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Content snapshot
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Violence
Some
The novel opens with Wollstonecraft fleeing her alcoholic father's domestic violence; there is also a reference to violence against an animal
Language
Barely any
Minimal strong language
Sexual Content
Some
Wollstonecraft's unconventional romantic life and scandals (including an affair and children born outside marriage) are portrayed candidly but not graphically
Substance Use
Some
Wollstonecraft's father's alcoholism drives the opening domestic violence
Emotional Intensity
A lot
Reviewers note the book is filled with scandal, despair, and tragedy throughout, and some felt a content warning for the early domestic violence scene would have helped
What this book is about
This dual-timeline novel follows pioneering feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft and, years later, her daughter Mary Shelley as each comes into her own voice against the backdrop of scandal, loss, and literary ambition. The two women's stories intertwine as the novel reveals how much of the mother lives on in the daughter.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Domestic violence from an alcoholic father opens the book
Historical scandal/unconventional relationships depicted candidly
Reader Verification
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