AngelMonster -- Veronica Bennett

At sixteen, in her father's bookshop, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin meets Percy Bysshe Shelley. It isn't long before she runs away with him, regardless of the fact that he's already married.

Poetry and passion, birth and death, addiction and madness, jealousy and desire, suicide and drowning, restless wandering and estrangement, radical politics, free thinkers, free love and a heart snatched from a funeral pyre. Mary Shelley lived a Gothic novel.

AngelMonster is a fictionalized retelling of Mary's life with Shelley and of her inspiration for Frankenstein. Be aware that while many of the details are accurate (Jane changing her name to Claire, Mary's life being saved by Shelley, and yes, the charred heart), Veronica Bennett played with the timeline somewhat. For instance, Frankenstein was actually written and published before Shelley's death in 1822, rather than after. 

In other words, kiddos, don't use this book as a basis for a report about Mary Shelley's life. Do, however, use it as a jumping-off point. I know I'll be looking for a decent biography of MWGS soon. 

While fans of the gushy romantic will like the first half of the book—with the running away and the passion—they might be unpleasantly surprised by second half of the book, which chronicles the more unhappy later years of the relationship. That aside, I'd definitely recommend it to teen fans of Frankenstein, to fans of the Gothic and to those who enjoy general historical fiction.

Mary isn't exactly what we've come to expect from a strong heroine—many modern girls would've kicked Shelley to the curb pretty early on—but at the same time, many teens will identify with Mary's passion and with her feelings of drowning in love.

Oh, and lastly. I'm not a really a big fan of the cover. It just looks kind of cheapy-cheesy-Photoshoppy. It reminds my coworker of Carrie (the movie). So. Has anyone noticed if it works—are kids picking this one up on their own?

Comments

[Jenny D]

There's a good sort of group biography called "The Godwins and the Shelleys," by William St Clair; and I must also recommend Richard Holmes's absolutely wonderful Shelley biography "The Pursuit"...

[Lauren]

Sucky cover indeed.

[hayden]

It's not flying off the shelves in Seattle.

[Colleen]

I was disappointed by the cover as well - especially when compared to "Romeo's Ex" by Lisa Fiedler and "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein - those are gorgeous and Mary Shelley deserved better. As for the book though, I thought it was very well done and should prompt some interest in "Frankenstein" among teen girls who might not pick it up otherwise. I also reviewed Thomas and Dorothy Hoobler's "Monsters" along with "Angelmonster" for this month's feature on the classics over at Bookslut. I loved loved loved the Hoobler book - an adult biography of the event and participants that resulted in both "Frankenstein" and the first (we believe) vampire novel. Do recommend it for folks interested in the Shelleys, Byron, Dracula, etc.