bookbelle5_17's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Review of In Search of Mary Shelley
By: Fiona Sampson
My knowledge of Mary Shelley was limited to knowing her as the author of Frankenstein, but it improved with Booktube and watching Booktuber, Jennifer Brooks’ channel. This biography covers Mary’s childhood to her widowhood after her husband Percy Shelley’s death. She was her father William Godwin’s favorite and he imagined she would be her mother’s daughter. Her father did remarry, but Mary’s stepmother, Mary-Jane, put her own daughter first, which is to be expected. When Mary ran off with Percy, her father disowned her not approving of the elopement, but Mary blamed her stepmother for his reaction. She brings Claire her stepsister to Italy with her and her stepmother goes after them for own daughter’s sake. This biography made me hate Percy and resent how he treated Mary, as well as his previous wife, Harriet. Of course, Mary isn’t innocent, because she took another woman’s husband, though she was led to believe Harriet wasn’t great. Ironically, the last lover we’re read about that Percy had been with before his death spread rumors that Mary was a bad wife. She suffers several miscarriages and had only one surviving child, Percy Florence, but after Percy dies her father in-law tries to take her son from her. Despite her complicated marriage with Percy and being abandoned by their circle of friends, Mary remained strong, and she proved to be a great writer as well as outliving Percy. This is a great deep dive into who Mary Shelley is as a person and what she did for literature.
maurak's review against another edition
3.0
I don’t read a lot of non-fiction and I didn’t know much about Mary Shelley, and I found this very interesting. On the whole it was a good read, some of it was non-chronological in a way that I thought would be good but was actually quite annoying? But very well-written. A good read.
n_nazir's review against another edition
2.0
This was such a disappointing biography. By all accounts, Mary Shelley should be a fascinating subject, from her familial connections, to her marriage, to her literary feats and to her social circle. The book somehow manages to dull all of this. The pacing is odd, the last two chapters seem to have been written with the deadline fast approaching, they cram in the 17 odd years following her husband’s death, throwing in things such as Shelley possibly being bisexual and a casual reference to an Oedipal relationship with her son. Ok then.
lokster71's review against another edition
3.0
I found this a fascinating read which only increases ones admiration for Mary Shelley who managed to write one of the great works of literature whilst coping with regular pregnancy, the death of her children, her father's failure to live up to his beliefs, her husband's - and this has to be said - grade A arseholery.
Indeed, if this book is about anything it is about a woman's ability to get things done in the face of a series of horrible men. I mean, when Byron comes out of the book looking like the best man she knew, apart from Percy, her son (perhaps) something is wrong somewhere. And that somewhere is mainly men. Not only men. Her sister-in-law Claire is something of a major league horror show as well.
Sampson does a fine job of telling the stories and trying to get to what made Mary tick, which I think is an attempt to live up to her mother's achievements and ideals (and her father's too, even if he was unwilling to do so himself.)
If you want to see how someone rises - sometimes with difficulty - above a difficult life then read this book.
Indeed, if this book is about anything it is about a woman's ability to get things done in the face of a series of horrible men. I mean, when Byron comes out of the book looking like the best man she knew, apart from Percy, her son (perhaps) something is wrong somewhere. And that somewhere is mainly men. Not only men. Her sister-in-law Claire is something of a major league horror show as well.
Sampson does a fine job of telling the stories and trying to get to what made Mary tick, which I think is an attempt to live up to her mother's achievements and ideals (and her father's too, even if he was unwilling to do so himself.)
If you want to see how someone rises - sometimes with difficulty - above a difficult life then read this book.
juliwi's review against another edition
3.0
I knew of Frankenstein long before I actually read it. Like many others, I think, I had absorbed the story of the monster, of science gone wrong, through popular culture from an early age on. Frankenstein is a cultural staple, and yet it wasn't until university that I truly started appreciating the woman behind it, the girl, even, who created this cultural phenomenon. It is now 200 years since the novel's publication and interest in the novel and author are reawakening. In Search of Mary Shelley is part of that reawakening so of course I had to read it. Thanks to Serpent's Tail for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Reading Frankenstein at university was what first brought Mary Shelley to the forefront of my mind. The novel is a masterpiece, carefully and intricately crafted, full of thoughts on human nature and tempestuous feelings of self. And this came from the mind of a nineteen-year old girl, recently eloped with a Romantic poet and the child of two philosophical heavyweights. I immediately adored her. One can't help but be fascinated by those who create masterpieces like Frankenstein. It is why Jane Austen has so many adoring followers, we readers want to get to know those whose writing touched us so deeply. For a long time Mary Shelley was very much hidden in the large shadow cast by her acquaintances, but renewed interest in her has allowed a large field of Mary-centred research to flower. In Search of Mary Shelley is a part of that, a book that tries to paint a picture of who this girl was, what kind of woman she became, and why.
