Creature - by Amy Weldon (Paperback)

About the Book

In 1816, a nineteen-year-old single mother wrote a novel that transformed our vision of birth, bodies, and who we call "monsters." Traveling from London to Italy and into our own technological future, Creature: A Novel of Mary Shelley and Frankenstein blends historical realism and literary magic to show how a bookish, haunted girl learns to confront her monsters by bringing them to life.

Book Synopsis

In 1816, a nineteen-year-old single mother wrote a book that transformed our vision of birth, bodies, and who we call "monsters." Creature: A Novel of Mary Shelley and Frankenstein is her story. From her first spark of inspiration to widowhood at age 24, through the deaths of four of her five children and her struggles to build a writing career, Creature braids Mary Shelley's little-known life journey with that of her most famous character: Victor Frankenstein's half-human Creature, who shadows her in alternating chapters as conscience, criminal, and friend. Traveling from London to Italy and into our own technological future, Creature blends historical realism and literary magic to show how a bookish, haunted girl learns to confront her monsters by bringing them to life.

Review Quotes

"Amy Weldon's latest novel is a stunning work that combines the deep knowledge of a literary historian alongside the artistry of a very gifted writer. The interior world of Mary Shelley is brought to life and we're swept along by the undercurrents of her unconventional life. While Shelley's most famous novel, Frankenstein, is known to many, Weldon here offers a brilliant illumination of Shelley herself. This is a captivating novel that not only brings the early 1800s to vivid life, but also makes us see Mary Shelley anew." -Patrick Hicks author of The Commandant of Lubizec and Across the Lake

About the Author

Amy Weldon is Professor of English at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, where she teaches the study-abroad course "In Frankenstein's Footsteps: The Keats-Shelley Circle in London, Geneva, and Italy." Her previous books include Advanced Fiction Writing: A Writer's Guide and Anthology; Eldorado, Iowa: A Novel; The Writer's Eye: Observation and Inspiration for Creative Writers; and The Hands-On Life: How to Wake Yourself Up and Save The World. Read more at amyeweldon.com.