A review by macbethish
Galatea by Madeline Miller

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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