Author: Stephanie Marie Thornton
Publisher: Berkley Books
Genre: Historical Fiction
Format: Kindle ARC
No. of Pages: 448
Date of Publication: March 28, 2023
My Rating: 4 Stars
DESCRIPTION:
1792. As a child, Mary Wollstonecraft longed to disappear during her father’s violent rages. Instead, she transforms herself into the radical author of the landmark volume A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, in which she dares to propose that women are equal to men. From conservative England to the blood-drenched streets of revolutionary France, Mary refuses to bow to society’s conventions and instead supports herself with her pen until an illicit love affair challenges her every belief about romance and marriage. When she gives birth to a daughter and is stricken with childbed fever, Mary fears it will be her many critics who recount her life’s extraordinary odyssey…
1815. The daughter of infamous political philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft, passionate Mary Shelley learned to read by tracing the letters of her mother’s tombstone. As a young woman, she desperately misses her mother’s guidance, especially following her scandalous elopement with dashing poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Mary struggles to balance an ever-complicated marriage with motherhood while nursing twin hopes that she might write something of her own one day and also discover the truth of her mother’s unconventional life. Mary’s journey will unlock her mother’s secrets, all while leading to her own destiny as the groundbreaking author of Frankenstein.
A riveting and inspiring novel about a firebrand feminist, her visionary daughter, and the many ways their words transformed our world.
MY THOUGHTS:
Mary Wollstonecraft. Mary Shelley. Mother and daughter. Both authors. For Mary Wollstonecraft, her very notable writing was an iconic piece of literature that focused on women’s rights, a ground-breaking piece of literature that pushed the rights of women, especially that we are equal to men. The year was 1792, and sadly Mary W. passed away soon after the birth of her second daughter, Mary Shelley. After her death, her her husband published her memoirs and they were presented in such a way that had a negative impact on the feminist movement in its earliest stages.
Mary S. was forced to grow up without her mother. Always wanting to know more and more about her mother in the legacy that she was certain was connected to her mother, she made several decisions that changed the course of her young life. While at a young age, marriage to a handsome poet, did not set the course for an easy life for Mary S. Nonetheless, she was truly her mothers daughter and before the age of 21, she wrote the volume Frankenstein. Although the name was different, and she was not at first recognized for writing the book, just as her mother wrote something groundbreaking, this was the first science-fiction of its type.
Historical fiction is something that is very important. Although the author took took some literary license with this book, the story of both women was one that was very inspiring and encouraged me to learn even more about both of these powerful women. Both of them had difficult home lives, experiencing trauma that might trigger sensitive people. Although dark at times, the story was one of loss, but also of survival. A book where the work that emanated from these two women can prove to be one that will be uplifting too many readers.
Many thanks to Berkley Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
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