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The Determined Heart: The Tale of Mary Shelley and Her Frankenstein
The Determined Heart reveals the life of Mary Shelley in a story of love and obsession, betrayal and redemption.
The daughter of political philosopher William Godwin and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, Mary Shelley had an unconventional childhood populated with the most talented and eccentric personalities of the time. After losing her mother at an early age, she finds herself in constant conflict with a resentful stepmother and a jealous stepsister. When she meets the Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, she falls deeply in love, and they elope with disastrous consequences. Soon she finds herself destitute and embroiled in a torturous love triangle as Percy takes Mary’s stepsister as a lover. Over the next several years, Mary struggles to write while she and Percy face ostracism, constant debt, and the heartbreaking deaths of three children. Ultimately, she achieves great acclaim for Frankenstein, but at what cost?
The daughter of political philosopher William Godwin and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, Mary Shelley had an unconventional childhood populated with the most talented and eccentric personalities of the time. After losing her mother at an early age, she finds herself in constant conflict with a resentful stepmother and a jealous stepsister. When she meets the Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, she falls deeply in love, and they elope with disastrous consequences. Soon she finds herself destitute and embroiled in a torturous love triangle as Percy takes Mary’s stepsister as a lover. Over the next several years, Mary struggles to write while she and Percy face ostracism, constant debt, and the heartbreaking deaths of three children. Ultimately, she achieves great acclaim for Frankenstein, but at what cost?
412 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 29, 2015
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April 27, 2017
It's remarkable to think how young Mary Shelley was when she wrote Frankenstein. Then again, she met Percy Bysshe Shelley when she was fourteen, run away with him when she was sixteen and bore him four children of which only one survived to grow up. What a fantastic and tragic life she lived.
Mary Wollstonecraft died in childbirth so Mary and her older sister Fanny grew up with their father William Godwin who later married Mary Jane Clairmont who already had a daughter called Claire Clairmont. She had a troubled relationship with her stepmother and stepsister. She burns all the bridges when she runs away with Bysshe. Bysshe is already married with a child and a baby on its way. But they are in love and that's all that matters. The problem is that Clair is running away with them and that is the start of a love triangle since Bysshe is all for free love and even encourage Mary to sleep with another man. Still, they stay together and their love story will live on after they both are gone.
I read Passion by Jude Morgan a couple of years ago. Passion takes up the women who loved Shelley, Byron, and Keats. This book focuses on the love story between Mary Shelley and Percy Bysshe Shelly, but Lord Byron is also a big part of the story since he had an affair with Claire Clairmont and he was a friend to both Mary Shelley and Percy Bysshe Shelly. It's an often tragic book to read because despite the deep love between Mary and Bysshe couldn't he be truly faithful even though she was the woman he loved the most. Mary had to face a life with a man who truly believed that marriage wasn't necessary and they would probably never have married if he didn't want to gain custody of his children with Harriet, the wife he left behind. Also, Mary had to put up with Claire all through her marriage. But the hardest part of this book to read was the death of all the children. One after another died and it's really tragic to think that of all the children Mary gave birth to, only the youngest Percy survived.
I think this book was well written and interest to read. I already have some previous knowledge about the lives and fates of Bysshe and Lord Byron, but I didn't know that much about Mary Shelley and it was intriguing to learn more about her growing up and her life with Bysshe and after his death. Antoinette May has written a really good book and I felt enriched when I finished the book. Not only did I learn more about the characters in this book I learned more about the time they lived in and I really keen on reading more about Mary Wollstonecraft, a woman I have heard about, but not know so much about.
Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Mary Wollstonecraft died in childbirth so Mary and her older sister Fanny grew up with their father William Godwin who later married Mary Jane Clairmont who already had a daughter called Claire Clairmont. She had a troubled relationship with her stepmother and stepsister. She burns all the bridges when she runs away with Bysshe. Bysshe is already married with a child and a baby on its way. But they are in love and that's all that matters. The problem is that Clair is running away with them and that is the start of a love triangle since Bysshe is all for free love and even encourage Mary to sleep with another man. Still, they stay together and their love story will live on after they both are gone.
I read Passion by Jude Morgan a couple of years ago. Passion takes up the women who loved Shelley, Byron, and Keats. This book focuses on the love story between Mary Shelley and Percy Bysshe Shelly, but Lord Byron is also a big part of the story since he had an affair with Claire Clairmont and he was a friend to both Mary Shelley and Percy Bysshe Shelly. It's an often tragic book to read because despite the deep love between Mary and Bysshe couldn't he be truly faithful even though she was the woman he loved the most. Mary had to face a life with a man who truly believed that marriage wasn't necessary and they would probably never have married if he didn't want to gain custody of his children with Harriet, the wife he left behind. Also, Mary had to put up with Claire all through her marriage. But the hardest part of this book to read was the death of all the children. One after another died and it's really tragic to think that of all the children Mary gave birth to, only the youngest Percy survived.
I think this book was well written and interest to read. I already have some previous knowledge about the lives and fates of Bysshe and Lord Byron, but I didn't know that much about Mary Shelley and it was intriguing to learn more about her growing up and her life with Bysshe and after his death. Antoinette May has written a really good book and I felt enriched when I finished the book. Not only did I learn more about the characters in this book I learned more about the time they lived in and I really keen on reading more about Mary Wollstonecraft, a woman I have heard about, but not know so much about.
Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
December 5, 2015
The audiobook narration is so distracting that the book's content becomes extremely difficult to absorb. I managed, but only barely, to continue to the end. I was drawn in by the topic - the relationships between Mary Shelley(1797-1851), the author of Frankenstein, the poet-philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley(1792-1822), whom she eventually married, her stepsister Claire Clairmont(1798-1879), her half-sister Fanny Imlay(1794-1816), poet Lord Byron(1788-1824) and others of the family. Aaron Burr was a family friend and his remarks made me laugh. These characters’ relationships were certainly out of the ordinary! My rating does, in this rare instance, reflect the audiobook narration! I am not sure I can separate the two.
Percy Shelley’s and Lord Byron’s poetry are quoted. You learn how Frankenstein came to be and how it reflects the era. You learn, perhaps, what Mary was trying to express through the book, although this was rather fuzzy for me. I would have appreciated more about Mary’s mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, writer and advocate of women’s rights. The book ends soon after Byron’s death, 27 years before Mary’s death. .
Want my opinion? I find these characters so despicable that I wonder if it is even worth my effort to try and understand them. I know what happened in Mary’s life, but don’t know if I understand her. Byron and Shelley may have written great lines of poetry, but for me this does not outweigh their actions.
There is no author’s note. I assume what is fictional are the dialogs.
I am trying very hard to be fair, but I think I would recommend another book: Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley. This was not available to me.
Please read below; I explain explicitly the faults of the audiobook narration.
*****************************
2.5 hours left of a 12.5 hour audiobook:
This book about Mary and Percy Shelley plus Byron and Mary's stepsister, Claire, is difficult. Their horrid behavior is more than unbelievable. Adultery is not something that usually shocks me.
Do I like the book? NO! I don't think it is well written. I find it extremely difficult to not be influenced by the worst audiobook narration I have ever encountered. I can scarcely think about the words. Yes, it is well-researched, but not well written. The story, what they did and what happens is told point by point, but the dialogs and insight into the characters' internal thoughts are lacking. Ridiculous dialogs. The lines are antiquated. Maybe my judgment is too harsh b/c the lines do reflect that time period. For me they do not flow well.
I will finish this book to get the information but I am not enjoying myself in the least. This is pure torture.
Do NOT choose the audiobook narrated by Susan Duerden. Her narration is monotone. the women are shrill and squeaky or breathless. The melody makes the words almost impossible to follow. The tempo is usually OK, but in one section I thought she was racing to the end, only to discover hours remained.
I will be honest. I have a very hard time judging if the written words are acceptable and if it is only the narration that is destroying the book for me. I believe it is also poorly written, but am not quite sure.
Percy Shelley’s and Lord Byron’s poetry are quoted. You learn how Frankenstein came to be and how it reflects the era. You learn, perhaps, what Mary was trying to express through the book, although this was rather fuzzy for me. I would have appreciated more about Mary’s mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, writer and advocate of women’s rights. The book ends soon after Byron’s death, 27 years before Mary’s death. .
Want my opinion? I find these characters so despicable that I wonder if it is even worth my effort to try and understand them. I know what happened in Mary’s life, but don’t know if I understand her. Byron and Shelley may have written great lines of poetry, but for me this does not outweigh their actions.
There is no author’s note. I assume what is fictional are the dialogs.
