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64th out of 133 books
—
92 voters
The Monsters: Mary Shelley and the Curse of Frankenstein
by
Dorothy Hoobler,
Thomas Hoobler (Goodreads Author)
One murky night in 1816, on the shores of Lake Geneva, Lord Byron, famed English poet, challenged his friends to a contest--to write a ghost story. The assembled group included the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley; his lover (and future wife) Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin; Mary's stepsister Claire Claremont; and Byron's physician, John William Polidori. The famous result was Mary Sh...more
Hardcover, 377 pages
Published
May 30th 2009
by Little, Brown and Company
(first published May 22nd 2006)
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This book made me quite grumpy. I am writing this review in the hopes of freeing myself from the annoying feeling that comes over me each time I think about it.
I am having a bit of difficult time identifying why I disliked it so much. A book about writers and what inspired them seems like a fascinating topic. And I admit, there are a lot of anecdotes in this book that are really quite interesting-but then, there's a lot that is interesting in the dictionary or in an encyclopedia, but I do not ta...more
I am having a bit of difficult time identifying why I disliked it so much. A book about writers and what inspired them seems like a fascinating topic. And I admit, there are a lot of anecdotes in this book that are really quite interesting-but then, there's a lot that is interesting in the dictionary or in an encyclopedia, but I do not ta...more
I was a little worried when I bought this book, which had been recommended by a friend, that the writers might delve into the more salacious aspects of these writers/poets...and there was a good lot of room for that with Byron being a factor, but it was very factually presented. It's fascinating to see the buildup to the narrative of Frankenstein. The authors did an excellent job of weaving together the history to show how Mary's creation evolved. Her parents and her relationship with them. Her...more
When I was a kid, the first big novel I tried to read was Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein"...a story about a benevolent monster, cobbled together from various parts, just trying to fit in. The book was too big for me when I was ten but years later I tackled it again.
What was the appeal of a book written so long ago (1816) by the 19-year-old (she was actually younger when she started it.)
Perhaps the authors of "The Monsters" sum it up best: "Feeling unloved, misunderstood, unjustly rejected are uni...more
What was the appeal of a book written so long ago (1816) by the 19-year-old (she was actually younger when she started it.)
Perhaps the authors of "The Monsters" sum it up best: "Feeling unloved, misunderstood, unjustly rejected are uni...more
This book was interesting even though I haven't yet read Frankenstein. I was surprised to learn that Frankenstein was the result of a contest among a group of friends proposed by Lord Byron to write a ghost story. Following are some of the other notes I made in the margins.
Shortly before Mary Shelley's mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, died the doctors applied puppies to "draw off the milk" (p.36) from her breasts in hopes that the stimulation would cause the placenta to be expelled. I'm curious to k
...more
Wow. People lived scandalously even in the Romantic period!
This book introduces the reader to the famous back story of how Frankenstein was written. The lives of Mary Shelly, her family, her husband Percy Shelly, and their friends Lord Byron and Polidori (Byron's doctor) are explained in rather good detail, revealing secrets about them all, and their motivations that are never mentioned in any English classes I've heard of.
I love the way the authors linked events from Mary Shelly's life to her...more
This book introduces the reader to the famous back story of how Frankenstein was written. The lives of Mary Shelly, her family, her husband Percy Shelly, and their friends Lord Byron and Polidori (Byron's doctor) are explained in rather good detail, revealing secrets about them all, and their motivations that are never mentioned in any English classes I've heard of.
I love the way the authors linked events from Mary Shelly's life to her...more
Jan 16, 2008
Anna
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people who love both books and E! True Hollywood Story
I'm 1/3 of the way through, and it's been scandal after scandal so far. Mary and Percy were some crazy kids.
****
Engaging, well-written, and very, very sad. It's like E! True Hollywood story for the 19th century, and has the same addictive qualities. Will Mary and Percy reconcile? Will Claire's baby survive? Will Byron's body image issues be his downfall? Find out after the break. Reading it and then revisiting Frankenstein was a good idea.
