Lesley McDowell is een auteur en criticus wiens werk diepgaand wordt beïnvloed door haar academische achtergrond in feministische theorie en literaire journalistiek. Haar vroege academische bezigheden richtten zich op James Joyce en feministische benaderingen van literatuur, wat de basis legde voor haar inzichtelijke verkenningen van complexe personages. Haar latere romans duiken in de complexiteit van menselijke levens en relaties, met een scherp psychologisch inzicht. McDowell's schrijfstijl wordt geprezen om zijn intelligentie en diepgang bij het ontrafelen van boeiende verhalen.
London, 1823. Mary Shelley's real-life friend Isabella Baxter Booth is seeing ghosts. Alexander Balfour will stop at nothing to be recognized as a genius in the emerging field of psychiatry and he thinks Isabella could be his key to fame. But as his own torments threaten to overwhelm Alexander, is he really the best judge of which way madness lies?
The spellbinding, bold new retelling of the story of Lord Byron and the Shelleys, from the perspective of Claire Clairmont, the incredible woman that history tried to forget. 'Beautifully written, Clairmont tells the sensuous hidden story of an influential historic woman.' Sara Sheridan, author of The Fair Botanists Waterstones Scottish Book of the Year'An absorbing, intoxicating page-turner about a woman who deserves to be remembered.' Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne and Atalanta'An intimate and enlightening tale of one of Romanticism's forsaken muses - an artfully told story that lingers in the mind far beyond the last page' Susan Stokes-Chapman, author of Pandora1816. A massive volcanic eruption has caused the worst storms that Europe has seen in decades, yet Percy and Mary Shelley have chosen to visit the infamous Lord Byron at his villa on Lake Geneva. It wasn't their idea: Mary's eighteen year old step-sister, Claire Clairmont, insisted. But the reason for Claire's visit is more pressing than a summer escape with the most famous writers in the world. She's pregnant with Byron's child - a child Byron doesn't want, and scarcely believes is his own.Claire has the world in her grasp. This trip should have given her everything she ever dreamed of. But within days, her life will be in ruins.History has all but forgotten her story - but she will not be silenced.
The spellbinding, bold new retelling of the story of Lord Byron and the Shelleys, from the perspective of Claire Clairmont, the incredible woman that history tried to forget. Perfect for readers of HAMNET, MRS ENGLAND and GODMERSHAM PARK.