I am trying very hard to be fair, but I think I would recommend another book: Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley. This was not available to me.
Please read below; I explain explicitly the faults of the audiobook narration.
*****************************
2.5 hours left of a 12.5 hour audiobook:
This book about Mary and Percy Shelley plus Byron and Mary's stepsister, Claire, is difficult. Their horrid behavior is more than unbelievable. Adultery is not something that usually shocks me.
Do I like the book? NO! I don't think it is well written. I find it extremely difficult to not be influenced by the worst audiobook narration I have ever encountered. I can scarcely think about the words. Yes, it is well-researched, but not well written. The story, what they did and what happens is told point by point, but the dialogs and insight into the characters' internal thoughts are lacking. Ridiculous dialogs. The lines are antiquated. Maybe my judgment is too harsh b/c the lines do reflect that time period. For me they do not flow well.
I will finish this book to get the information but I am not enjoying myself in the least. This is pure torture.
Do NOT choose the audiobook narrated by Susan Duerden. Her narration is monotone. the women are shrill and squeaky or breathless. The melody makes the words almost impossible to follow. The tempo is usually OK, but in one section I thought she was racing to the end, only to discover hours remained.
I will be honest. I have a very hard time judging if the written words are acceptable and if it is only the narration that is destroying the book for me. I believe it is also poorly written, but am not quite sure.
September 29, 2015
Prior to reading “The Determined Heart” I knew only the absolute basics about Mary Shelley: She was the daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft; the wife of Percy Bysshe Shelley (Bysshe); and the author of “Frankenstein” (the idea coming to her after being challenged by Lord Byron, “on a dark and stormy night,” to write a ghost story.) I must thank author Antoinette May for enlightening me about the true talent, and significant tragedies, that encompassed Shelley’s life.
May’s book covers Shelley’s life from childhood through her death, with the primary focus on her years her years living with Bysshe. Their lifestyle would set tongues wagging and raise eyebrows even by today’s looser mores. They were Scandalous (with a capital “S”!) during their own lives (we did not cover this during high school English class!) and were often the outcasts. In part due to their lifestyle, and in part due to circumstance and living in a time before the advent of modern medicine, Mary’s life was marked by sadness, tragedy, and loneliness. In fact, despite the genesis of “Frankenstein” in response to a challenge for a “ghost story”, Mary would always maintain that the book was really about loneliness and rejection.
May does a good job making these complex personalities come alive for the reader. My criticism is that she includes entirely too much detail. The book was too long, and my interest started to wane as the book went on. A shorter, tighter, book would have made for a better read.
3 stars.
Thank to you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
May’s book covers Shelley’s life from childhood through her death, with the primary focus on her years her years living with Bysshe. Their lifestyle would set tongues wagging and raise eyebrows even by today’s looser mores. They were Scandalous (with a capital “S”!) during their own lives (we did not cover this during high school English class!) and were often the outcasts. In part due to their lifestyle, and in part due to circumstance and living in a time before the advent of modern medicine, Mary’s life was marked by sadness, tragedy, and loneliness. In fact, despite the genesis of “Frankenstein” in response to a challenge for a “ghost story”, Mary would always maintain that the book was really about loneliness and rejection.
May does a good job making these complex personalities come alive for the reader. My criticism is that she includes entirely too much detail. The book was too long, and my interest started to wane as the book went on. A shorter, tighter, book would have made for a better read.
3 stars.
Thank to you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
October 26, 2015
Three stars: A fascinating look at the woman behind one of the world's most enduring novels.
Mary Godwin is used to being the center of attention starting at an early age. She is the daughter of famed Mary Wollstonecraft, an intelligent feminist. Unfortunately, Mary lost her beautiful mother at an early age, but her mother's impact on Mary never fades. Young Mary is feisty, bright, intelligent and full of her own ideas. When she meets Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary finds a like minded spirit. Before long, Mary and Percy are lovers, despite the fact that Percy is married. The two run away together, determined to form their own society of like minded writers, but what they don't expect is a life of scandal. Then one stormy night, Mary, Percy and a group of their writer friends, challenge each other to write a ghost story. Mary pens Frankenstein, one of the world's most enduring and famous literary works. But who was the woman behind the novel?
What I Liked:
*Having read Frankenstein at a young age, I was surprised and impressed that the book is so much more than a monster book. It is a tragic book about man playing god and the costly consequences. However, I knew very little about the woman who penned this most famous tale. The Determined Heart is an eye opening read that introduces us to the woman behind Frankenstein. Mary Shelley was a woman well ahead of her time, and her story is not only interesting but full of scandal.
*Mary Shelley is an intriguing woman, who had ideas advanced for the era in which she lived. I was quite surprised to read about her rather scandalous life. Young Mary was an adulterer, who later ran away with Percy Shelly. The two lived a life centered around their idea of a utopian society, and they even practiced free love. Even though, I wasn't the biggest fan of Mary after reading this book, I have to admit, I was interested to learn more about her, and how her famous book came into being.
*What surprised me the most was the scandal that followed Mary. Percy Shelley was a man born of wealth and privilege, he was a dreamer and a womanizer. He adored Mary, but he couldn't refrain from other women, he even had an affair with Mary's stepsister. Mary herself was no saint, either, it was apparent that she had other lovers besides Percy as well. Such scandalous behavior for her era. Who knew that the ideas of open marriage and free love existed back in the 1800s? This was certainly an eye opening read.
*I liked learning more about where Mary got her ideas and inspirations for Frankenstein. It was also interesting to find out that the book was originally published with the author being listed as anonymous, as the publishing house didn't want the world to know that the controversial book was actually written by a woman. It was obvious that this book was well researched, and I appreciated that.
And The Not So Much:
*I think the biggest struggle with this book for me was that the characters were all unlikable. I felt a bit of compassion for Mary, especially after I learned about the tragedy surrounding her children, but she is a tough sell, mostly due to her behavior. Percy Shelley is detestable. He is nothing but a spoiled dreamer, chasing after every pretty skirt that he met. Mary's stepsister, Claire, is selfish, spoiled and unable to stand on her own two feet. She makes some detestable choices, and I didn't like her at all. Mary's own father is also unlikable. He fails to be a good fatherly figure. Instead of supporting his family, he is constantly looking to borrow money from everyone. Add in the secondary characters such as Lord Byron, and you have more selfish and nasty people. The only character that I liked was Mary's older sister, Fan. It is hard to enjoy a book when you can't stand the characters.
*The other thing that held this book back was the pacing. I always appreciate detail, but this book was weighed down by too much detail. I kept thinking that a large span of time had elapsed, only to find in reality, it had only been a few months. I thought the book would encompass Mary's life, but mostly it focuses on her time with Percy Shelley.
*I wish the author had included more dates, I never had an idea as to how much time had passed, and it was confusing not to know what year it was.
*The ending is a bit abrupt. It concludes with a brief snippet on what happens to the main players, after the death of Percy Shelley. There is a huge span of time in Mary's life that is unaccounted for. I wish the author had focused a bit less on Mary's life with Shelley, and included more of the big picture. I would like to have seen what type of woman she became after Shelley died.
The Undetermined Heart is an interesting and eye opening read that chronicles the life of Mary Shelley, the famed author of Frankenstein. Mary's life was one of scandal, tragedy and eventually success. She was a visionary and feminist way ahead of her time. If you want to know more about the scandalous life of Mary Shelley and what inspired her to write Frankenstein, read this. Keep in mind, the characters are unlikable and the pacing is a bit slow, but it is still a fascinating read.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.
Mary Godwin is used to being the center of attention starting at an early age. She is the daughter of famed Mary Wollstonecraft, an intelligent feminist. Unfortunately, Mary lost her beautiful mother at an early age, but her mother's impact on Mary never fades. Young Mary is feisty, bright, intelligent and full of her own ideas. When she meets Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary finds a like minded spirit. Before long, Mary and Percy are lovers, despite the fact that Percy is married. The two run away together, determined to form their own society of like minded writers, but what they don't expect is a life of scandal. Then one stormy night, Mary, Percy and a group of their writer friends, challenge each other to write a ghost story. Mary pens Frankenstein, one of the world's most enduring and famous literary works. But who was the woman behind the novel?
What I Liked:
*Having read Frankenstein at a young age, I was surprised and impressed that the book is so much more than a monster book. It is a tragic book about man playing god and the costly consequences. However, I knew very little about the woman who penned this most famous tale. The Determined Heart is an eye opening read that introduces us to the woman behind Frankenstein. Mary Shelley was a woman well ahead of her time, and her story is not only interesting but full of scandal.
*Mary Shelley is an intriguing woman, who had ideas advanced for the era in which she lived. I was quite surprised to read about her rather scandalous life. Young Mary was an adulterer, who later ran away with Percy Shelly. The two lived a life centered around their idea of a utopian society, and they even practiced free love. Even though, I wasn't the biggest fan of Mary after reading this book, I have to admit, I was interested to learn more about her, and how her famous book came into being.
*What surprised me the most was the scandal that followed Mary. Percy Shelley was a man born of wealth and privilege, he was a dreamer and a womanizer. He adored Mary, but he couldn't refrain from other women, he even had an affair with Mary's stepsister. Mary herself was no saint, either, it was apparent that she had other lovers besides Percy as well. Such scandalous behavior for her era. Who knew that the ideas of open marriage and free love existed back in the 1800s? This was certainly an eye opening read.
*I liked learning more about where Mary got her ideas and inspirations for Frankenstein. It was also interesting to find out that the book was originally published with the author being listed as anonymous, as the publishing house didn't want the world to know that the controversial book was actually written by a woman. It was obvious that this book was well researched, and I appreciated that.
And The Not So Much:
*I think the biggest struggle with this book for me was that the characters were all unlikable. I felt a bit of compassion for Mary, especially after I learned about the tragedy surrounding her children, but she is a tough sell, mostly due to her behavior. Percy Shelley is detestable. He is nothing but a spoiled dreamer, chasing after every pretty skirt that he met. Mary's stepsister, Claire, is selfish, spoiled and unable to stand on her own two feet. She makes some detestable choices, and I didn't like her at all. Mary's own father is also unlikable. He fails to be a good fatherly figure. Instead of supporting his family, he is constantly looking to borrow money from everyone. Add in the secondary characters such as Lord Byron, and you have more selfish and nasty people. The only character that I liked was Mary's older sister, Fan. It is hard to enjoy a book when you can't stand the characters.
*The other thing that held this book back was the pacing. I always appreciate detail, but this book was weighed down by too much detail. I kept thinking that a large span of time had elapsed, only to find in reality, it had only been a few months. I thought the book would encompass Mary's life, but mostly it focuses on her time with Percy Shelley.
*I wish the author had included more dates, I never had an idea as to how much time had passed, and it was confusing not to know what year it was.
*The ending is a bit abrupt. It concludes with a brief snippet on what happens to the main players, after the death of Percy Shelley. There is a huge span of time in Mary's life that is unaccounted for. I wish the author had focused a bit less on Mary's life with Shelley, and included more of the big picture. I would like to have seen what type of woman she became after Shelley died.
The Undetermined Heart is an interesting and eye opening read that chronicles the life of Mary Shelley, the famed author of Frankenstein. Mary's life was one of scandal, tragedy and eventually success. She was a visionary and feminist way ahead of her time. If you want to know more about the scandalous life of Mary Shelley and what inspired her to write Frankenstein, read this. Keep in mind, the characters are unlikable and the pacing is a bit slow, but it is still a fascinating read.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.
August 31, 2015
My review for "The Determined Heart: The Tale of Mary Shelley and Her Frankenstein" by Antoinette May will be linked back here soon. Stay tuned!
September 30, 2015
This book was equal parts heart break and inspiration. I don’t know that much about Mary Shelley as a historic figure and sadly I have not read her novel though I have it on my TBR list. What little I know of her and her works, I feel like there must have been an incredible back story……what sort of life produced such a powerful and iconic tale such as Frankenstein? This book is based on Shelley’s real life and let me just say…..determined heart…..doesn’t even begin to describe it. That woman clearly persevered and endured a lot of heart break.
May was able to convey that sort of determination and perseverance to the audience very well. I really enjoyed how the novel was written and how May was able to show Mary’s resilience as a person and a writer.
There was one large thing though that I had trouble getting past throughout the novel, which ultimately made me go with a 4 star rating instead of a 5 star rating, and that was Mary’s relationship with Claire. I often felt like Mary just accepted Claire and tolerated her in a way that I just never would. I realize that society demanded that Mary just look the other way and deal, but I just felt this didn’t fit with Mary’s overall story and it bothered me throughout the novel. Mary was so smart and clearly strong and Claire was so undeserving of Mary’s tolerance and I just struggled with it overall.
The author did a good job at showing the hardships that both Mary and her husband endured and her research was second to none! At times it was hard to determine what was fact and what was fiction….I loved that! I often found myself Googling Mary and her husband to get more info about their lives and found that most of the things in the book were real life events or facts. This book didn’t have the feel of a biography but it had many biographical elements that I really enjoyed.
This book was a great read and has inspired me to finally pick up Frankenstein now that I know a little of the back story of the author and her life and how this historic tale came to be!
See my full review here
May was able to convey that sort of determination and perseverance to the audience very well. I really enjoyed how the novel was written and how May was able to show Mary’s resilience as a person and a writer.
There was one large thing though that I had trouble getting past throughout the novel, which ultimately made me go with a 4 star rating instead of a 5 star rating, and that was Mary’s relationship with Claire. I often felt like Mary just accepted Claire and tolerated her in a way that I just never would. I realize that society demanded that Mary just look the other way and deal, but I just felt this didn’t fit with Mary’s overall story and it bothered me throughout the novel. Mary was so smart and clearly strong and Claire was so undeserving of Mary’s tolerance and I just struggled with it overall.
The author did a good job at showing the hardships that both Mary and her husband endured and her research was second to none! At times it was hard to determine what was fact and what was fiction….I loved that! I often found myself Googling Mary and her husband to get more info about their lives and found that most of the things in the book were real life events or facts. This book didn’t have the feel of a biography but it had many biographical elements that I really enjoyed.
This book was a great read and has inspired me to finally pick up Frankenstein now that I know a little of the back story of the author and her life and how this historic tale came to be!
See my full review here
March 3, 2016
Mary Wollstonecraft is my GIRL. If you haven't read A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, you need to get on that immediately. Her daughter, Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein is also a badass. Which is why I really wanted to read this fictionalized account of Shelley's life, despite not normally being a historical fiction reader. Despite being a fan of her mom, I really didn't know much about Mary Jr.'s life apart from a little of her affair/marriage with Percy Shelley. But I learned a lot from this book.
Mary Shelley's is a tragic tale, rife with heartbreak and complicated relationships. Her homeboy/lover Percy was basically the biggest player of all time (if we ignore Lord Byron for a minute). He'd be writing her poetry one minute and the next he was knocking up her stepsister. RUDE. But he was really into free love, because he's a poet, so she sort of knew what she was signing up for when she ran away with him at age 16 (did I mention he was married to someone else at the time?). Throughout their crazy life and travels together, things keep getting worse for Mary. She has a horrible stepmother, most of her children die, etc. It was devastating to watch her go through all of this, but it was also fascinating to see what shaped her character and her writing.
All in all, this was an alright read, because I was interested in the subject at hand. But the book definitely felt longer than it needed to be. I thoroughly hated all of the characters (which is probably due to them being historically bad/annoying individuals). Sometimes the references to things that would influence Mary Shelley's idea for Frankenstein felt a little heavy handed, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Neither the writing nor the plot blew me away. Also, the gang kept finding chateaus to rent within a couple days of arriving in a new country despite being broke, improper poets, which made me furious on a very personal level. I guess I was born at the wrong time. I'll try not to take that out on the book.
Full review AND GIVEAWAY: http://outlandishlit.blogspot.com/201...
Mary Shelley's is a tragic tale, rife with heartbreak and complicated relationships. Her homeboy/lover Percy was basically the biggest player of all time (if we ignore Lord Byron for a minute). He'd be writing her poetry one minute and the next he was knocking up her stepsister. RUDE. But he was really into free love, because he's a poet, so she sort of knew what she was signing up for when she ran away with him at age 16 (did I mention he was married to someone else at the time?). Throughout their crazy life and travels together, things keep getting worse for Mary. She has a horrible stepmother, most of her children die, etc. It was devastating to watch her go through all of this, but it was also fascinating to see what shaped her character and her writing.
All in all, this was an alright read, because I was interested in the subject at hand. But the book definitely felt longer than it needed to be. I thoroughly hated all of the characters (which is probably due to them being historically bad/annoying individuals). Sometimes the references to things that would influence Mary Shelley's idea for Frankenstein felt a little heavy handed, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Neither the writing nor the plot blew me away. Also, the gang kept finding chateaus to rent within a couple days of arriving in a new country despite being broke, improper poets, which made me furious on a very personal level. I guess I was born at the wrong time. I'll try not to take that out on the book.
Full review AND GIVEAWAY: http://outlandishlit.blogspot.com/201...
June 14, 2015
I very much enjoyed reading this historical novel centering on the life of Mary Shelley and her creation of Frankenstein. What a tragic life this young woman had and yet after each tragedy, she was able to pull herself up and keep going. Her love for Percy Bysshe Shelley was so deep and yet so bittersweet as she dealt with his many infidelities.
I particularly enjoyed the way the author portrayed Mary’s fascination with the then popular doctrine of vitalism and how an inanimate object might be brought to life. The author very nicely pulls together the events in Mary’s life that bring her to create “Frankenstein” when her friend, Lord Byron, proposed that each of their group write a ghost story. The book was initially published anonymously as the publisher felt that it wouldn’t be well received if it were known that the author was a woman. If only Mary could know how popular “Frankenstein” would become and how it’s still being reprinted to this day. As the author points out in an afterword, Mary Shelley created a whole new genre of literary work – the science fiction novel.
Not only will you learn about Mary Shelley’s life and the lives of her family members, but also Lord Byron, Samuel Coleridge and Aaron Burr are represented in the book. I found every word of this book to be compelling, gripping and heart breaking and the book never lagged for me. I most definitely will be re-reading “Frankenstein” and I also would like to find a copy of “The Last Man”, her apocalyptic novel. Mary Shelley was an extraordinary woman and the author did an excellent job of researching and beautifully portraying her life.
A copy of this book was given to me by the publisher through Net Galley in return for an honest review.
I particularly enjoyed the way the author portrayed Mary’s fascination with the then popular doctrine of vitalism and how an inanimate object might be brought to life. The author very nicely pulls together the events in Mary’s life that bring her to create “Frankenstein” when her friend, Lord Byron, proposed that each of their group write a ghost story. The book was initially published anonymously as the publisher felt that it wouldn’t be well received if it were known that the author was a woman. If only Mary could know how popular “Frankenstein” would become and how it’s still being reprinted to this day. As the author points out in an afterword, Mary Shelley created a whole new genre of literary work – the science fiction novel.
Not only will you learn about Mary Shelley’s life and the lives of her family members, but also Lord Byron, Samuel Coleridge and Aaron Burr are represented in the book. I found every word of this book to be compelling, gripping and heart breaking and the book never lagged for me. I most definitely will be re-reading “Frankenstein” and I also would like to find a copy of “The Last Man”, her apocalyptic novel. Mary Shelley was an extraordinary woman and the author did an excellent job of researching and beautifully portraying her life.
A copy of this book was given to me by the publisher through Net Galley in return for an honest review.
June 4, 2016
While I want to offer an eloquent review of this book, I find that I'm rather stunned speechless. All that comes to mind is wow! If only I could give it more than 5 stars. Utterly captivating, astonishingly riveting, and masterfully written. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Wow!
October 23, 2015
3.5 stars
The Determined Heart is a fictionalised biography of Mary Shelley, concentrating primarily on her relationship with her mercurial poet husband, and exploring some of the influences which eventually led her to create her most famous literary work, Frankenstein.
The author’s research has clearly been extensive, and she has made good use of letters and poems by Shelley, Mary, Lord Byron and others throughout the book. Her writing style is communicative and easy to read, although there are times it feels rather too simplistic and lacking in depth; and while the story is quite compelling, it is not a comfortable read.
And therein lies my biggest problem in writing this review, because most of the characters – notably Shelley, Byron, Mary’s father, William Godwin, and her step-sister, Claire – are such horrible people that there were times I felt that I didn’t want to read about them anymore. But much of what happens in the story is a matter of historical fact, and there is no denying that Mary’s life was a fascinating one, one in which she experienced consuming passion, debilitating tragedy and the gamut of emotions in between, all before she reached her thirtieth year.
The book opens with a Prologue set in 1816, during the time that Mary and her husband were living in Italy with Byron, and when she first started to put together the “ghost” story that was ultimately to become her most famous work. We then skip back to 1801 when Mary is just four years old and living comfortably with her older sister and her father, the author and philosopher, William Godwin. As the child of his beloved Mary Wollstonecraft, his pretty, bright daughter is the apple of his eye. But her young life is about to change when Godwin announces his intention to marry a neighbouring widow, who also has two young children. Both are spoiled and brattish, and it soon becomes clear that “Mum” – Jane Godwin – is resentful of the attention Mary receives on account of her parentage and because of her cleverness and good nature.
Mary clearly adores her father, but as the story progresses it becomes clear that he is not the indulgent, loving Papa that he has seemed to be. He takes little interest in his daughters’ upbringing, leaving them entirely to their stepmother’s care, and is far more concerned with his work and with arguing about literature, politics and philosophy with the authors and poets who revere him and orbit around him. Unfortunately, however, the income Godwin receives from his writing is not enough to support the family and they are forced to move from their comfortable home into one of the worst areas of London.
Mary meets Percy Bysshe Shelley for the first time when she is just fourteen and then again, when she is sixteen and returns from school. Bysshe is young, handsome and the heir to a viscountcy – and Godwin wastes no time in tapping him for money, which Bysshe is happy to proffer, seeing as he counts Godwin as the major inspiration in his life and work. Shelley is married with one child and another on the way when he and Mary fall in love; but having espoused the idea of free love which was also embraced by Godwin and his late wife, neither he nor Mary can see anything wrong with the idea of their going away together. But in a classic case of “do as I say, not do as I do”, Godwin furiously disowns Mary and refuses to have any more to do with her.
This is just the beginning of Mary’s troubles. Because of the scandal caused by their running off together, Bysshe’s family cuts him off and with no means of paying his debts, he is forced to go into hiding, leaving Mary, by now several months pregnant, alone in their dingy lodgings. Or rather, Mary is not exactly alone; her step-sister, Claire decides that running away to live with them is better than stagnating at home, so Mary now has to put up with the young woman who made her life miserable from the moment she came into her life. Worse, Bysshe is a man who doesn’t believe in fidelity, and his on-off affair with Claire lasts almost as long as his relationship with Mary.
This is what I meant when I said these were often deeply unpleasant characters. Claire is selfish and resentful of Mary for almost all of her life; Godwin is a hypocrite; Shelley is selfish and egotistical, and comes to resent Mary for the success she achieves with Frankenstein and her other books while his work struggles to find an audience. Mary endures a great deal during these years – almost constantly on the move, putting up with Claire and her constant attention-seeking, and turning a blind eye to Shelley’s other affairs. Mary bore Shelley four children, only one of whom survived to adulthood, and much of the time, she had to bear her grief and devastation alone.
I can’t deny that Mary comes across as too good to be true. She is rather like the long-suffering heroines of the gothic novels which were popular at the time – perhaps this was intentional on Ms May’s part – but this made it difficult to believe in her as a woman of ideas and great intellect.
Before I read the book, I knew only the basic facts about Mary Shelley, and reading this has certainly added to my knowledge. Her life was not an easy one, and she must certainly have been an extraordinary woman to have coped with all the tragedy the fates saw fit to throw at her.
Ultimately, The Determined Heart is an engrossing read, even though it is by no means an easy one.
The Determined Heart is a fictionalised biography of Mary Shelley, concentrating primarily on her relationship with her mercurial poet husband, and exploring some of the influences which eventually led her to create her most famous literary work, Frankenstein.
The author’s research has clearly been extensive, and she has made good use of letters and poems by Shelley, Mary, Lord Byron and others throughout the book. Her writing style is communicative and easy to read, although there are times it feels rather too simplistic and lacking in depth; and while the story is quite compelling, it is not a comfortable read.
And therein lies my biggest problem in writing this review, because most of the characters – notably Shelley, Byron, Mary’s father, William Godwin, and her step-sister, Claire – are such horrible people that there were times I felt that I didn’t want to read about them anymore. But much of what happens in the story is a matter of historical fact, and there is no denying that Mary’s life was a fascinating one, one in which she experienced consuming passion, debilitating tragedy and the gamut of emotions in between, all before she reached her thirtieth year.
The book opens with a Prologue set in 1816, during the time that Mary and her husband were living in Italy with Byron, and when she first started to put together the “ghost” story that was ultimately to become her most famous work. We then skip back to 1801 when Mary is just four years old and living comfortably with her older sister and her father, the author and philosopher, William Godwin. As the child of his beloved Mary Wollstonecraft, his pretty, bright daughter is the apple of his eye. But her young life is about to change when Godwin announces his intention to marry a neighbouring widow, who also has two young children. Both are spoiled and brattish, and it soon becomes clear that “Mum” – Jane Godwin – is resentful of the attention Mary receives on account of her parentage and because of her cleverness and good nature.
Mary clearly adores her father, but as the story progresses it becomes clear that he is not the indulgent, loving Papa that he has seemed to be. He takes little interest in his daughters’ upbringing, leaving them entirely to their stepmother’s care, and is far more concerned with his work and with arguing about literature, politics and philosophy with the authors and poets who revere him and orbit around him. Unfortunately, however, the income Godwin receives from his writing is not enough to support the family and they are forced to move from their comfortable home into one of the worst areas of London.
Mary meets Percy Bysshe Shelley for the first time when she is just fourteen and then again, when she is sixteen and returns from school. Bysshe is young, handsome and the heir to a viscountcy – and Godwin wastes no time in tapping him for money, which Bysshe is happy to proffer, seeing as he counts Godwin as the major inspiration in his life and work. Shelley is married with one child and another on the way when he and Mary fall in love; but having espoused the idea of free love which was also embraced by Godwin and his late wife, neither he nor Mary can see anything wrong with the idea of their going away together. But in a classic case of “do as I say, not do as I do”, Godwin furiously disowns Mary and refuses to have any more to do with her.
This is just the beginning of Mary’s troubles. Because of the scandal caused by their running off together, Bysshe’s family cuts him off and with no means of paying his debts, he is forced to go into hiding, leaving Mary, by now several months pregnant, alone in their dingy lodgings. Or rather, Mary is not exactly alone; her step-sister, Claire decides that running away to live with them is better than stagnating at home, so Mary now has to put up with the young woman who made her life miserable from the moment she came into her life. Worse, Bysshe is a man who doesn’t believe in fidelity, and his on-off affair with Claire lasts almost as long as his relationship with Mary.
This is what I meant when I said these were often deeply unpleasant characters. Claire is selfish and resentful of Mary for almost all of her life; Godwin is a hypocrite; Shelley is selfish and egotistical, and comes to resent Mary for the success she achieves with Frankenstein and her other books while his work struggles to find an audience. Mary endures a great deal during these years – almost constantly on the move, putting up with Claire and her constant attention-seeking, and turning a blind eye to Shelley’s other affairs. Mary bore Shelley four children, only one of whom survived to adulthood, and much of the time, she had to bear her grief and devastation alone.
I can’t deny that Mary comes across as too good to be true. She is rather like the long-suffering heroines of the gothic novels which were popular at the time – perhaps this was intentional on Ms May’s part – but this made it difficult to believe in her as a woman of ideas and great intellect.
Before I read the book, I knew only the basic facts about Mary Shelley, and reading this has certainly added to my knowledge. Her life was not an easy one, and she must certainly have been an extraordinary woman to have coped with all the tragedy the fates saw fit to throw at her.
Ultimately, The Determined Heart is an engrossing read, even though it is by no means an easy one.
March 21, 2018
This was a book group selection and I struggled through almost 3/4ths of this book until I couldn't take anymore. The writing is mediocre and overwrought and the characters portrayed (supposedly based on real people) have few morals and even less sense. Despite the tragic, sometimes deplorable and often debauched nature of Mary Shelley's life I can't help but wonder if this histrionic representation would cause her to turn in her grave. Perhaps she wouldn't care in the least. However I do and I refuse to waste another moment reading this book about sordid lives.
July 26, 2023
I think I would have preferred reading a biography of Mary Shelley than a novel of her life. Several of the characters in this book were extremely annoying. I think a biography would have less of the dialogue that I didn't enjoy. I did like the book okay, but I wish I realized it was fiction.
September 7, 2015
4 Stars!
While I never actually read the book Frankenstein, I did see the movie, well the Mel Brooks version. But I was intrigued when I saw that Net Galley was offering this.
I figured what the heck I'd learn a little something while being entertained. Well, I learned a lot. While I knew that Percy Shelley and Lord Byron were poets, I didn't really know much about them. Now, I know a lot about all three of these literary giants.
Lord Byron certainly led a cray cray life and Percy Shelley wasn't all that normal himself. They were both ahead of their time.
I found it very interesting and ironic that Mary Shelley wrote the book Frankenstein on a dare from Lord Byron.
I honestly was very entertained while reading this book and I learned a few things as well. The story was well written and in a manner that was easy to understand and enjoy. I definitely recommend this book if your into biographies or if your a bibliofreak.
Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and Net Galley for providing me with this free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
While I never actually read the book Frankenstein, I did see the movie, well the Mel Brooks version. But I was intrigued when I saw that Net Galley was offering this.
I figured what the heck I'd learn a little something while being entertained. Well, I learned a lot. While I knew that Percy Shelley and Lord Byron were poets, I didn't really know much about them. Now, I know a lot about all three of these literary giants.
Lord Byron certainly led a cray cray life and Percy Shelley wasn't all that normal himself. They were both ahead of their time.
I found it very interesting and ironic that Mary Shelley wrote the book Frankenstein on a dare from Lord Byron.
I honestly was very entertained while reading this book and I learned a few things as well. The story was well written and in a manner that was easy to understand and enjoy. I definitely recommend this book if your into biographies or if your a bibliofreak.
Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and Net Galley for providing me with this free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
June 14, 2016
A woman ahead of her time
Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein, was ahead of her time. She believed men and women should be treated as equals. She also believed that the institution of marriage was unnecessary and too confining (although she had second thoughts about that after she fell in love, and subsequently married Percy Bysshe Shelley).
I knew nothing about the life of Mary Shelley (1797-1851) prior to reading this book, so I couldn't help but wonder how much of the story was total fabrication and how much was based on facts. After finishing the book, I did a little research, and was pleased to learn that the book is indeed based on Mary Shelley's life. Of course this is historical fiction, not a biography, so the thoughts, dialogue and "fill in" details are the author's invention.
There isn't a lot of in depth character development, but I did find it to be an interesting and enjoyable read. And after finishing the book, I can't help but feel a kinship with this pioneering feminist.
Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein, was ahead of her time. She believed men and women should be treated as equals. She also believed that the institution of marriage was unnecessary and too confining (although she had second thoughts about that after she fell in love, and subsequently married Percy Bysshe Shelley).
I knew nothing about the life of Mary Shelley (1797-1851) prior to reading this book, so I couldn't help but wonder how much of the story was total fabrication and how much was based on facts. After finishing the book, I did a little research, and was pleased to learn that the book is indeed based on Mary Shelley's life. Of course this is historical fiction, not a biography, so the thoughts, dialogue and "fill in" details are the author's invention.
There isn't a lot of in depth character development, but I did find it to be an interesting and enjoyable read. And after finishing the book, I can't help but feel a kinship with this pioneering feminist.
April 26, 2019
A well written and enthralling book about the life of Mary Shelley. This is a book I could not put down. I had never realized Shelley was friends with so many well known poets and writers of her day! You will see many familiar famous names in here. I believe this is, while a work of fiction, very much based on fact. In any case you will find the amazing life of the author of Frankenstein to be hard to put down. I hated to see this book end.
June 13, 2018
The work was certainly well researched and has been produced by someone who loves Mary Shelley and her circle. However, the research was not enough to make this flat prose come to life.
While it was not a bad book, the author wrote in a style that did nothing to create any distinction in characters and while the text was different many of the characters seemed very much the same. Hearing it read aloud on audiobook it became hard to distinguish one character from the next, not because of the person reading it but because of the way the work was written with flat two-dimensional characters who merely muttered lines as in a jr high play but otherwise had no life breathed into them. They lacked the spark of life.
I have given this a three, it is worth reading for anyone who has an interest in reading about Shelley the poet, Mary, and Byron. (I found odd that the most likable character in the work was Aaron Burr) However, if you want to be entertained, this is not the book for you. Most of the characters are repugnant and it's hard to sympathize with the plight they continually put themselves into.
I think I would have liked this better if it has been written by someone who could make Mary more human and not a petulant brat who wants what she wants, consequence be damned. Percy "Bish" Shelley comes across as a well-off Brodude, as does Byron. Again, I mention that most of the characters are awful, like some 18th century Seinfeld episode. Maybe that in its way was true to life but it certainly paints a one-dimensional tone to the whole affair that is unpalatable.
While it was not a bad book, the author wrote in a style that did nothing to create any distinction in characters and while the text was different many of the characters seemed very much the same. Hearing it read aloud on audiobook it became hard to distinguish one character from the next, not because of the person reading it but because of the way the work was written with flat two-dimensional characters who merely muttered lines as in a jr high play but otherwise had no life breathed into them. They lacked the spark of life.
I have given this a three, it is worth reading for anyone who has an interest in reading about Shelley the poet, Mary, and Byron. (I found odd that the most likable character in the work was Aaron Burr) However, if you want to be entertained, this is not the book for you. Most of the characters are repugnant and it's hard to sympathize with the plight they continually put themselves into.
I think I would have liked this better if it has been written by someone who could make Mary more human and not a petulant brat who wants what she wants, consequence be damned. Percy "Bish" Shelley comes across as a well-off Brodude, as does Byron. Again, I mention that most of the characters are awful, like some 18th century Seinfeld episode. Maybe that in its way was true to life but it certainly paints a one-dimensional tone to the whole affair that is unpalatable.
October 23, 2015
Originally published at Reading Reality
One of the enduring tales about Mary Shelley is the story of the dark, stormy and miserable night in 1816 when Lord Byron challenged all of his guests to write a ghost story. Out of that challenge came the foundation of two branches of fiction – John Polidori’s The Vampyre, the precursor to Bram Stoker’s more famous Dracula, which is the basis for vampire fantasy and the fiction of the paranormal; and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, which is the foundational work of science fiction.
Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus, was first published in 1818. Her post-apocalyptic novel The Last Man, was published in 1826. Those two works predate everything else we think of as science fiction. Jules Verne and H.G. Wells came later, writing at the end of the 19th century.
But what about Mary Shelley herself? Who was this woman? What shaped her into a woman who could invent this iconic story of a lonely man and his equally lonely monster, forever tied together and forever separate from the rest of mankind?
The Determined Heart is an attempt to tell Mary’s story from Mary’s point of view. It’s an interesting idea, but runs into a few, actually more than a few, problems in the execution.
We all know the bare bones of her life. Her father was a radical philosopher. and her mother was Mary Wollstonecraft, the author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. But Mary Wollstonecraft died not long after her daughter was born, so the shaping of Mary Shelley was left to others.
Mary Shelley was married to one of the most famous poets of the early 19th century, Percy Bysshe Shelley. But the story of their elopement and eventual marriage is only the stuff that dreams are made of if those dreams include a lot of poverty and an incredible amount of selfish self-absorption on all sides.
Their story, Mary Shelley’s story, reads more like tragedy than romance, with occasional forays into farce. It’s not a pretty story, but then, neither is Frankenstein.
Escape Rating C: This was a story that gave me fits. While on the one hand, I wanted to learn more about Mary Shelley, on the other hand, the way that this story was told made me want to shake every single one of the participants. But I definitely got caught up in the story. The more I wanted to slap some sense into most of them, the more engaged I got.
This is not a likable bunch of people. Some of that has to do with their own behavior, and some of it I’ll confess with my 21st century perspective. I kept having to remind myself that women in the 19th century had no political identity, potentially very little personal freedom, and very few respectable or even economically reasonable ways to make a living. Which meant that they more than occasionally acted like doormats or attached themselves to men who could support them whether there was any love or even respect involved or not.
Just the same, most of the behavior of most of the participants in Mary’s story come off as downright appalling. Another factor, and one we forget, is that they were all so incredibly young during these events, and quite often exceedingly immature with it.
Mary’s stepmother Jane Clairmont is portrayed as the quintessential evil stepmother. And it is not just that she favored her own daughter over Mary and her half-sister Fanny, but that she treated Fanny like Cinderella, with no handsome prince on the horizon. Fanny became a drudge while Claire Clairmont got spoiled rotten. Very rotten.
When Percy Bysshe Shelley seduced Mary into leaving with him, Mary is 17, Bysshe is 21, and 17-year-old Claire invites herself along because she’s bored and wants to steal Bysshe from Mary. Bysshe is meanwhile leaving his pregnant wife behind to run off with Mary and Claire. He also at least half-heartedly flirted with poor Fanny, so she ends up alone, overworked and desperately depressed.
As people, they don’t improve. Fanny eventually commits suicide, as does Bysshe’s poor estranged wife, finally allowing him to marry Mary and acquire a thin veneer of respectability. We see this strange menage travel from one escapade to another, with Bysshe having affairs with every woman who catches his fancy while Mary gets pregnant and loses three children.
One of the ongoing themes in the story is the way that Mary continues to let Claire push her around. Claire has an extremely forceful personality, but Mary seems to lose all self-respect when Claire is in the picture. Or Mary keeps giving into Bysshe who always wants another woman around for inspiration, no matter how much he loves Mary. This is the part that sent me furthest round the bend. I found it difficult to believe that the intelligent woman who later managed to make a living with her writing couldn’t find a way of getting the odious Claire out of her life.
We see all the characters, including their charismatic friend Lord Byron, as petulant, impulsive, self-indulgent and very, very young. If this were a complete fabrication instead of historical fiction we would still know that it won’t end well. Which it didn’t.
That Mary finally grows into herself upon Bysshe’s death is the redemption of her story, but the parts that detail her life after his accidental drowning at age 29 are given woefully short shrift.
Frankenstein is a work of towering genius. Unfortunately, this fictionalized biography of its creator reads as if it were intended as a new adult romance, and stops just when she gets to be the mistress of her own fate. There is absolutely nothing wrong with new adult romance, but I expected more from this book and especially from these people as characters in it. Which doesn’t make this portrait less true, but does make the characters more infuriating.
Next year is the 200th anniversary of the publication of Frankenstein. As a fictionalized introduction to the life and times of its creator, The Determined Heart is flawed but interesting. I hope that there will be more treatments of Shelley’s life and work as the anniversary moves closer.
One of the enduring tales about Mary Shelley is the story of the dark, stormy and miserable night in 1816 when Lord Byron challenged all of his guests to write a ghost story. Out of that challenge came the foundation of two branches of fiction – John Polidori’s The Vampyre, the precursor to Bram Stoker’s more famous Dracula, which is the basis for vampire fantasy and the fiction of the paranormal; and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, which is the foundational work of science fiction.
Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus, was first published in 1818. Her post-apocalyptic novel The Last Man, was published in 1826. Those two works predate everything else we think of as science fiction. Jules Verne and H.G. Wells came later, writing at the end of the 19th century.
But what about Mary Shelley herself? Who was this woman? What shaped her into a woman who could invent this iconic story of a lonely man and his equally lonely monster, forever tied together and forever separate from the rest of mankind?
The Determined Heart is an attempt to tell Mary’s story from Mary’s point of view. It’s an interesting idea, but runs into a few, actually more than a few, problems in the execution.
We all know the bare bones of her life. Her father was a radical philosopher. and her mother was Mary Wollstonecraft, the author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. But Mary Wollstonecraft died not long after her daughter was born, so the shaping of Mary Shelley was left to others.
Mary Shelley was married to one of the most famous poets of the early 19th century, Percy Bysshe Shelley. But the story of their elopement and eventual marriage is only the stuff that dreams are made of if those dreams include a lot of poverty and an incredible amount of selfish self-absorption on all sides.
Their story, Mary Shelley’s story, reads more like tragedy than romance, with occasional forays into farce. It’s not a pretty story, but then, neither is Frankenstein.
Escape Rating C: This was a story that gave me fits. While on the one hand, I wanted to learn more about Mary Shelley, on the other hand, the way that this story was told made me want to shake every single one of the participants. But I definitely got caught up in the story. The more I wanted to slap some sense into most of them, the more engaged I got.
This is not a likable bunch of people. Some of that has to do with their own behavior, and some of it I’ll confess with my 21st century perspective. I kept having to remind myself that women in the 19th century had no political identity, potentially very little personal freedom, and very few respectable or even economically reasonable ways to make a living. Which meant that they more than occasionally acted like doormats or attached themselves to men who could support them whether there was any love or even respect involved or not.
Just the same, most of the behavior of most of the participants in Mary’s story come off as downright appalling. Another factor, and one we forget, is that they were all so incredibly young during these events, and quite often exceedingly immature with it.
Mary’s stepmother Jane Clairmont is portrayed as the quintessential evil stepmother. And it is not just that she favored her own daughter over Mary and her half-sister Fanny, but that she treated Fanny like Cinderella, with no handsome prince on the horizon. Fanny became a drudge while Claire Clairmont got spoiled rotten. Very rotten.
When Percy Bysshe Shelley seduced Mary into leaving with him, Mary is 17, Bysshe is 21, and 17-year-old Claire invites herself along because she’s bored and wants to steal Bysshe from Mary. Bysshe is meanwhile leaving his pregnant wife behind to run off with Mary and Claire. He also at least half-heartedly flirted with poor Fanny, so she ends up alone, overworked and desperately depressed.
