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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Beside the house where the Baxter’s lived is a set of stars that connect the two parts of Baffin Street, they’re nicknamed Frankenstein’s Steps. When I was a teenager they were part of the route between my house and my grandparents. This book is set in my neck of the woods.
I felt like the author got her version of Scotland from watching Braveheart or Outlander, not from its actual history.
She treated the execution of witches like it was something exciting. These were women on the margins of society, falsely accused, tortured and executed by the state. The inclusion of Grissel Jaffray felt distasteful, this was a real woman who did nothing wrong.
Also, in the early 19th century no middle class girl would tell anyone they were related to a woman executed for witchcraft, even if was true. She would not have been seen as exciting, she would have been seen as a cautionary tale.
This book really didn’t understand the Scottish Enlightenment. At the time Scotland had more than twice the number of universities as England. Dundee was a radical city and the Baxter’s were a part of that. Mary was sent there to help with her education.
Also, I’m not well versed in Frankenstein but isn’t it supposed to be science fiction, not fantasy?
I felt like the author got her version of Scotland from watching Braveheart or Outlander, not from its actual history.
She treated the execution of witches like it was something exciting. These were women on the margins of society, falsely accused, tortured and executed by the state. The inclusion of Grissel Jaffray felt distasteful, this was a real woman who did nothing wrong.
Also, in the early 19th century no middle class girl would tell anyone they were related to a woman executed for witchcraft, even if was true. She would not have been seen as exciting, she would have been seen as a cautionary tale.
This book really didn’t understand the Scottish Enlightenment. At the time Scotland had more than twice the number of universities as England. Dundee was a radical city and the Baxter’s were a part of that. Mary was sent there to help with her education.
Also, I’m not well versed in Frankenstein but isn’t it supposed to be science fiction, not fantasy?
First, thank you to NetGalley and HarperVia for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I'd like to start off by saying that gothic literature is a genre that I typically have to read multiple times-- or very carefully-- to enjoy. So I wasn't entirely surprised when it took me a while to finish this book.
Mary & the Birth of Frankenstein is a translated Dutch novel about Mary Shelley, written with a gothic and sapphic twist that blended facts and fiction together. With a promising exposition, I thought that this book would be one of my favourites. Instead, I was left bored, not feeling deeply for any of the characters or their stories. I kept on wishing this book was less gothic and more realistic/historical fiction. I wanted to learn more about Mary Shelley as the author of one of the most well-known pieces of literature and how she got there.
Despite that, I can't argue that this book is well-written, or, I guess, well-translated. Translation is an art of its own, and I know that translated books can often feel off. But this never did. For the most part, the writing was cohesive and did properly tell a story that I wanted to hear.
2.5 stars, rounded up.
I'd like to start off by saying that gothic literature is a genre that I typically have to read multiple times-- or very carefully-- to enjoy. So I wasn't entirely surprised when it took me a while to finish this book.
Mary & the Birth of Frankenstein is a translated Dutch novel about Mary Shelley, written with a gothic and sapphic twist that blended facts and fiction together. With a promising exposition, I thought that this book would be one of my favourites. Instead, I was left bored, not feeling deeply for any of the characters or their stories. I kept on wishing this book was less gothic and more realistic/historical fiction. I wanted to learn more about Mary Shelley as the author of one of the most well-known pieces of literature and how she got there.
Despite that, I can't argue that this book is well-written, or, I guess, well-translated. Translation is an art of its own, and I know that translated books can often feel off. But this never did. For the most part, the writing was cohesive and did properly tell a story that I wanted to hear.
2.5 stars, rounded up.
"Mary, or the Birth of Frankenstein" by Anne Eekhout, narrated by Anna Burnett, is a seductive gothic historic tale presented in dual timelines.
Eekhout delivers that eerie atmosphere that tells us that something is deeply amiss. It unravels Mary's story of young, sapphic love with Isabella Baxter in Scotland (both grieving: Isabella lost her mother, and Mary lost both mother and first child), a tender, painful journey tinged with tales of mythical beings, real-life monsters, and questions around god, religion and the meaning of life.
I loved how the author delivered an enigmatic narrative as she digs deep into Mary's teenage years, her sexual awakening (through her relationship with Isabella), a vivid encounter with Scottish cultural lore, and the nefarious characters hiding beneath human facades. Simultaneously, it threads the tale of Mary's difficult adult years; her pain of losing a child, her coming to terms with the loss of a mother she had never got to meet, not to mention enduring a fraught open-relationship with Percy. I found it all quite hypnotic.
Mary, Or The Birth Of Frankenstein is a genius blend of love lost, stories woven, and imaginations fuelled by folk tales, crafting the bones for Mary's most iconic work, Frankenstein.
Anna Burnett's narration is seamless, elevating the eerie narrating style, the complex character arcs, and the undulating emotions entrenched in love, loss, and spectral happenings. Burnett’s voice feels so right for the character.
Eekhout manages to paint an intriguing portrait of Mary, a woman who transcends her pain and ghosts to script the book that could only be born from the depths of Mary's psyche.
A huge thank-you to NetGalley and Bolinda audio for this captivating audiobook.
Eekhout delivers that eerie atmosphere that tells us that something is deeply amiss. It unravels Mary's story of young, sapphic love with Isabella Baxter in Scotland (both grieving: Isabella lost her mother, and Mary lost both mother and first child), a tender, painful journey tinged with tales of mythical beings, real-life monsters, and questions around god, religion and the meaning of life.
I loved how the author delivered an enigmatic narrative as she digs deep into Mary's teenage years, her sexual awakening (through her relationship with Isabella), a vivid encounter with Scottish cultural lore, and the nefarious characters hiding beneath human facades. Simultaneously, it threads the tale of Mary's difficult adult years; her pain of losing a child, her coming to terms with the loss of a mother she had never got to meet, not to mention enduring a fraught open-relationship with Percy. I found it all quite hypnotic.
Mary, Or The Birth Of Frankenstein is a genius blend of love lost, stories woven, and imaginations fuelled by folk tales, crafting the bones for Mary's most iconic work, Frankenstein.
Anna Burnett's narration is seamless, elevating the eerie narrating style, the complex character arcs, and the undulating emotions entrenched in love, loss, and spectral happenings. Burnett’s voice feels so right for the character.
Eekhout manages to paint an intriguing portrait of Mary, a woman who transcends her pain and ghosts to script the book that could only be born from the depths of Mary's psyche.
A huge thank-you to NetGalley and Bolinda audio for this captivating audiobook.
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Beautifully written/translated imagining of how Mary Shelley came to write Frankenstein using her letters and diaries as a starting point.
I am finishing up Love and Fury by Samantha Silva, a biographical novel about Mary Wollstonecraft, so this felt like a good companion piece.
I am finishing up Love and Fury by Samantha Silva, a biographical novel about Mary Wollstonecraft, so this felt like a good companion piece.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I love a good historical fiction, and this perspective of a teenaged Mary Godwin/Shelly navigating grief, loss, an exploration of her sexuality, and her tumultuous relationship with Percy was a joy to read. You can see where and how the author imagines Mary found the inspiration for her famous novel, and it ties in to her own personal growth and exploration beautifully. I had a lot of fun with this!
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes