The Lady And Her Monsters, A Tale Of Dissections, Real-Life Dr. Frankensteins, And The Creation Of Mary Shelley's Masterpiece (2000) - Plot & Excerpts
I wish I could rate the first and second halves of this book separately. (If so, I'd rate the first half 3 stars and the second half 5 stars.) For me, the first half was interesting but a little slow and drawn-out. (It could have been condensed into an article and perhaps better held my attention.) I was tempted to just abandon ship, unsure whether I wanted to invest the time to complete the book.However, I'm glad that I stuck with it, as the pace in the second half of the book picks up considerably. (When Lord Byron enters the fray, things really get interesting.) It's an interesting portrait of the times that gave rise to Shelley's book. Reading about the issues of the day as well as the complex and scandalous relationships involved also reminds me of the adage that the more things change, the more they stay the same. The book really emphasized for me that the times in which Shelley wrote were not really so very different from our current times as I might have otherwise imagined. Human nature, after all, tends to be constant from one era to another. Imaginatively crafted work, principally about the tempestuous life of Mary Shelley, her relationships with family, (eventual) husband Percy Shelley and friend Lord Byron AND the story of her writing the classic book: Frankenstein. Woven in and around this: the scientists of Shelley's era and their experiments with electricity, as as a means of reanimating the dead; the advancement of dissection, as a medical tool; the unsavory dealings of "Resurrection Men" who provided the cadavers needed by anatomists for these dissections; and how society was changed by all of the above. Also - how much all of this played upon Mary's mind as she crafted the characters of her book. Montillo's book is an engrossing blend of science, history and literature, which is not an easy accomplishment for any writer. I read this during the final weeks of October, surrounded by grinning jack-o-lanterns, and enjoyed myself greatly!
What do You think about The Lady And Her Monsters, A Tale Of Dissections, Real-Life Dr. Frankensteins, And The Creation Of Mary Shelley's Masterpiece (2000)?
Not what I expected. I guess u should never judge a book by its cover. even the inside cover.
—massd555
This was great! Look for more science and history books by this author.
—Selina
Fascinating combination of biography and medical history
—Clara
