Her Lost Words: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley by Stephanie Marie Thornton: A Book Review

Her Lost Words: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley

Author: Stephanie Marie Thornton

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: 2023

Pages: 446

Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: From A Vindication of the Rights of Woman to Frankenstein, a tale of two literary legends—a mother and daughter—discovering each other and finding themselves along the way, from USA Today bestselling author Stephanie Marie Thornton.

 

      1792. As a child, Mary Wollstonecraft longed to disappear during her father’s violent rages. Instead, she transforms herself into the radical author of the landmark volume A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, in which she dares to propose that women are equal to men. From conservative England to the blood-drenched streets of revolutionary France, Mary refuses to bow to society’s conventions and instead supports herself with her pen until an illicit love affair challenges her every belief about romance and marriage. When she gives birth to a daughter and is stricken with childbed fever, Mary fears it will be her many critics who recount her life’s extraordinary odyssey…

 

     1818. The daughter of infamous political philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft, passionate Mary Shelley learned to read by tracing the letters of her mother’s tombstone. As a young woman, she desperately misses her mother’s guidance, especially following her scandalous elopement with dashing poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Mary struggles to balance an ever-complicated marriage with motherhood while nursing twin hopes that she might write something of her own one day and also discover the truth of her mother’s unconventional life. Mary’s journey will unlock her mother’s secrets, all while leading to her own destiny as the groundbreaking author of Frankenstein.

 

     A riveting and inspiring novel about a firebrand feminist, her visionary daughter, and the many ways their words transformed our world.

     My Review: Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley are famous literary writers. Mary Wollstonecraft would write the feminist work, The Vindication for the Rights of Woman. Her daughter, Mary Shelley would follow in her mother’s footsteps to pen Frankenstein. This novel follows the mother-daughter pair. Both of these women would lead scandalous lives. Despite their scandals, they both showed the world their literary genius.

     I was very familiar with Mary Shelley, and I knew a little bit about Mary Wollstonecraft. Therefore, I could not wait to read this novel about them! I loved how both Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley were not conventional women. Instead, they defied the social conventions of their time. I liked how both of these women were true to themselves. They did not let societal rules stop them from pursuing their intellectual pursuits. I also like how these women loved fiercely and passionately. Therefore, I loved both of them, and I sympathized with them as they went through many hardships.

     Overall, this novel is about love, family, and feminism. I liked how each of the characters were portrayed. I thought each of them were rounded, complex, and very realistic. I also like how the story was told from  first to third person perspectives and that switched chapter to chapter from Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley. I loved the gorgeous prose in the novel! The writing was very lyrical and intricate! Each sentence made the worlds of both Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley come alive! However, I did not like the blatant inaccuracies in the novel. I found them to be very glaring and distracting! I wish it would have been more accurate because the inaccuracies took away a little bit of my enjoyment in this novel. This is why I could not give this Her Lost Words a five star rating. Nevertheless, it was a very entertaining and engrossing read! You will be spellbound as you follow the lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley! Her Lost Words is a tribute to both the geniuses they have penned! I recommend this for fans of The Determined Heart, Love and Fury, and Vindication!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars