A review by dawnthoma100
Mary or the Birth of Frankenstein by Anne Eekhout

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The concept of this novel and what motivated Mary Shelley to write Frankenstein captivated me. This character had a lot of unusual events to draw from during a trip to Scotland with all of its superstitions, some of which were unsettlingly explicit. Mary and Isabella have a difficult friendship that is hampered by their respective painful pasts as well as a lot of negative (mostly male) influences in their lives at the moment. I'm not sure how much of the timeline in the book is based on actual facts and events from Mary's life, or if it's just made up to explain some of the ideas that went into later drafts of Shelley's "tour de force."

I thought the history at Lord Byron's Geneva estate was interesting and wish it had been expanded more.
Now that I am more aware of this facet of Shelley's life, I thought that this section of the book was somewhat true, if unsettling all in all - their "free" love and entwined connections were difficult to read. Given everything that has transpired with his wife by this point, Percy does not come across as very considerate, loving, or supportive.

This book is dark, unsettling, slow but mesmerising