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ciaramcd's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
5.0
arachan's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
slow-paced
4.75
This is a heavy read, literally (at 550 pages) and metaphorically. I knew the basic biography for Mary Shelly and I knew her mother was the famous feminist figure Mary Wollstonecraft. I knew that Wollstonecraft had died of 'childbed fever' but I did not have any real understanding of just how revolutionary Wollstonecraft's work (and life) actually were.
This work is very in-depth and it is emotionally heavy. The recurring theme in both Marys' lives is the failing of the men who claimed to love and admire them.
This work is very in-depth and it is emotionally heavy. The recurring theme in both Marys' lives is the failing of the men who claimed to love and admire them.
saige_creature's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
I was already inspired by Mary Shelley so learning of her mother was greater inspiration than I knew I could have. An incredibly crafted bio that makes you feel like you’re watching a historical drama!
I love how detailed each chapter is on the world’s state. It shows us how the world around them effects them and gives a clear picture of where they are. Some of these details go on a bit, but I am still grateful to learn so much!
I love how detailed each chapter is on the world’s state. It shows us how the world around them effects them and gives a clear picture of where they are. Some of these details go on a bit, but I am still grateful to learn so much!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Suicide attempt
book_soulsbee's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.75
annamickreads's review against another edition
5.0
The way this biography is deftly constructed is honestly its best feature — a dual tale of Mary Wollstonecraft and her equally impressive daughter, Mary Shelley, the biography highlights the way the lives of mother and daughter parallel even though they barely knew one another. Each chapter goes back-and-forth between the two Mary's, charting the different directions of their lives and pointing out where they overlap.
Despite the knowledge that both women contributed extraordinarily to not only literature but women's rights, there aren't many people as ambitious as author Charlotte Gordon to fully document the intensity of either women's lives. As firm rebels against society's standards at the time, both mother and daughter had extramarital affairs, children out of wedlock, and encounters with some of history's equally famous rebellious spirits such as Thomas Paine and Aaron Burr.
Although the sheer size of this dual biography might seem intimidating, don't let it fool you; Gordon's engaging writing style and the alternation between mother and daughter keeps the reader constantly engaged. You would never expect that women who are lauded as literary greats would be, frankly, so human as they are depicted in these pages.
Also fuck Lord Byron lol
Despite the knowledge that both women contributed extraordinarily to not only literature but women's rights, there aren't many people as ambitious as author Charlotte Gordon to fully document the intensity of either women's lives. As firm rebels against society's standards at the time, both mother and daughter had extramarital affairs, children out of wedlock, and encounters with some of history's equally famous rebellious spirits such as Thomas Paine and Aaron Burr.
Although the sheer size of this dual biography might seem intimidating, don't let it fool you; Gordon's engaging writing style and the alternation between mother and daughter keeps the reader constantly engaged. You would never expect that women who are lauded as literary greats would be, frankly, so human as they are depicted in these pages.
Also fuck Lord Byron lol
laz_'s review against another edition
4.0
wow okay so this was incredible!! the alternate storytelling of both mary wollstonecraft and mary shelley’s lives was so so SO fascinating and both of them kept me equally as invested and interested bc wow what women!!!! every person from this era of history in these circles seemed to have some crazy story behind them and it was brilliant. the little tidbits that show you just how human they were and also just how ridiculously brilliant is probably my favorite part. this really made me want to read more of their work!!
ashkitty93's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
4.5
While I appreciate the compare/contrast element of this dual biography, I have to wonder if it wouldn’t have worked better as a 2-book set - not in the least thanks to both mother and daughter being named Mary, so if I zoned out at all I was in danger of forgetting which of them I was following along with. Coupled with the choice to only use a single narrator on the audiobook makes it just about as confusing as it could be. All that aside, the final chapter pulled a lot of threads together; this was an excellent book and a solid look at both women. I’m making a point to read Wollstonecraft’s actual writings sooner rather than later.
I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that even as late as the 1980s, scholars still weren’t keen on viewing Mary Shelley through the lens of her own work and merit and rather preferred to describe her first as PBS’s wife, then the daughter of Godwin and Wollstonecraft, and finally to discuss Frankenstein as more of an afterthought. How lucky are we to live in a world where she is recognized and lauded for being her own person.
I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that even as late as the 1980s, scholars still weren’t keen on viewing Mary Shelley through the lens of her own work and merit and rather preferred to describe her first as PBS’s wife, then the daughter of Godwin and Wollstonecraft, and finally to discuss Frankenstein as more of an afterthought. How lucky are we to live in a world where she is recognized and lauded for being her own person.
Charlotte Gordon’s writing was quite accessible and compelling. Nicely read by Susan Lyons.
nelda's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
An extraordinary dual biography. I learned so much from this book. Excellent.