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A review by ciarazard
Galatea by Madeline Miller
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
"The thing is, I don’t think my husband expected me to be able to talk. I don’t blame him for this exactly, since he had known me only as a statue, pure and beautiful and yielding to his art. Naturally, when he wished me to live, that’s what he wanted still, only warm so that he might fuck me."
Ovid's version tells of a happy ending, but Miller's Galatea explored the aftermath: what happens behind closed doors when a man as self-righteous and obsessive as Pygmalion sculpts himself the "perfect wife" that comes alive? The concept was promising for sure, and I appreciated the fact that it had a lot of underlying themes packed into a 60-page read: i.e. the objectification of women and domestic abuse. However, I did find it underwhelming and it did not leave a lasting impression on me. It was just okay, nothing to write home about.
Ovid's version tells of a happy ending, but Miller's Galatea explored the aftermath: what happens behind closed doors when a man as self-righteous and obsessive as Pygmalion sculpts himself the "perfect wife" that comes alive? The concept was promising for sure, and I appreciated the fact that it had a lot of underlying themes packed into a 60-page read: i.e. the objectification of women and domestic abuse. However, I did find it underwhelming and it did not leave a lasting impression on me. It was just okay, nothing to write home about.