Scan barcode
A review by michellehenriereads
Her Lost Words: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley by Stephanie Marie Thornton
5.0
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Berkley Publishing in exchange for my honest opinion.
Genre: Historical Fiction (with a dose of romance)
Content Warnings: Opens with abuse
Format: Dual POV in two time periods
Sure, I knew who Mary Shelley was, but I didn't know anything about her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, a pioneer of women's rights during the Enlightenment. HER LOST WORDS follows these two women, their transformation, and how their work changed the world. The author, Thornton, makes a good compare and contrast of their lives for us to draw parallels to our day.
I was absolutely fascinated. And ended up loving both timelines.
In addition to feminism and ideal of equality, this story reveals the women's love lives. The tragedies and losses. The hoped for affection. And even the growth of unexpected love. I was quite surprised at how things worked out. Especially with Jane (Mary Shelley's stepmother..)
One of the key elements that makes this book so interesting is that Mary Shelley never knew her mother. Mary Shelley's desire to know her mother better led her decisions in many ways.
Both Marys lived during a time of strict social censure against women expressing their thoughts or being valued outside of motherhood and as a wife. It's curious to see how much has changed and yet, how much we still judge other women for their choices. (And I'm sure I'm as guilty of this as the next person.) But further, society still has expectations for women that are not present for men. The author does a wonderful job of helping the reader to find those parallels as well.
As you read this book, consider monsters. Who are the monsters? What do monsters do? How did Mary's life bring her to write FRANKENSTEIN. This is a book you're going to see in book clubs—I guarantee it.
I felt like the women were friends I could talk to over dinner instead of women from the past. That's something I love about historical fiction.
And author notes are always part of my favorite things about historical fiction. They're a must-read.
Yes! I recommend this book.
Happy reading!
Genre: Historical Fiction (with a dose of romance)
Content Warnings: Opens with abuse
Format: Dual POV in two time periods
Sure, I knew who Mary Shelley was, but I didn't know anything about her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, a pioneer of women's rights during the Enlightenment. HER LOST WORDS follows these two women, their transformation, and how their work changed the world. The author, Thornton, makes a good compare and contrast of their lives for us to draw parallels to our day.
I was absolutely fascinated. And ended up loving both timelines.
In addition to feminism and ideal of equality, this story reveals the women's love lives. The tragedies and losses. The hoped for affection. And even the growth of unexpected love. I was quite surprised at how things worked out. Especially with Jane (Mary Shelley's stepmother..)
One of the key elements that makes this book so interesting is that Mary Shelley never knew her mother. Mary Shelley's desire to know her mother better led her decisions in many ways.
Both Marys lived during a time of strict social censure against women expressing their thoughts or being valued outside of motherhood and as a wife. It's curious to see how much has changed and yet, how much we still judge other women for their choices. (And I'm sure I'm as guilty of this as the next person.) But further, society still has expectations for women that are not present for men. The author does a wonderful job of helping the reader to find those parallels as well.
As you read this book, consider monsters. Who are the monsters? What do monsters do? How did Mary's life bring her to write FRANKENSTEIN. This is a book you're going to see in book clubs—I guarantee it.
I felt like the women were friends I could talk to over dinner instead of women from the past. That's something I love about historical fiction.
And author notes are always part of my favorite things about historical fiction. They're a must-read.
Yes! I recommend this book.
Happy reading!