Galatea: A Short Story
Author: Madeline Miller
Published by: Bloomsbury
Pages: 64
Format: Paperback
My Rating ★★★★
Published by: Bloomsbury
Pages: 64
Format: Paperback
My Rating ★★★★
In Ancient Greece, a skilled marble sculptor has been blessed by a goddess who has given his masterpiece - the most beautiful woman the town has ever seen - the gift of life. Now his wife, he expects Galatea to please him, to be obedience and humility personified. But she has desires of her own and yearns for independence.
In a desperate bid by her obsessive husband to keep her under control, she is locked away under the constant supervision of doctors and nurses. But with a daughter to rescue, she is determined to break free, whatever the cost...
In a desperate bid by her obsessive husband to keep her under control, she is locked away under the constant supervision of doctors and nurses. But with a daughter to rescue, she is determined to break free, whatever the cost...
My thoughts:
Galatea is an undeniably tiny little book, yet it is also a compelling and highly symbolic feminist retelling of an Ancient Greek story.
I’m always impressed by the writing of Madeline Miller. If you aren’t already familiar with her work, her first book, The Song of Achilles, was a powerful and imaginative retelling of The Iliad. Her second novel Circe, cemented her as one of my ‘auto-buy authors.’ I have enjoyed everything Madeline Miller has written so far, and this is no exception.
It is a short story you simply must read. Despite the very short length of just under 50 pages, this pulled me in from start to finish, and I could have easily read a full-length book. It might be brief, but it is powerful.
Galatea is essentially a response to Ovid's story of Pygmalion, but told from the wife's perspective. A short, troubling story of a woman sculpted of stone, who is treated with disdain and cruelty by her creator. I found the interpretation of Galatea’s story interesting, seeing how the transformation from statue to human might (or might not) fit into society. It is both beautiful and extremely sad at the same time.
Galatea is a woman whose husband is a sculptor and who is sculpted by him into the perfect woman. Afterwards, a goddess brings her to life. Galatea's husband keeps her captive, wanting to keep her as she is; to preserve this woman he sees as a possession, a woman who embodies his idea of perfection.
He seeks to control her in every way, body and mind. However, Galatea does not truly belong to him and cannot be contained or fully controlled. The story is an examination of society's idea of a perfect woman and the objectification of women. I also enjoyed reading Miller’s Afterword, which sheds some light on her unique response to Ovid’s version of the Pygmalion myth in the Metamorphoses. I always love when authors include a short afterword in their books; offering just a little more insight into their work.
Honestly, I would’ve loved to see this as a full novel, but as a short glimpse of a retelling it proved to be a very interesting one. Perfect for lovers of Greek mythology and newcomers alike.
Overall reaction:
Galatea is an undeniably tiny little book, yet it is also a compelling and highly symbolic feminist retelling of an Ancient Greek story.
I’m always impressed by the writing of Madeline Miller. If you aren’t already familiar with her work, her first book, The Song of Achilles, was a powerful and imaginative retelling of The Iliad. Her second novel Circe, cemented her as one of my ‘auto-buy authors.’ I have enjoyed everything Madeline Miller has written so far, and this is no exception.
It is a short story you simply must read. Despite the very short length of just under 50 pages, this pulled me in from start to finish, and I could have easily read a full-length book. It might be brief, but it is powerful.
Galatea is essentially a response to Ovid's story of Pygmalion, but told from the wife's perspective. A short, troubling story of a woman sculpted of stone, who is treated with disdain and cruelty by her creator. I found the interpretation of Galatea’s story interesting, seeing how the transformation from statue to human might (or might not) fit into society. It is both beautiful and extremely sad at the same time.
Galatea is a woman whose husband is a sculptor and who is sculpted by him into the perfect woman. Afterwards, a goddess brings her to life. Galatea's husband keeps her captive, wanting to keep her as she is; to preserve this woman he sees as a possession, a woman who embodies his idea of perfection.
He seeks to control her in every way, body and mind. However, Galatea does not truly belong to him and cannot be contained or fully controlled. The story is an examination of society's idea of a perfect woman and the objectification of women. I also enjoyed reading Miller’s Afterword, which sheds some light on her unique response to Ovid’s version of the Pygmalion myth in the Metamorphoses. I always love when authors include a short afterword in their books; offering just a little more insight into their work.
Honestly, I would’ve loved to see this as a full novel, but as a short glimpse of a retelling it proved to be a very interesting one. Perfect for lovers of Greek mythology and newcomers alike.
Overall reaction: