Her Lost Words: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley

By Stephanie Marie Thornton

Book Overview

From A Vindication of the Rights of Woman to Frankenstein, a tale of two literary legends--a mother and daughter--discovering each other and finding themselves along the way, from USA Today bestselling author Stephanie Marie Thornton.

1792. As a child, Mary Wollstonecraft longed to disappear during her father's violent rages. Instead, she transforms herself into the radical author of the landmark volume A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, in which she dares to propose that women are equal to men. From conservative England to the blood-drenched streets of revolutionary France, Mary refuses to bow to society's conventions and instead supports herself with her pen until an illicit love affair challenges her every belief about romance and marriage. When she gives birth to a daughter and is stricken with childbed fever, Mary fears it will be her many critics who recount her life's extraordinary odyssey...

1818. The daughter of infamous political philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft, passionate Mary Shelley learned to read by tracing the letters of her mother's tombstone. As a young woman, she desperately misses her mother's guidance, especially following her scandalous elopement with dashing poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Mary struggles to balance an ever-complicated marriage with motherhood while nursing twin hopes that she might write something of her own one day and also discover the truth of her mother's unconventional life. Mary's journey will unlock her mother's secrets, all while leading to her own destiny as the groundbreaking author of Frankenstein.

A riveting and inspiring novel about a firebrand feminist, her visionary daughter, and the many ways their words transformed our world.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0593198425
• ISBN13: 9780593198421
• Release Date: March 2023
• Publisher: Berkley Books
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 0.74 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.1" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Loved this book

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story of two legendary authors. Mary Shelley who wrote Frankenstein ushering introducing readers to the world of science fiction and her mother Mary Wollstonecraft who back in the mid 1700s was one of a handful of feminists advocating for the education of all women all ages. Two extraordinary women!