Galatea

ByMadeline Miller

Release Date: 2013-08-13
Genre: Fairy Tales, Myths & Fables

Score: 4

From 247 Ratings

Description

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, Galatea is expected to be obedience and humility personified, but it is not long before she learns to use her beauty as a form of manipulation. 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...

Pygmalion's story has moved millions through the centuries, inspiring George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, and later the beloved musical My Fair Lady. Ecco is proud to publish Orange Prize-winning author Madeline Miller’s E-book original short story Galatea which will appear in the forthcoming anthology xo Orpheus: Fifty New Myths to be published in October. This retelling of the Pygmalion myth from the statue’s perspective is a tale that will make readers rethink how they relate to the great myths of our time.

Reviews

Powerful
4
By UndeadAki
It’s great to see/read something that empowers a woman’s freedom of choice and their right to enforce it. Truly moving as it shows how most stories cater to a more misogynistic narrative.
Short and Sweet
5
By Kuria Lee
I think that the book was beautifully told. I enjoyed reading it and the ending was one of my favorites. I only wish that we were there to see her awaken instead of being dropped right at the end. Beautiful read nevertheless.
Amazing short story
5
By ZainabK
As always with Millers stories , has me wanting more !
Don’t buy this for $8.99…
2
By Tropical Storm Cindy
It is interesting read but not sure why this is so expensive. I read it in 30 minutes.
Not even a short story
1
By 😋😁🤪😸😺👅🦋
So much potential, yet so undeveloped, is it even a short story? Not at all worth the money due to length and complete lack of... well, everything! I am not sure what I just read but it was awfully disappointing. I regret a purchase based on how wonderful the authors other books are. I agree, feel cheated. Read the free sample and don’t pay for the handful of pages that follow.
Galatea
1
By xangelaxus
$3.99 for a short story. The description of this “novel” is misleading! I would have never paid $3.99 for something that took me 15 minutes to read.
75 pages?
1
By Jessmoment
She's a fantastic writer but this was a short story, not a novel and the description States 1000 pages not 75!
Too short for the cost
1
By R Garner
I spent $4 for a 27-page short story. I feel cheated.
Review: Galatea, by Madeline Miller
4
By Robert Zimmermann
I’m not familiar with the mythology surrounding Galatea, but I am familiar with Madeline Miller’s writing. I knew from reading The Song of Achilles that Miller’s writing alone would be enough to make this story worth reading.

Because, as I said, I don’t know much about the myth that’s being re-imagined, I can’t comment too much on the liberties the author took. What I can comment on is that Miller’s writing drew me in from the beginning. It’s such a well-written and intriguing story to dive into. The narration by Galatea really made this what it is. We get information from her at just the right pace and the right time, letting the situation she’s living in unfold around us. She’s a woman carved from stone, and turned into a real woman. She’s a mother longing to see her daughter again. And a wife with a controlling and demanding husband…a husband who created her for his pleasure.

I won’t get into the plot more than that, or the different characters. I think I enjoyed going into this story not knowing that much.

Even though it was only a short story, it’s made me want to read more from Miller, the way I felt after reading The Song of Achilles last year. I’m hoping there’s more out there to discover, soon. There’s something enchanting about the reading experience.