Love, Sex & Frankenstein

Villa Diodati, Lake Geneva, 1816.

Eighteen-year-old Mary Shelley has fled London with her lover, Percy Shelley, and her sister, Claire. Tormented by Shelley’s betrayals, haunted by the loss of their baby and suspicious of her sister’s intentions, Mary seeks a refuge.

But Lord Byron’s villa, lying under ash-shrouded skies, feels more like a trap.
When Byron suggests each guest write a supernatural tale, Mary is as drawn to the challenge as she is, unexpectedly, to Byron himself.

An idea begins to form in her mind . . . spilling out of her in thick, black ink.

A thing given life is before her. But is she in control, or is it?

Lea creates a world that is so vividly realised, it is astonishing to read. All her characters are wonderfully nuanced, and you cannot help but fall in love with Mary, whose journey as an artist and as a woman is both absolutely heartbreaking and truly inspiring. This is a deeply moving, magical book from a consummate storyteller

Elodie Harper, author of The Wolf Den

About Caroline Lea

Caroline Lea grew up on the island of Jersey. The Glass Woman, her debut, is a gothic thriller set during the Icelandic witch trials. The Metal Heart, a Waterstones Scottish Book of the Month, is an epic Second World War love story; Prize Women reveals a feminist scandal at the heart of the roaring 20s. Her latest novel reimagines Mary Shelley and the writing of Frankenstein.
Details
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • ISBN: 9781405949019
  • Length: 400 pages
  • Price: £7.99
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