Galatea: The instant Sunday Times bestseller
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About this ebook
**Featuring a new afterword by Madeline Miller**
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...
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Praise for CIRCE
'A thrilling tour de force of imagination' Mail on Sunday
'A bold and subversive retelling' New York Times
'A novel to be gobbled greedily in one sitting' Observer
'A remarkable achievement' Sunday Times
Madeline Miller
Madeline Miller is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of two novels: The Song of Achilles, which won the Orange Women’s Prize for Fiction 2012, and Circe, which was short-listed for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2019. Her books have been translated into over thirty two languages. Miller holds an MA in Classics from Brown University, studied in the Dramaturgy department at Yale School of Drama, where she focused on the adaptation of classical texts to modern forms, and taught Latin, Greek, and Shakespeare to high school students for over a decade.
Read more from Madeline Miller
Watership Down: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Galatea: A Short Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for Galatea
506 ratings14 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Excellent short-story retelling of the ancient myth where the goddess Aphrodite answered sculptor Pygmalion's prayers that his perfect woman statue Galatea be brought to life. But just like Liza Doolittle in the modern day retellings in George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion" or Lerner & Loewe's "My Fair Lady", what if the statue could talk and give its version of the story? You may have overlooked this, as I did, between the publications of Madeline Miller's two stunning modern novelization retellings of Achilles and Circe, but don't miss it now!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I enjoyed this short story, which allowed us to get inside the mind of someone who feels trapped and hopeless but still manages to fight in the end. I also enjoyed the comments from the author at the end of the book, as they gave me further insight into how this story came to be and what it stands for. Recommended for those who enjoy greek myths retellings (and short stories!)
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Well this was a pleasant surprise. I discovered this novella while browsing the “new additions” bookshelf at my library. When I saw it was written by the Queen of retold mythological stories, I had to grab it.I was not disappointed.Ms Miller retells the story, for a new generation, of a Pygmalion type man who has sculpted a most beautiful statue which was brought to life by a goddess. The sculptor hides the woman away and keeps her in solitude for his own pleasure. In due time, this stone come to life, needs her independence and only she can come to the aid of her daughter who is in harms way.Short, succinct and perfectly written.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The examination of the meaning of art from the art's perspective was a fascinating read. When beauty is all that matters for your worth, when your value is determined solely on what others are willing to pay to preserve you, would you fight for more, run, or work to destroy your artist? While there is much to delve into regarding the beauty standards for women in our world, I am also interested in what this story means for the relationship between creator and creation.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wow okay! this was such a short yet powerful story!! Check out trigger warnings
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I wish this was longer or part of a short story collection! I would have probably rated it higher had it been a little more fleshed out or part of a collection - but alas - I will take my Madeline Miller where I can get it. Galatea reimagines the myth of Galatea and Pygmalion. A sculptor creates the most beautiful woman and wishes she were alive. When she awakens she is immediately impregnated finds out that life is not meant for her. It is all controlled by the sculptor. She is locked away and kept in constant supervision by doctors and nurses who drug her. But she knows what she wants and that is her daughter. She may have been made of stone - but her heart beats for one thing only and that is her daughter.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Nothing less of course, from Madeline Miller. Absolutely loved the tale it tells, albeit short, Galatea's personality shone clear and true.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5An incredibly short retelling of an ancient myth. This one was interesting, but ironically, it left me feeling cold. A sculptor brings his creation to life and falls in love with her. Romantic on the surface, but in this retelling he is abusive and controlling. I love her other work, but I felt like this one wasn’t strong enough to be published as a standalone book.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/54.5/5 (the writing style was immaculate, it was heartbreakingly sad and i just wanted more).
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How can Madeline Miler write this barely 30 pages story so unique and haunting simultaneously?
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An Amazon single, Galatea is a longish short story, not a novel, written prior to the publication of Miller's two wonderful books, Song of Achilles and Circe. It tells the story of Pygmalion, but from the viewpoint of his statue-wife. Pygmalion had prayed that his most beautiful statue would come to life and be his alone, but once his wish comes true, he is dismayed to find that his beloved is now a lively, intelligent, sociable human being, not merely a work of art. Obsession and jealousy rage, and he locks Galatea in a hospital and puts her under the constant supervision of doctors and nurses. But she is determined to do whatever it takes to ensure that her daughter has the freedom that she has been denied.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Read as part of a Scribd evaluation. Spooky and interesting, but just a little on the short side.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Galatea by Madeline Miller
This is actually a short story but it’s available as a digital “book,” so I’m including a review.
Like Miller’s The Song of Achilles, this story retells an ancient story. Here, she takes on the Pygmalion myth and tells it from the statue’s point of view.
What a fascinating study. The statue, brought to life by her maker’s prayers, has feelings and needs of her own. The sculptor doesn’t honor anything but his own desires, and they are lustful to the point of repulsion.
When she discovers that he has carved another statue of a young girl, she recognizes the girl as her daughter…and knows the fate that awaits the girl in the sculptor’s bedchamber. Her final sacrifice saves the girl from life while providing her with the release she so desperately wants from her semi-human life. - Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5This is really, really short. I know that's the idea of Kindle Singles, but I think this just guaranteed I won't buy another of those. Twenty pages for £1.50? Are you serious?It's not a bad little story, though it brings parallels to Angela Carter and so on to mind. It's nothing particularly groundbreaking, in that regard: it gives a woman from mythology a voice and a will of her own. Madeline Miller's writing is nice enough, though it didn't stand out, here.