****
Engaging, well-written, and very, very sad. It's like E! True Hollywood story for the 19th century, and has the same addictive qualities. Will Mary and Percy reconcile? Will Claire's baby survive? Will Byron's body image issues be his downfall? Find out after the break. Reading it and then revisiting Frankenstein was a good idea.
This is a facinating account, not just of Mary Shelley but the equally famous and talented people that were part of her life. From her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft (author of A Vindication on the Rights of Women, and often referred to as the first feminist) and her father, William Godwin, (author of Political Justice, athiest, anarchist, philosopher) to her poet husband, Percy Shelley, and his fellow poet, the dark, legendary, and multifaceted Lord George Byron, this book describes the web of the...more
Nov 20, 2008
Eddylee
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
book lovers, fans of Frankenstein, other monsters
I loved reading this! It was well written and adventurous yet not romantic and distanced itself from Lord Byron and Percy choosing the side of Mary Shelly. I haven't been into non-fiction in a while but I found this book as inspiring as fiction. In fact, it would be difficult to write a story like this and still have it be believable.
I learned all sorts of new things and got several new books to read out of it. One of the side characters was Pollidori who wrote a vampire novel which the authors...more
I learned all sorts of new things and got several new books to read out of it. One of the side characters was Pollidori who wrote a vampire novel which the authors...more
The Monsters: Mary Shelley and the Curse of Frankenstein by Dorothy and Thomas Hobbler
New York: Little, Brown and Company
$14.99 (paperback) – 374 pages
“I busied myself to think of a story … One which would
speak to the mysterious fears of our nature and awake
thrilling horror.”
- Mary Shelley, Introduction to Frankenstein
Back in the 50’s, when I was an English major, I frequently found myself moribund with boredom as I suffered through classroom lectures on the meaning of sonnets, epics and allegor...more
New York: Little, Brown and Company
$14.99 (paperback) – 374 pages
“I busied myself to think of a story … One which would
speak to the mysterious fears of our nature and awake
thrilling horror.”
- Mary Shelley, Introduction to Frankenstein
Back in the 50’s, when I was an English major, I frequently found myself moribund with boredom as I suffered through classroom lectures on the meaning of sonnets, epics and allegor...more
1 like · like · see review
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brilliant historical essay
very well written...while i think "The Monsters" would still be a difficult read for someone who is not fascinated by history, it is exceedingly far from dry. highly recommended for anyone who is interested in Gothic, Romanticism, original horror, literature, and/or Scottish & English history - and who is not afraid of history in general
very well written...while i think "The Monsters" would still be a difficult read for someone who is not fascinated by history, it is exceedingly far from dry. highly recommended for anyone who is interested in Gothic, Romanticism, original horror, literature, and/or Scottish & English history - and who is not afraid of history in general
First, I have to say that Kate Beaton's comic inspired me to read this (I LOVE KATE BEATON!!). Second, I'm generally not a big fan of the work of the Romantic poets. So melodramatic. So frilly. I have a marginal appreciation for Percy Bysshe Shelley's poetry, and little patience for Byron and Keats. However, reading about the lives of the Romantics is quite another story. The decadence! Scandals! Eating disorders! Hysteria! Bastard children! Suicide! Incest! (Wow, the English aristocracy are rea...more
I could barely put this book down! I thought it sounded interesting when I bought it on half.com ( I don't usually buy books so randomly ) but ended up enjoying it much more than expected. This book follows the lives of the four writers who were at Lord Byron's the night he put forth the challenge to write a spooky story, and Frankenstein was born. I found it very interesting to read how Mary Shelley's parents and their lives as writers, influenced her subsequent life decisions and the connectio...more
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Every few years my interest in Mary Shelley and the novel Frankenstein gets rekindled. This year instead of reading Frankenstein again I read this book. A couple of decades ago I read a different bio of Mary Shelley, so I'd pretty much forgotten most of what I'd learned.
This book goes into more details about all 5 of the people at the lake house in Geneva that night in 1816 when Byron suggested they all write a ghost story. From that night not only was Frankenstein born, but so was the way we k...more
This book goes into more details about all 5 of the people at the lake house in Geneva that night in 1816 when Byron suggested they all write a ghost story. From that night not only was Frankenstein born, but so was the way we k...more
Take someone who wants to know more about the Romantic period and give them a book about one of most famous horror stories of all time, and you have a happy person.