Since my introduction to Mary Shelley started at university, I am used to reading about her in a certain, "academic" way. In Search of Mary Shelley is a refreshing break from that, with Sampson writing very casually and directly. She avoids academic lingo and doesn't really quote from any research into Mary. Rather, Sampson attempts to sketch a portrait of who Mary Shelley could have been based on details in her books, letters and journals, as far as those are available, as well as what is known of the time period. Because of the book's lack of references, it occasionally felt to me as if too much of it could be made up. The picture Sampson creates isn't necessarily a factual one, but very much a potential one. Perhaps Mary did feel this way, maybe that letter does reference an awareness of a larger cultural event, or possibly none of it is true. Although I enjoyed reading In Search of Mary Shelley I have been too spoiled by my time at university and felt the lack of supporting material for Sampson's claims. However, for someone wanting to get a sense of what Mary's inner life could have been like and what an asshole Percy Shelley at times was, In Search of Mary Shelley is an excellent starting point!
In Search of Mary Shelley offers a fascinating insight into who Mary Shelley could have been. Although Sampson doesn't quote much from academic research and allows herself some artistic freedom, it is a worthwhile read for those who want to get a sense of Mary.
Reading Frankenstein at university was what first brought Mary Shelley to the forefront of my mind. The novel is a masterpiece, carefully and intricately crafted, full of thoughts on human nature and tempestuous feelings of self. And this came from the mind of a nineteen-year old girl, recently eloped with a Romantic poet and the child of two philosophical heavyweights. I immediately adored her. One can't help but be fascinated by those who create masterpieces like Frankenstein. It is why Jane Austen has so many adoring followers, we readers want to get to know those whose writing touched us so deeply. For a long time Mary Shelley was very much hidden in the large shadow cast by her acquaintances, but renewed interest in her has allowed a large field of Mary-centred research to flower. In Search of Mary Shelley is a part of that, a book that tries to paint a picture of who this girl was, what kind of woman she became, and why.
Since my introduction to Mary Shelley started at university, I am used to reading about her in a certain, "academic" way. In Search of Mary Shelley is a refreshing break from that, with Sampson writing very casually and directly. She avoids academic lingo and doesn't really quote from any research into Mary. Rather, Sampson attempts to sketch a portrait of who Mary Shelley could have been based on details in her books, letters and journals, as far as those are available, as well as what is known of the time period. Because of the book's lack of references, it occasionally felt to me as if too much of it could be made up. The picture Sampson creates isn't necessarily a factual one, but very much a potential one. Perhaps Mary did feel this way, maybe that letter does reference an awareness of a larger cultural event, or possibly none of it is true. Although I enjoyed reading In Search of Mary Shelley I have been too spoiled by my time at university and felt the lack of supporting material for Sampson's claims. However, for someone wanting to get a sense of what Mary's inner life could have been like and what an asshole Percy Shelley at times was, In Search of Mary Shelley is an excellent starting point!
In Search of Mary Shelley offers a fascinating insight into who Mary Shelley could have been. Although Sampson doesn't quote much from academic research and allows herself some artistic freedom, it is a worthwhile read for those who want to get a sense of Mary.
leannep's review against another edition
informative
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
4.5
Watched a movie on SBS about Mary and Percy Bessie Shelley then saw this book in the op shop. Good book. I learnt so much. Who knew her mum was Mary Wollstonecraft feminist, who died soon after she was born. And her dad a revolutionary philosopher and publisher. What feisty teenager Mary Shelley was, and what an entitled, selfish chauvinist was Percy, even though Mary tried to 'massage ' his legacy in publishing his work after he died young. I liked the analysis of Frankenstein too.