As people, they don’t improve. Fanny eventually commits suicide, as does Bysshe’s poor estranged wife, finally allowing him to marry Mary and acquire a thin veneer of respectability. We see this strange menage travel from one escapade to another, with Bysshe having affairs with every woman who catches his fancy while Mary gets pregnant and loses three children.
One of the ongoing themes in the story is the way that Mary continues to let Claire push her around. Claire has an extremely forceful personality, but Mary seems to lose all self-respect when Claire is in the picture. Or Mary keeps giving into Bysshe who always wants another woman around for inspiration, no matter how much he loves Mary. This is the part that sent me furthest round the bend. I found it difficult to believe that the intelligent woman who later managed to make a living with her writing couldn’t find a way of getting the odious Claire out of her life.
We see all the characters, including their charismatic friend Lord Byron, as petulant, impulsive, self-indulgent and very, very young. If this were a complete fabrication instead of historical fiction we would still know that it won’t end well. Which it didn’t.
That Mary finally grows into herself upon Bysshe’s death is the redemption of her story, but the parts that detail her life after his accidental drowning at age 29 are given woefully short shrift.
Frankenstein is a work of towering genius. Unfortunately, this fictionalized biography of its creator reads as if it were intended as a new adult romance, and stops just when she gets to be the mistress of her own fate. There is absolutely nothing wrong with new adult romance, but I expected more from this book and especially from these people as characters in it. Which doesn’t make this portrait less true, but does make the characters more infuriating.
Next year is the 200th anniversary of the publication of Frankenstein. As a fictionalized introduction to the life and times of its creator, The Determined Heart is flawed but interesting. I hope that there will be more treatments of Shelley’s life and work as the anniversary moves closer.
October 26, 2017
With echoes of her deceased mother Mary Wollstonecraft’s avant garde feminism undergirding the narrative, Mary Godwin Shelley emerges from “The Determined Heart” as a heroine ahead of her time. Her unconventional love affair with Percy Bysshe Shelley marks a pivotal turning point in her young life, and what follows leads to myriad highs and lows and generates her crowning achievement, “Frankenstein.” Populated by characters both legendary and mundane, this story draws readers into a world that is in many ways reflective of contemporary society, and although it is a work of historical fiction, it nevertheless imparts a stimulating view of classic literature and the lives of those who composed it, tempestuous relationships and all. Short chapters and a continuous pace make this a relatively quick read, as well.
February 13, 2025
Very intriguing story about Mary Shelly’s wild life. So crazy! It was interesting to learn about the intricacies of the philosophies of the day - “free love” before the sexual revolution and before women’s rights really wasn’t a very good deal for women. I read this for a book club and many of us thought that trying to buck the social norms of the early 19th century was a very dangerous thing to do.
September 9, 2017
This was a very well written book and a delicious read! It is difficult to believe these characters were real people yet they were. It definitely made me want to learn even more about these first "hippies"!
October 4, 2015
This is a compelling and extensively researched fictional version of the life of Mary Shelley until shortly after the death of Percy Bysshe Shelley. This novel also delves deeply into her relationships: with her family, her lovers, and her friends and supporters.
Mary was born into from the union of two amazing thinkers of their time, Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin. Both were considered intellectual revolutionaries, particularly Wollstonecraft for being a writer and the proto-feminist, writing many different works, but most remarkably, A Vindication of the Rights of Women. Mary's mother died giving birth to her daughter, and Mary felt the loss of her mother keenly throughout her life.
This narrative begins when her father, William Godwin, chooses a new wife, his neighbor Mary Jane Claremont, referred to by Mary as Mum. She and her sister Fanny also have new siblings via this marriage, most notably, Clara, known later as Claire.
Mary is raised in a very liberal and unusual tradtion for the time, one of free thinking, as well as free love. Percy Shelley, a 22 year old poet, is helping her father with his work, and the three young women in the Godwin household all becomes enraptured by the poet's charms, but Mary wins him over (or so she thinks). The novel details their tavels, trials, and tribulaitons together.
What is most striking to me in this novel is learning that, despite Percy (and Godwin, and Lord Byron's) embracement of free love and rejection of marriage, they only uphold these free thinking ideals when is is ideal for them. When children are involved, especially, they becomes quite selfish and unwilling to flout the rules of society and laws, allowing children (multiple times) to be ripped away from their most proper places (with their mothers) and given to foster parents, convents, and the like, often leading to their deaths, ina time when fevers and malaria often took their lives.
This is not just a novel about Frankenstein: it is actually about Mary's philosophy. She was very saddened by the deaths of several of her children, her sister, her friend Lord Byron, and especially by the loss of her beloved Bysshe. But she also struggles with the legacies the adults in her life left to her. How could Bysshe be so constantly enraptured by other women, and not as devoted to her as she was to him? Even going so far as writing ardent love poems about these other women? Her father, who taught her all he knew, yet rejects her when she acts on these ideals. How could Byron, a wealthy and powerful man, be so free thinking, and yet so cruel to those he could have easily helped? How could her beloved sister(s) hurt her so much? Mary also deals with guilt that comes from realiing the very ideals her parents engendered in her being be the same ones that encourages her to hurt others? (Bysshe was a married man, with a child on the way, when she and her "eloped" to the continent.) But Mary was a young and impetuous girl, and Shelley was the one who could have protected her from gossip and the rages of her father an step mother, as well as not acting on his impulse to seduce every woman who threw herself at the poet, including her step sister.
I have always found the Romantic poets and writers fascinating, but am even more intrigued with them after reading about their lives in this novel. The extensive bibliography at the end of the novel is a great place to mine for more books about these fascinating people, the celebrities of their time.
Mary was born into from the union of two amazing thinkers of their time, Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin. Both were considered intellectual revolutionaries, particularly Wollstonecraft for being a writer and the proto-feminist, writing many different works, but most remarkably, A Vindication of the Rights of Women. Mary's mother died giving birth to her daughter, and Mary felt the loss of her mother keenly throughout her life.
This narrative begins when her father, William Godwin, chooses a new wife, his neighbor Mary Jane Claremont, referred to by Mary as Mum. She and her sister Fanny also have new siblings via this marriage, most notably, Clara, known later as Claire.
Mary is raised in a very liberal and unusual tradtion for the time, one of free thinking, as well as free love. Percy Shelley, a 22 year old poet, is helping her father with his work, and the three young women in the Godwin household all becomes enraptured by the poet's charms, but Mary wins him over (or so she thinks). The novel details their tavels, trials, and tribulaitons together.
What is most striking to me in this novel is learning that, despite Percy (and Godwin, and Lord Byron's) embracement of free love and rejection of marriage, they only uphold these free thinking ideals when is is ideal for them. When children are involved, especially, they becomes quite selfish and unwilling to flout the rules of society and laws, allowing children (multiple times) to be ripped away from their most proper places (with their mothers) and given to foster parents, convents, and the like, often leading to their deaths, ina time when fevers and malaria often took their lives.
This is not just a novel about Frankenstein: it is actually about Mary's philosophy. She was very saddened by the deaths of several of her children, her sister, her friend Lord Byron, and especially by the loss of her beloved Bysshe. But she also struggles with the legacies the adults in her life left to her. How could Bysshe be so constantly enraptured by other women, and not as devoted to her as she was to him? Even going so far as writing ardent love poems about these other women? Her father, who taught her all he knew, yet rejects her when she acts on these ideals. How could Byron, a wealthy and powerful man, be so free thinking, and yet so cruel to those he could have easily helped? How could her beloved sister(s) hurt her so much? Mary also deals with guilt that comes from realiing the very ideals her parents engendered in her being be the same ones that encourages her to hurt others? (Bysshe was a married man, with a child on the way, when she and her "eloped" to the continent.) But Mary was a young and impetuous girl, and Shelley was the one who could have protected her from gossip and the rages of her father an step mother, as well as not acting on his impulse to seduce every woman who threw herself at the poet, including her step sister.
I have always found the Romantic poets and writers fascinating, but am even more intrigued with them after reading about their lives in this novel. The extensive bibliography at the end of the novel is a great place to mine for more books about these fascinating people, the celebrities of their time.
February 3, 2016
Originally posted on my blog With Her Head in a Book.
I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I picked up THE DETERMINED HEART right around October of last year hoping to learn a bit more about Mary Shelley and the big love interest of her life. I hoped to gain some insight to the effect her had on her and how that manifested in her writings which I would be reading shortly after. I didn’t quite get that in this novel, but I did learn a fair about Mary Shelley though I probably have to take much of it with a grain of salt. This is a historical fiction biography.
