Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Galatea by Madeline Miller

7 reviews

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. 

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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

betweenbooksandkitsch's review against another edition

dark funny inspiring tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Short but oh so sweet 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Rape

ceeeejay's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

A brilliant retelling of an old tale, but it also serves as a critique of the ancient writings that are laden with patriarchal values and misogyny. The story of a woman and her fight to survive and escape her possessive husband. A short and engaging story which manages to make you attached to Galatea within the very brief time we spend with her. Bittersweet and upsetting commentary on the disease of misogyny. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, and Abortion

Minor: Pedophilia

kestrel_of_the_pages's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

An absolutely haunting take on Galatea. Gorgeously violent and vindictive, taught with unease, and cathartically healing for survivors (potentially).

Speaking of: survivors of domestic violence, abuse, and/or sexual assault could have PTSD alarms set off. There were parts that deeply nauseated me, but the end is worth it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, and Grief

luminifera's review against another edition

dark inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Ideally, Galatea would

not have died at the end

, but I'll take what I have hahah

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gore, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

It's a very dark book. Galatea describes her sufferings with much detail.

macbethish's review against another edition

dark 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? No

3.25

maybe i’m not giving it enough credit since it’s a short story with a limited setting and characters and i’m expecting more, but i’ve read short stories that accomplished just as much with this  length and scope.

everything felt a bit too on the nose and modern. we see galatea being submissive and a victim of abuse without anything else (new?) attached to it. contemporary morals applied to ancient stories with little nuance.

[miranda priestley voice] husbands who cage and rape and mentally abuse their wives are evil, women should be free and independent themes in an ancient story released in the 21st century? groundbreaking.

i’ve seen / heard more nuance in a 5 minute taylor swift song, which considerably has less words.

madeline miller’s prose is very beautiful as always, and it’s partly why i’m willing to reread, apart from wanting to see if there’s anything else to this. i’m excited for her persephone book but after galatea (and seeing some remnants of what i disliked while reading circe despite liking it overall in retrospect),  i’m also a bit fearful.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape, Suicide, Torture, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Abortion

the_first_lines's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting