A review by james1star
Galatea by Madeline Miller

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This was my first mythological (re)telling book I’ve read and I know nothing about Greek mythology so despite this I found Galatea very accessible and a very decent read. Miller tells the story of Galatea and Pygmalion from the statue-given-life perspective thus providing a feminist spin that most importantly removes the romanticism from the myth. It’s very short but quite a lot happens, it’s primarily written from Galatea’s bedside with her reminiscing  on past events - she talks of her ‘birth’ and relationship to her husband/creator which is not a good one and her undying love for her daughter Pathos. In doing so, Miller throws up many topics of discussion like male ownership of women and expectations of beauty primarily. Her husband made her to be ‘the most beautiful woman’ and his love led the goddess Aphrodite to give her life but in doing so, a voice as well which is not what he wanted so tries to control Galatea believing her purpose is solely to cater to his wishes. There’s also an irony present because he made her beautiful but doesn’t like when others look upon her, portraying the typical jealous partner trait many man have. Furthermore, he’s blind to her ‘faults’ when using her but considering her afterwards notices the marks of childbirth - something completely natural - that he wishes to chisel away, highlighting the unattainable notion of perfection and beauty placed on women, rejecting anything that could be seen as ‘imperfections’ in her. Accompanying these messages with the vague language in terms of time period really makes Galatea a relevant story. It’s likely still set in the same period as the original myth but there’s a distinctive modern element to it as well that I can’t quite articulate but I feel it. 

The ending is in many ways beautiful yet dark. She is clearing acting with the intention of protecting her daughter portraying a hope for the future to contain less negativity and hurt which is intensely sad given what she does but also shows the power of her love for Pathos and those to come. However, there is also an element of administering justice and retribution in this act and I wholeheartedly loved this. This take is not as explicit as the former but I certainly picked up on this. 

Overall I would totally recommend this book and ate it up in one sitting. Maybe I’d have preferred it be longer but really I have no complaints, Miller portrayed the story well with a great spin and including important messages that remain true in contemporary society. The writing is good but the pacing is excellent, she clearly knows how to execute a good short story. Bring on Circe and Song of Achilleas that I’ll be reading next! 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings