Reviews with content warning for Body shaming - Galatea

Review can also be found at Snow White Hates Apples.

After reading and loving both The Song of Achilles and Circe , I'm sad that Galatea won't be joining the same ranks as them.

The premise and themes are interesting, and I appreciated the moments of sardonic humor. But, unfortunately, the story is very underwhelming and underwritten—a complete 180 from the brilliance that shines in the author's two novels. From Galatea , I had expected more nuances, more depth (outside of her sinking herself and her sculptor), though of course, not to the level of what her novels have. This is a short story, after all, and there's only so much one can do in a short story. Still, the nuances and depth did not appear, leaving me feeling unsatisfied by how shallow everything turned out.

Honestly, I feel that had there been a few more pages, a few more moments to make the Galatea more complex and human instead of a vessel to move a story forward mainly to deliver across points regarding the themes explored, maybe Galatea would've been as powerful as The Song of Achilles and Circe.

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thesawyerbean's review against another edition

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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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bookedbymadeline's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

4.5

An enjoyable short story from Miller! I love her writing and she’s an auto buy author for me.

I went into the story blindly, not knowing the myth that inspired it. At first it was slightly confusing but overall I loved the way Miller told this story. Even with just 49 pages, she managed to capture me and create a whole world separate from her other works. As always her writing style is well done and beautifully showcased.

If you enjoy myth retellings and short stories, I’d recommend Galatea! Also even though it’s a short read, there’s still quite a few triggers so be careful going into this one.

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jazzyiz87's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring medium-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

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sarahna's review against another edition

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emotional 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

4.0

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maublew's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

4.0

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belladonnashrike's review against another edition

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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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abookwithtea's review against another edition

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emotional fast-paced

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

4.0

“Tutti mi guardavano, perché ero la donna più bella della città. Non lo dico per vantarmi, perché non c’è nulla di cui vantarsi. Non era niente che avessi fatto io.”

Galatea è la rivisitazione in chiave moderna del mito greco dove la statua della donna prese vita per assecondare il desiderio di Pigmalione, il suo scultore. Lui vorrebbe da lei solo la cieca obbedienza ma questo controllo porterà solo alla disperata ricerca della libertà.

La prima cosa che salta all’occhio sono le fantastiche illustrazioni di Ambra Garlaschelli. Riescono a trasmettere lo stesso senso di reclusione che sicuramente prova Galatea e la scelta di colori è azzeccatissima.
Per quanto riguarda la narrazione, mi ha lasciata un po’ spiazzata. Ho sentito parlare molto bene di Madeline Miller (di cui ho in TBR La canzone di Achille) ma è la prima sua opera che leggo: non sono rimasta delusa ma le aspettative erano troppo alte per ciò che mi ha lasciato questo libro.
Ammetto di non conoscere il mito su cui si basa e sicuramente andrò a leggerlo ma questa sua rivisitazione non mi ha convinta del tutto, lasciando alcune delle mie domande senza risposta.

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