Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Headline (2012), 672 pages
Description
They were the Romantic generation, famous and infamous, and in their short, extraordinary lives, they left a legacy of glamorous and often shocking legend. In PASSION the interwoven lives and vivid personalities of Byron, Shelley and Keats are explored through the eyes of the women who knew and loved them - scandalously, intensely and sometimes tragically. From the salons of the Whig nobles and the penury and vitality of Grub Street, to the beauty and corruption of Venice and the carrion field of Waterloo, PASSION presents the Romantic generation in a new and dramatic light - actors in a stormy history that unleashed the energies of the modern world.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Chatterbox
This is a bit of an epic -- a very dense 500-plus pages -- but fascinating. Not quite as good as the first of Morgan's books that I read under this pen-name (the others of his I've read were under the pseudonym of Hannah March; an excellent but short series of mysteries set in Georgian England.)
In this, Morgan sets out to look at the lives of the women whose fate was entangled with that of some of the Romantic poets, particularly Byron and Shelley. It's an ambitious undertaking, but it succeeds in large part to Morgan's extensive research that never feels as if it's being delivered in the shape of a 'lesson' for the reader, but more as incidental tidbits. Morgan's writing is excellent, and he has somehow managed to master different 'voices' for all the different women who feature here, and different dialogue formats. Lady Caroline Lamb speaks directly to the reader, in such a breathless and excited tone that you can certainly imagine her referring to Byron as "mad, bad and dangerous to know." On the other hand, the Lamb/Melbourne family's interactions are scripted as if they were part of the dialogue from a play -- reflective of the nature of the family's relationships, where appearance matters above all else. Then there is Byron's wife, who sounds for all the world like an intellectual yet stuffy refugee from Anthony Trollope's Barsetshire.
The core of the book deals with two characters: Mary Godwin, daughter of two scandalous parents (her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, is best known today) who would go on to scandalize the world herself by running off with the married poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley. (Yup, that would be Frankenstein's Mary Shelley.) As portrayed by Morgan, she emerges from behind Shelley's life and that of her own fictional creation as a fascinating character, juggling domestic considerations with grand passion and literary creation. There is Byron, and all his innamorati -- Lady Caroline Lamb; Mary's stepsister, Claire Clairmont; and most infamously, his own half-sister, Augusta Leigh. The outlier -- although just as well-crafted -- is the relationship between John Keats and Fanny Brawne, which is more loosely connected to the others, and can't really be compared with the longer and more complex relationships. It could, IMO, easily have been put to one side and left what is already a long and complex narrative a little more manageable.
Morgan's theme is (surprise, surprise) passion, and the extent to which grand passion is capable of distorting one's life. The Romantic poets focused on passionate themes in their poetry, so it's intriguing to explore the idea of passion from another perspective.
This book falls into my 'thumping good read' category, but it's also a great way for someone to get a feel for the period and the personalities. In other words, it's another great historical novel from this author. The cover on my edition, which features a swooning young woman en deshabille, does it a disservice. This is no romance novel, but rather a fascinating work of historical fiction of the kind that is getting hard to find. Jude Morgan is an author who should be getting a lot more attention, IMHO...
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It's kind of amazing when I conclude that the worst part of this book is the title and the cover, which give a solid historical novel the sense of being a formulaic bodice-ripper, when it's really anything but. (This is far closer to Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall than to anything penned by Barbara Cartland or others...)In this, Morgan sets out to look at the lives of the women whose fate was entangled with that of some of the Romantic poets, particularly Byron and Shelley. It's an ambitious undertaking, but it succeeds in large part to Morgan's extensive research that never feels as if it's being delivered in the shape of a 'lesson' for the reader, but more as incidental tidbits. Morgan's writing is excellent, and he has somehow managed to master different 'voices' for all the different women who feature here, and different dialogue formats. Lady Caroline Lamb speaks directly to the reader, in such a breathless and excited tone that you can certainly imagine her referring to Byron as "mad, bad and dangerous to know." On the other hand, the Lamb/Melbourne family's interactions are scripted as if they were part of the dialogue from a play -- reflective of the nature of the family's relationships, where appearance matters above all else. Then there is Byron's wife, who sounds for all the world like an intellectual yet stuffy refugee from Anthony Trollope's Barsetshire.
The core of the book deals with two characters: Mary Godwin, daughter of two scandalous parents (her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, is best known today) who would go on to scandalize the world herself by running off with the married poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley. (Yup, that would be Frankenstein's Mary Shelley.) As portrayed by Morgan, she emerges from behind Shelley's life and that of her own fictional creation as a fascinating character, juggling domestic considerations with grand passion and literary creation. There is Byron, and all his innamorati -- Lady Caroline Lamb; Mary's stepsister, Claire Clairmont; and most infamously, his own half-sister, Augusta Leigh. The outlier -- although just as well-crafted -- is the relationship between John Keats and Fanny Brawne, which is more loosely connected to the others, and can't really be compared with the longer and more complex relationships. It could, IMO, easily have been put to one side and left what is already a long and complex narrative a little more manageable.
Morgan's theme is (surprise, surprise) passion, and the extent to which grand passion is capable of distorting one's life. The Romantic poets focused on passionate themes in their poetry, so it's intriguing to explore the idea of passion from another perspective.
This book falls into my 'thumping good read' category, but it's also a great way for someone to get a feel for the period and the personalities. In other words, it's another great historical novel from this author. The cover on my edition, which features a swooning young woman en deshabille, does it a disservice. This is no romance novel, but rather a fascinating work of historical fiction of the kind that is getting hard to find. Jude Morgan is an author who should be getting a lot more attention, IMHO...
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LibraryThing member Cariola
Despite its unfortunate title (which sounds like something by Danielle Steel), Passion is a wonderful historical novel. (I agree with the reviewer who said this is NOT really a historical romance.) I was so delighted by it that I sought out everything I could find by Jude Morgan, and I've been
Personally, I liked the shifting narrative, and I think that Morgan did an excellent job of creating believable, individual voices for each of the women: Mary Wollstonecraft, Lady Caroline Lamb, Augusta Leigh, Mary Shelley, and Fanny Brawne (with extra appearances by Claire Clairemont and a bevy of Byron's other lovers). I agree that the sections on Keats and Fanny were the least successful; I suspect this is because Keats was really not really a part of the social circle of Byron and Shelley.
Overall, Passion ranks very high on my list of favorite historical novels. Highly recommended.
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recommending this book to anyone I know who loves historical fiction. Personally, I liked the shifting narrative, and I think that Morgan did an excellent job of creating believable, individual voices for each of the women: Mary Wollstonecraft, Lady Caroline Lamb, Augusta Leigh, Mary Shelley, and Fanny Brawne (with extra appearances by Claire Clairemont and a bevy of Byron's other lovers). I agree that the sections on Keats and Fanny were the least successful; I suspect this is because Keats was really not really a part of the social circle of Byron and Shelley.
Overall, Passion ranks very high on my list of favorite historical novels. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member starbox
Wonderful account of Byron, Keats and Shelley and the women who formed part of their romantic and tragic circle. I had a general idea of some of the story but learnt so much; all the characters are so vivid, their personalities brought out in conversation; in occasional monologues.
Opening with the
I love Jude Morgan's books which bring history to life.
Opening with the
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unhappy account of Mary Wollstonecraft's early, unconventional life, the narrative moves on to the daughter she leaves behind- Mary Godwin-; and the stepsister acquired by her father's second marriage- Jane (later Claire) Clairmont. Into their humble but literary life comes the poet Shelley. And later Byron...who has moved from disturbed Caroline Lamb to his married half sister to a short-lived marriage with a principled lady... And the most normal of the group- Keats - dying of consumption- and his beloved Fanny Brawne., I love Jude Morgan's books which bring history to life.
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LibraryThing member katie.chase
Liked it. It is without a strong narrative thread, and relies on vignettes. Given this fact, it was a little long. But I greatly enjoyed the first 200 and last 100 pages, so that adds up to a positive experience overall.
LibraryThing member strandbooks
This book took me a very long time to read. I did enjoy it, but I got lost with some of the characters in the middle.
LibraryThing member bolero
Historical fiction of Byron, Keats and Shelley
LibraryThing member wealhtheowwylfing
Historical fiction told from the points of view of women who loved three of the most famous Romatnic poets: Byron, Shelley, and Keats. It hews very closely to the known facts, revealing opinions and personalities so unobtrusively and naturally that the prodigious amount of research Morgan must have
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done is invisible. Beautifully told, with natural dialog and evocative imagery and metaphors. Impressively, I came away from this novel feeling strongly for each of the historical personages, even Byron who I usually dislike. I really wish this had been several equally long books, instead of just one: I would have loved an entire novel of Fanny Brawne and Keats teasing and sighing over each other, for instance. Show Less
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2004
Physical description
536 p.; 5.5 inches
ISBN
9780755304035