Hamnet meets Pride & Prejudice. In the stormy, scandalous summer of 1816, daring eighteen-year-old Claire Clairmont changed the course of literature forever. But then—unlike her stepsister Mary Shelley—she was forgotten, until now.
“Delicious, spot-on… The prose is lush and Franklin’s descriptions and attention to detail and carefully drawn characters will delight fans of British period dramas and readers of historical fiction.”
–Library Journal, Starred Review
“Franklin’s novel… will appeal to fans of Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell and By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult.”
–Booklist, Starred Review
“…a titillating, scintillating fictionalization of salacious literary scandal, told from the point of view of Mary Shelley’s oft-overlooked stepsister, Claire Clairmont… a burning tale that does not make its readers wait for the payoff—every page drips with juicy details. Love & Other Monsters presents a previously unheard perspective of the summer that birthed Frankenstein, but the focus this time is on other monsters. Franklin’s writing perfectly captures the psychology of each of her characters, especially Claire, making them stand out vividly from the page. Though this saga unfurls in 1816, the themes Franklin dexterously confronts will strike readers as both timely and poignant.”
–BookPage
“Emily Franklin’s transfixing historical novel is filled with sensual, immersive prose … Weaving historical details with notes of natural beauty and the vagaries of genius, Love and Other Monsters reinterprets a woman’s free-spirited passion.”
–Foreword Reviews
“Franklin impresses with this historical novel… capturing the timeless quality of a young woman’s desire for purpose. This offers a fresh perspective on a famous moment in literary history.”
–Publisher’s Weekly
Boston Globe Bestseller
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