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A review by chelsevie
Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley by Charlotte Gordon
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
It turns out I really enjoy popular history, particularly when the subjects are two of the most pioneering women in the history of feminism.
Although I had some knowledge of Mary Wollstonecraft, I was much more familiar with the life of Mary Shelley going into this book but was pleasantly surprised by the amount of detail on each women's life it covers.
With alternating chapters uncovering the life of both women from birth until death, this is an impressively researched account. To the point where it feels like every possibly known detail about the Marys, as well as the prominent people in their peripheries, is included here. Yet despite the acuteness of the historical accuracy the book never seems cumbersome or unwieldy in it's recounting of their lives rather it is told in such a way that it's hard not to become utterly captivated by their stories.
My only criticism is that I would have liked perhaps a longer section on the legacy of the two women, those they directly inspired (of which there are many, to this day).
I would highly recommend this book for anyone with an interest in feminism, literature and of the lives of women in 19th century Europe.
Although I had some knowledge of Mary Wollstonecraft, I was much more familiar with the life of Mary Shelley going into this book but was pleasantly surprised by the amount of detail on each women's life it covers.
With alternating chapters uncovering the life of both women from birth until death, this is an impressively researched account. To the point where it feels like every possibly known detail about the Marys, as well as the prominent people in their peripheries, is included here. Yet despite the acuteness of the historical accuracy the book never seems cumbersome or unwieldy in it's recounting of their lives rather it is told in such a way that it's hard not to become utterly captivated by their stories.
My only criticism is that I would have liked perhaps a longer section on the legacy of the two women, those they directly inspired (of which there are many, to this day).
I would highly recommend this book for anyone with an interest in feminism, literature and of the lives of women in 19th century Europe.