Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Galatea by Madeline Miller

147 reviews

gisl's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

Very dark and pretty depressing. Institutionalized woman who has spent every single moment of her life since she came to life being sexually abused and objectified (some sort of irony there, where she’s more objectified when alive than when she was a statue, idk). She is also medically abused, physically abused, and kept locked up in a dark room away from her child, where she’s forced (by threat or by sedation) to lay in bed until her husband comes to rape her. It has a bittersweet ending, but overall was very very short and left far too many questions unanswered and the world as a whole felt vague and undefined. That might be the point, since the main character wasn’t allowed to explore and nobody spoke to her to explain things or just chat. Still, I hoped for something a bit more substantial; This almost felt like just trauma porn.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, and Medical trauma

Minor: Abortion

morbidgoogle's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

An enjoyable retelling, nothing geound-breakingly new but a fun and relatable characterisation of Galatea (the statue)with a satisfying ending.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, and Murder

wintrowvestrit's review against another edition

dark reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

This short story by Madeline Miller feels right at home in her bibliography. Sadly it lacks the immersive depth that's characteristic of Miller, which is to be expected from the chosen format. I liked the portrayal of the "ancient incel", but wish there was more nuance to be found within the work. Again, a product of the format.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Body shaming, Miscarriage, and Rape

Minor: Pedophilia, Slavery, and Pregnancy

thestarlesscasea's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Abortion, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Pedophilia

giulidrago's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

"Non aveva davvero alcuna possibilità. Non era altro che carne."

La brevità e il suo essere una storia sospesa nel vuoto non ha scalfito affatto la potenza emotiva di questo retelling moderno del mito di Pigmalione e di Galatea, e la penna di Madeline Miller si riconferma ricca di sensibilità e molto abile nel sviscerare le emozioni umane.
A differenza di altri autori che basano la propria conoscenza del mito greco e romano su Percy Jackson, l'autrice ha studiato e approfondito con cura la materia originale, ed è in grado di rimodellarla con intelligenza, raffinatezza e rispetto, senza gareggiare con essa. Un esempio su tutti: se nel mito originale Galatea non aveva un nome e le è stato assegnato successivamente, in questo racconto è Pigmalione a rimanere innominato. 
Un plauso speciale alle meravigliose illustrazioni di Ambra Garlaschelli, che impreziosiscono oltre misura l'edizione e amplificano le emozioni della storia. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Forced institutionalization

ugglana's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad 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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Abortion

abicaro17's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring fast-paced

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

4.0

This is the story of Galatea, the greek myth of the statue turned woman. Miller does a fantastic job of making this story seem to transcend time while making it relevant to women across time. In Millers version, Galatea has been institutionalized and taken away from her daughter. As she is sedated, raped, and talked down on, she plots her escape. Galatea is a man made woman that isn't even good enough for the man who made her. This is a poignant tale of misogyny and female rage. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

crabadelic's review against another edition

emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Sexual violence and Sexual harassment

matmatmatty's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

This story builds on the story of Pygmalion - in short, a sculptor sculpts the perfect woman out of stone and falls in love with her, and hearing his pleas, she is turned into a human by Venus and they get married etc.

This story follows what happens next and Miller has done a good job dissecting what is quite a sexist story into a short story about the woman in the centre of the story.

I really liked how some of the issues where addressed, and really felt for Galatea, despite the length of the story.

I do feel like more could have been said and the story could have been longer but as it is, I enjoyed it.

If you enjoyed Miller's previous work, check this one out!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Misogyny

Moderate: Body shaming, Suicide, and Pregnancy

shaun_dh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

4.5

Madeline Miller could write an IT manual and I would read it. She could make a grocery list poetry

Like any great short fiction, this quickly riled me up then left me deeply satisfied—the ultimate “good for her” ending. I don’t believe you need to have read or know anything about Pygmalion to appreciate this. But knowing the premise of the Pygmalion myth, and the fact that Miller names Galatea and leaves Pygmalion unnamed (a reversal of the original story) makes this short retelling even better. This one’s certainly for the girls

I also loved Miller’s author’s note at the end. The last paragraph? POETRY I TELL YOU

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, and Murder

Minor: Fatphobia, Medical content, Grief, and Pregnancy