I found it very interesting, although it didn't seem quite true to the blurb. We spend most of our time with a history of Percy Shelley, Mary Shelley, and Lord Byron. I did want to know more about them, but it did seem like it took a while to really get to the part about Mary.
As for the ending words, they annoyed me a little bit. "The...more
I found it very interesting, although it didn't seem quite true to the blurb. We spend most of our time with a history of Percy Shelley, Mary Shelley, and Lord Byron. I did want to know more about them, but it did seem like it took a while to really get to the part about Mary.
As for the ending words, they annoyed me a little bit. "The...more
I went back and forth with whether or not I enjoyed this book. The first couple chapters were difficult for me to get into. Several times I was thoroughly drawn in by the events taking place, but eventually I would get bored again. I did really like reading the journal entries and excerpts from letters between various famous authors and those they associated with- they made the people seem more real. And what scandalous lives they all led!! Wollstonecraft, Godwin, the Shelleys, Lord Byron, Polid...more
It's been a few years since I read this one, so I cannot say much about it now except that I enjoyed it immensely.
I just picked up what may be a companion volume: "Frankenstein, A Cultural History," by Susan Tyler Hitchcock. That's what made me think of "The Monsters" this evening.
But I think "The Monsters" is mostly biographical. It's about the lives of Mary Shelley, Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, and Polidori (author of an early vampire story). There's little discussion of the development of the...more
I just picked up what may be a companion volume: "Frankenstein, A Cultural History," by Susan Tyler Hitchcock. That's what made me think of "The Monsters" this evening.
But I think "The Monsters" is mostly biographical. It's about the lives of Mary Shelley, Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, and Polidori (author of an early vampire story). There's little discussion of the development of the...more
wow.. this book was REALLY informative. in college, my favorite class was "the romantic era." for some reason, byron, shelley, coleridge... they all struck a chord with me. by the time we read frankenstein by mary shelley, i was hooked.
the monsters takes an inside look at these authors and their lives. it's full of romance, scandal, and tragedy. unfortch, the book reads a bit like a history textbook, jumping around between places, dates, and characters. in spite of being tough to follow and a b...more
the monsters takes an inside look at these authors and their lives. it's full of romance, scandal, and tragedy. unfortch, the book reads a bit like a history textbook, jumping around between places, dates, and characters. in spite of being tough to follow and a b...more
It was a dark and stormy night on the shores of Lake Geneva, 1816. You’ve heard the story before; Lord Byron challenges his friends to see who can come up with the best ghost story. Among the people include Percy Bysshe Shelley, his lover Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, Mary’s stepsister Claire Claremont and Byron’s physician, John William Polidori. Two novels were born that very night; Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s (née Godwin) Frankenstein and John William Polidori’s The Vampyre. The evening begat...more
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In some ways, this book is similar to Ken Russell's "Gothic," but in other ways, it's not; for one, Russell's film tends to Romanticise the two anti-heroes (Byron and Shelley) while the book states the sad facts quite clearly. It presents the true side of the "Romantics" and shows us that Byron and Shelley truly were very egotistical, narcissistic, and very selfish people with a varied modicum of talent. I really liked that this book did not sugar-coat the truth.
Come to think of it, it may only...more
Come to think of it, it may only...more
"The Monsters tells the story of the real-life characters surrounding the creation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Drawing on private diaries, personal letters, and contemporary accounts, Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler have crafted a spectacular narrative of artistic creation and personal destruction. They reveal not just the true origins of two of the most famous monsters in popular culture, but also the monstrous and tragic nature of the young people who gathered that summer on the shores of Lake...more
This biography focuses chiefly on Mary Shelley, and the influences in her life. Her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, her father William Godwin, and the whole Villa Diodati crew, husband Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, Claire Clairmont, and John Polidori. Compassionate, insightful, and more than a little biased, I found this depiction of "The Greatest Generation of English poets" to be both fun and heartbreaking, just like the people it's about. Anyone who is interested in the origin of Frankenstei...more
As I just wrote to Grossi, I picked up a galley of this book at work several years ago and promptly forgot all about it, until I unearthed it last week in a fit of pre-Thanksgiving housecleaning (it is very important to rearrange your bookshelves before any major holiday). I opened it at random to some spot in the middle and couldn't stop reading, so I read the last half first and had to go back to the beginning to finish. The Da Vinci Code of Shelley biographies.
