Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - Cleopatra and Frankenstein

cleopatra and frankenstein, coco mellors

⭐⭐⭐⭐
4/5

what a book to get me out of my reading slump! i haven't read a full length novel in a couple of months, and this one was kind of perfect for the occasion.

cleopatra and frankenstein follows the impulsive marriage between 24-year-old cleo and 43-year-old frank, to, broadly, secure cleo a green card. their marriage (inevitably) has far-reaching consequences, and the novel explores themes such as loss, complex relationships and addiction.

this beautifully vivid portrayal of the new york of the early 2000s makes me feel nostalgic for a time i don't remember, and the central characters lead a glamorous life of art, culture, drink and drugs. i loved how the characters felt painfully real - although the plot, at times, seemed almost unbelievable, readers recognise that they lead a ridiculous life. almost certainly backed up by a hefty trust fund, many of the characters don't seem to be burdened by student loans, paying the rent and bills, and can therefore gallivant around new york city. despite the perhaps unrealistic lack of financial struggles, this places emphasis on the mental and emotional journeys of the characters, which is objectively far more important. the characters are far from simple, and can be perceived to be both protagonists and antagonists, having both a positive and negative impact on each other. i love the unrealistic realism, it gives the novel an ethereal quality.

for me, the most interesting storyline was that of zoe's, the younger sister of frank. she is broke, nineteen years old and navigating a large city. i seemed to identify with her, whether that's because we are similar in age or i deeply sympathise with her and her situation i don't know. i hope she is happy, she deserves the world 🤍

it certainly won't be everyone's cup of tea, and definitely feeds into the 'sad girl' trope (i was delighted with the lana reference, or just delusional). regardless, i ate this the fuck up.

Content Warnings

lucyduller's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I read the reviews of this book immediately after finishing it and became so defensive of the book that I knew it was a 5 star read, that and the endless tears escaping in the last chapter.

I will admit this book isn’t for everyone, it’s a miserable, quite depressing book, with a writing style poetic yet dull, so I understand why people don’t like it, but those are the reasons I loved it.

I agree that during the book I sometimes get lost, but to call it trauma p*rn is ridiculous, I think it’s real and raw and honest. I also found it really funny at parts so to say there is no relief I think is being hyperbolic.

The cast of ensemble characters that we see vignettes of really made me love this book, characters are what I fall in love with in stories, not the plot, and so to have a cast of fleshed out people was so interesting and made for a richer read. Also it really set the scene of a book set in NYC, it made it so much richer.

But at the end of the day, and the book, it’s about Cleo and Frank and 💔 their tragic love is - for me- up there with Marianne and Connell of Normal People, and Em and Dex of One Day. Which is why I cried so much at the end. Two people, so not right for each other but who try and love each other despite all that.

For this to be Coco Mellors’ debut novel made me INSANE, but also the fact that it took 7 years to write makes so much sense to me. Writers, take all the time you need if it means you can write books like these. We don’t need a factory of churned our books (Colleen Hoover, James Patterson, Matt Haig, even *gasp* Emily Henry).

Because books like these make me fall back in love with reading.

Content Warnings

avery_hutchinson's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Even I cannot deny that this is a well written book. The writing itself is beautiful. However, it felt as if the book had little to no plot, and it also felt as if the characters all had so many issues for the sake of having issues

The book is utterly vulgar throughout, and it seems every character is either toxic, irresponsible, cheating, an alcoholic, or constantly on drugs.

Because of those things, the book only really toed the line of feeling realistic and relatable. The ending was bittersweet, but I wasn’t rooting for the characters to get there, especially since they felt like they had only undergone half a character arc. However the author did manage to establish clear voices for each of the characters, though the decision to include the voice of side characters for only a chapter then pushing them back to ensemble was an interesting choice.

Content Warnings