Her Lost Words
Summary: 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 thoughts: Thornton could write about the evolution of the napkin and I would read it. When two of my favorite writers both came out with books surrounding Mary Shelley I was concerned. I needn't have worried. Thornton takes two literary powerhouses and makes them real. Each woman made unconventional choices and led unconventional lives. Both Wollstonecraft and Shelley were women who believed they could have it all and live life on their terms and no one else's. What they wanted wasn't wrong, it was just different. Having never researched or read about either woman, I had no knowledge of the depth of their contributions. Wollstonecraft paved the way for women's equality. Shelley created an entirely new genre of fiction. Each woman struggled to find love on their terms and not be ostracized because of it. I can say one thing, by the end the reader will more than likely want to smack Lord Byron upside the head!
I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.
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