This was fascinating to me. I must say there was much I did not know about Mary W. Shelley, author of Frankenstein, her life's challenges, and her intimates--Godwin (her father), Shelley(husband), and even Lord Byron (dear friend). Seriously scandalous stuff, and yet pathetic. I know I'll never look at Percy Shelley the same way again, but I loved what I learned of Mary Shelley; she had an amazing strength and talent. She lived a lifetime in her first 26 years and changed the world forever with...more
A fantastically researched and engaging look at the authors responsible for the creation of Frankenstein and our modern-day take on Dracula.
The actual piece about the writing of these tales is fairly minimal but the intertwining of the lives of this incredible group of authors is remarkable. These characters we think we know in Victorian England will be forever changed in my mind. Their genius was never in doubt but after this you will question the real monsters and which authors REALLY created...more
The actual piece about the writing of these tales is fairly minimal but the intertwining of the lives of this incredible group of authors is remarkable. These characters we think we know in Victorian England will be forever changed in my mind. Their genius was never in doubt but after this you will question the real monsters and which authors REALLY created...more
Fascinating and entrancing and depressing. In the end these literary heroes looks like selfish teens battered by terrible loss and strangeness. Mary Shelley comes out looking the best - and her story of developing Frankenstein and then almost living it out is eerie. I read this in Venice Italy where many of the final scenes a set - we even drove by viareggio, where Shelley's body was found... Ooohhhhhh.....
I picked up this book thinking it was historical fiction. I was surprised to find that it was a history of a fascinating woman, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley as well as the people in her life.
I recommend this book very much for any who are interested in the life of a writer. I will say that I wished for more of the flavor of the time. I understood the people very well due to the writing but I didn't feel the setting.
I recommend this book very much for any who are interested in the life of a writer. I will say that I wished for more of the flavor of the time. I understood the people very well due to the writing but I didn't feel the setting.
a bit of a slow starter (there is a lot of backstory to tell, in order to set up the central event clearly) but by the time it gets rolling it becomes a page turner.
Tragic, Despairing and soaked in Gothic Misery.
A must read if you enjoyed Ken Russel's Gothic or Frankenstein, for that matter.
Tragic, Despairing and soaked in Gothic Misery.
A must read if you enjoyed Ken Russel's Gothic or Frankenstein, for that matter.
Though dark in nature, this book reveals many intricacies in the lives of Mary and Percy Shelley as well as the people they loved and idolized. It's amazing how controversial life in the early 19th century could be. I recommend this to bibliophiles and people who have an innate curiosity to find out what pushes certain writers to write what they write.
Who isn't fascinated by Mary Shelly? Married to a poet we all had to study, but she is the one whose book everyone knows...Frankenstein. Written when she was nineteen, it parallels her own tragic life. The Monsters tells us much more about Byron and Shelly than we learned in school. Good read.
This is a solid group biography of the relationship between Mary Shelley, her (eventual) husband the poet Percy Shelley, and the scandalous Lord Byron. It was like reading about 18th century rock stars. The analysis of how Mary Shelley used her unusual life experiences to come up with Frankenstein was well thought-out and convincing. Perfect reading for the Halloween season.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Godwin's Frankenstein as autobiography | 1 | 8 | Aug 01, 2009 06:09pm |
Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler, a married couple who have written numerous books together, were drawn to this story of great writers inspiring each other collaboratively. Their most recent novel, In Darkness, Death, won a 2005 Edgar Award. They live in New York City.
Series:
* Samurai Detective
* Century Kids
* Her Story
* Images Across The Ages
* American Family Album
More about Dorothy Hoobler...
Series:
* Samurai Detective
* Century Kids
* Her Story
* Images Across The Ages
* American Family Album
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