I really loved the author's writing style, but the style of narration really let me down. This looks like it should more than just a biography - a 'real' novel with an enriched story and characters we can feel for. Yes, okay, these are real people as characters, but they still have passions and emotions and inner thoughts. I didn't get that one-on-one feeling here. There is no depth. It was more "Mary felt this, Bysshe felt this, Claire is awful." Coupled with speeding through points of her life (I know there was a lot to cover, but still. I never felt like we ever got to truly live in a moment before the scene was over. At the same time, some parts seemed to drag on in the worst kind of way.), I couldn't really retain my interest. Kind of one of those books where you hold on and keep reading because maybe it'll get better. Still waiting for that moment.
Now the content itself is spectacularly interesting - this is Mary Shelley. Even though this is focused on the Lady, her husband, and her sister I thought there might be a bit more mention of Frankenstein besides cheesy suggestions of how she got the idea for the book. After all, it's apart of the biography's title. Bysshe wasn't her Frankenstein and the author writes that Trelawny is her "monster," so is this title only an attention grabber? The ending is also extremely cut short. Bysshe dies and in less than 10% the novel is over. Is Mary Shelley no more than her love with her husband? Who is she beyond that? This book doesn't answer that.
I'm still on the fence whether or not I'm glad I read this book. I did not get out of it what I wanted to originally, yet it was still interesting to learn about things I didn't know. The question is could I have gotten the same information if I had just read Wikipedia? Probably would have saved some time and thus enjoyed myself on other books instead. There were many times where I debated leaving the book and never continuing it. I know I more than likely wouldn't recommend THE DETERMINED HEART to the average reader or even a person generally interested in Mary Shelley.
PLOT: 2/5
CHARACTERS: 2/5
WRITING STYLE: 3/5
ALL AROUND IDEA: 3/5
TOTAL: 3/5
I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I picked up THE DETERMINED HEART right around October of last year hoping to learn a bit more about Mary Shelley and the big love interest of her life. I hoped to gain some insight to the effect her had on her and how that manifested in her writings which I would be reading shortly after. I didn’t quite get that in this novel, but I did learn a fair about Mary Shelley though I probably have to take much of it with a grain of salt. This is a historical fiction biography.
I really loved the author's writing style, but the style of narration really let me down. This looks like it should more than just a biography - a 'real' novel with an enriched story and characters we can feel for. Yes, okay, these are real people as characters, but they still have passions and emotions and inner thoughts. I didn't get that one-on-one feeling here. There is no depth. It was more "Mary felt this, Bysshe felt this, Claire is awful." Coupled with speeding through points of her life (I know there was a lot to cover, but still. I never felt like we ever got to truly live in a moment before the scene was over. At the same time, some parts seemed to drag on in the worst kind of way.), I couldn't really retain my interest. Kind of one of those books where you hold on and keep reading because maybe it'll get better. Still waiting for that moment.
Now the content itself is spectacularly interesting - this is Mary Shelley. Even though this is focused on the Lady, her husband, and her sister I thought there might be a bit more mention of Frankenstein besides cheesy suggestions of how she got the idea for the book. After all, it's apart of the biography's title. Bysshe wasn't her Frankenstein and the author writes that Trelawny is her "monster," so is this title only an attention grabber? The ending is also extremely cut short. Bysshe dies and in less than 10% the novel is over. Is Mary Shelley no more than her love with her husband? Who is she beyond that? This book doesn't answer that.
I'm still on the fence whether or not I'm glad I read this book. I did not get out of it what I wanted to originally, yet it was still interesting to learn about things I didn't know. The question is could I have gotten the same information if I had just read Wikipedia? Probably would have saved some time and thus enjoyed myself on other books instead. There were many times where I debated leaving the book and never continuing it. I know I more than likely wouldn't recommend THE DETERMINED HEART to the average reader or even a person generally interested in Mary Shelley.
PLOT: 2/5
CHARACTERS: 2/5
WRITING STYLE: 3/5
ALL AROUND IDEA: 3/5
TOTAL: 3/5
October 15, 2015
Confession time, I didn't realize Frankenstein was written by a woman (never read it). Published in 1818, I didn't think that women were able to get anything published, even if anonymously. So this book was not just entertaining but educational at the same time.
If there is one sure way to grab a readers attention, especially mine, this book had it. Start with a young girl who's mother perished giving her life, mix in a little scandal and The Determined Heart had me right from the beginning. With a famous mother, who was also a writer, this book revolved around books, whether writing them, selling them, essentially all things literary.
The writing style was engaging and her character development was nice. It wasn't hard to connect with Mary and her older sister Fan but once the stepmother and stepsister showed up things changed. It would have been nice if there was a little more depth at times to some of the interactions as I didn't exactly feel the emotional connection in the romance department - whether it be between Mary and Percy and those involving Clara (the stepsister).
One thing about HF is you can't change history, you can modify it a little to make for interesting reading though. Case in point Claire/Clara, I didn't like her, she was demanding, immature and extremely inconsiderate not to mention annoying. Whether she was like that in history I don't know, but if it was the authors intent to portray her that way, she did a spot on job of that.
All in all I really enjoyed this book, very happy to have read it. I love learning about lesser known figures in history and this fit the bill perfectly. Frankenstein is already loaded on my kindle.
This and other reviews can be found at justonemorechapter.com
If there is one sure way to grab a readers attention, especially mine, this book had it. Start with a young girl who's mother perished giving her life, mix in a little scandal and The Determined Heart had me right from the beginning. With a famous mother, who was also a writer, this book revolved around books, whether writing them, selling them, essentially all things literary.
The writing style was engaging and her character development was nice. It wasn't hard to connect with Mary and her older sister Fan but once the stepmother and stepsister showed up things changed. It would have been nice if there was a little more depth at times to some of the interactions as I didn't exactly feel the emotional connection in the romance department - whether it be between Mary and Percy and those involving Clara (the stepsister).
One thing about HF is you can't change history, you can modify it a little to make for interesting reading though. Case in point Claire/Clara, I didn't like her, she was demanding, immature and extremely inconsiderate not to mention annoying. Whether she was like that in history I don't know, but if it was the authors intent to portray her that way, she did a spot on job of that.
All in all I really enjoyed this book, very happy to have read it. I love learning about lesser known figures in history and this fit the bill perfectly. Frankenstein is already loaded on my kindle.
This and other reviews can be found at justonemorechapter.com
November 30, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. I was engrossed in the story as soon as I started reading the first few pages. I really liked Mary right away but it was heartbreaking to see all that she had to endure. The selfish people she put up with and why she endured it. The book is a historical fiction but made me think about her life and what she was really was like. I have Frankenstein's on my to read list, the version that Shelley originally produced. I would recommend this book to my friends. I'd like to read more from this author. Thank-you for the book and the opportunity to give my honest review for this book that I received in a Goodreads giveaway.
January 2, 2025
I read two books about Frankenstein for a book club which made it an excellent moment to pick up this book which had been on my TBR for ages. Despite Frankenstein being in the title there are a lot of topics that are touched that make clear how she could develop such a story. What we read is a fictional story about Shelley her life and struggles. As a woman with a strong character growing up in a time where that was frowned upon. At points, you wonder where fiction hits reality and it is clear the author used a lot of sources to make this story feel true.
September 17, 2015
"I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review"
I enjoyed this tale of how Mary Shelley was inspired and influenced to write "Frankenstein". The characters were so well written that I found myself getting wrapped up in their adventures. I grimaced when they made stupid decisions, gasped when they had unexpected adventures and sighed when their dreams were fulfilled or dashed.
I enjoyed this tale of how Mary Shelley was inspired and influenced to write "Frankenstein". The characters were so well written that I found myself getting wrapped up in their adventures. I grimaced when they made stupid decisions, gasped when they had unexpected adventures and sighed when their dreams were fulfilled or dashed.
October 28, 2015
I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway.
This was quite an interesting book. I knew little of Mary Shelley other than the generic overview most people have heard. It felt equal parts heartbreak and intrigue. I'm definitely glad to have won this book as I am doubtful I would have picked it out to read on my own.
This was quite an interesting book. I knew little of Mary Shelley other than the generic overview most people have heard. It felt equal parts heartbreak and intrigue. I'm definitely glad to have won this book as I am doubtful I would have picked it out to read on my own.
October 10, 2015
I really enjoyed getting to read this book as it allowed me to learn more than the basic knowledge I had about Mary Shelley.
For my complete review visit: https://readingstewardess.wordpress.c...
For my complete review visit: https://readingstewardess.wordpress.c...
October 12, 2015
I thought this was a very satisfying and well-written historical novel. I am impressed.
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