A review by _robertaevelyn_
Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley by Charlotte Gordon

5.0

What a fascinating look at Mary Wollstonecraft and her daughter, Mary Shelley! Although these women never met (because Mary senior died in childbirth), the book does a great job showing how their lives both parallel and divert. I loved how the book switches chapters between mother and daughter switched between the two and learning how each woman was so radical for their time, while also struggling with social criticism, independence, mental health issues, their non-monogamous relationships, as well as their writing careers. Both women indeed dealt with so much loss, struggle, and social criticism, and my biggest takeaway is that none of the men in their lives were worthy of them. The men surrounding both Marys were idealistic and selfish! As Emilia so wisely expresses: "O, these men, these men!"