Mary Shelley: Philosopher. Writer. Sleuth?
In 1814, 16 year old Mary Godwin escapes London to be with the love of her life, Percy Bysshe Shelley, with her step sister Jane tagging along for the adventure. They head to France, following in the footsteps of Mary’s mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, but it doesn’t take long for the reality to set in, in this beautifully written blend of fact and fiction.
Far from home, struggling for funds, and jealous of her step sister’s demands for Shelley’s attention, the realities of life soon set in. Struggling to make ends meet, Mary and Percy are approached in a tavern to discreetly assist a banker in locating his missing with, Claudine Lamont. Mary jumps at the chance to assist, not only for the well needed cash injection but also the intellectual challenge.
It’s easy to forget how young Mary is at the time of her elopement, but Donna Gowland portrays her as both youthful, fanciful and romantic, yet fiercely intelligent and grounded. As the younger of the trio travelling, Mary is often the one with the most common sense.
‘Where has he gone?’ ‘Chasing perfection.’ Mary sighed
The locations are described so vividly, in intricate detail, you can almost smell the streets of Paris, and the spectre of the work Mary Shelley would become famous for looms large over the text of the novel.
Mary Shelley, with her curiosity and intellect makes for a wonderful sleuth, and while the novel focuses a lot on the relationships between Mary, Jane and Percy, imagining what could have happened during their travels, the mystery keeps the work flowing at pace to a satisfying conclusion. It was so much fun to read, and I can’t wait to follow their adventures onwards!
Many thanks to Love Books Tours, Sapere Books and author Donna Gowland for the eARC for review.
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