Angelmonster

Book, 1969

Status

Available

Call number

823.92

Collection

Publication

Publisher Unknown (1969)

Description

Fictionalized story of Mary Godwin, author of the horror classic "Frankenstein," and her relationship with poet and freethinker Percy Shelley, who ran away to Europe to escape gossip and social ostracism in London, and who endured tragedy and terrible losses repeatedly in her life. In the spring of 1814, poet Percy Shelley enters the life of young Mary Godwin like an angel of deliverance. Seduced by his radical and romantic ideas, she flees with him and her stepsister to Europe, where they forge a hardscrabble life while mingling with other free-spirited artists and poets. Frowned on by family and society, persecuted by gossip, and plagued by jealousy, Mary becomes haunted by freakish imaginings and hideous visions. As tragedy strikes, not once but time and again, Mary begins to realize that her dreams have become nightmares, and her angel . . . a monster. Now the time has finally come for the young woman who would become Mary Shelley to set her monster free.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member carolcarter
Angelmonster is the story of Mary Shelley's life in the years prior to her writing Frankenstein. Veronica Bennett's book is fictional but she has taken few liberties. Mary's early life with Shelley is quite dramatic on its own. The only noticeable change was that Mary wrote Frankenstein much
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earlier than is depicted in this book. I have read at least one biography of Mary Shelley and this felt like a shorter, more lovingly produced biography. There is nothing frightening about Angelmonster but if you wondered a bit about the origin of the Frankenstein story this book is easily absorbed. If you only know Frankenstein in the Hollywood version you might want to read the book. It is considerably more complex and nuanced than most of the film versions. The notable exception is the DeNiro film which adheres to the original story.
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LibraryThing member SunnySD
Just couldn't get in to this one. Sex, drugs, suicide, (everything but rock & roll!), and bloody gruesome detail. I didn't like Frankenstein, and am not a fan of fictionalizing the lives of real people, so although historically speaking pieces of it are riveting, it wasn't my cup of tea.
LibraryThing member justablondemoment
Story of Mary Shelley (author of 'Frankenstein') and her romance & life with poet Percy Shelley. Her loses & joys and how events led to her famous book.

This was a really good book. Neither throughly enjoyed or disliked...just good. Up till I read this I had no idea Frankenstein was written by a
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woman. I was filled with emotion on all Mary's despairing times in her life. Although the author lets us know at the end of this story that it is 'based' off real events and people it is purely fictional...it was believable. Not exactly my cup of tea but entertaining.
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Original publication date

2005-10-03

Other editions

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