnings first!!)

Content Warnings

lacrimaeignis's review against another edition

Go to review page

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.

Content Warnings

bcheds's review against another edition

Go to review page

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? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

tamara_joy's review against another edition

Go to review page

reflective sad

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

guivx5's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark 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? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Simple, effective, a shockingly impactful subversion of a myth.

That's it, that's the review.

Uh... Ok, I'll say a few more things, although I think the short story is so amazingly effective in being self-explanatory that only an incel would have trouble understanding the point being made here. Galatea's story wasn't a pretty one. I mean, greek myths, am I right? Ovid wrote a masterclass on how to be an incel, and Miller woke up one night and just thought "I'm gonna end that mf whole career".

Sorry, too much twitter.

Anyway, she did exactly that in her good old fashion, and by that I mean writing a gut-wrenching story with such level of precision that only someone with her talent could pull off. From the writing style to the narrative choices, she crafted a new story for someone who was otherwise seen as just a statue. Not only her, but all the other Galateas that live to this day, suffering abuse, in need of help. This is a message to all the Pygmalions on this Earth.

Yeah, we're gonna sink them all down the ocean with a big rock attached to their... Ok, I'll keep this family friendly.

...

You know how we always ugly cry at the end of every Madeline Miller's book? This one makes you anger sob, you know what I mean? Like crying while being so mad you could ki... Nevermind, I don't have money to pay the legal fees this line would require me to pay if I said it.

Content Warnings

courtharman's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark sad 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? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

cviii's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional inspiring sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

More...