Hideous Love audiobook

I didn't make the connection that Hemphill also wrote Your Own, Syliva, which I adored until after I read the book. This one is similar in that it's a verse novel, based on a literary figure, in this case Mary Shelley and her intriguing life. Her family disowned her early on when she took up with Percy Shelley, who was still married with children when they pledged their love to each other. Mary's father disowned her and his friendship with Percy because of the indecency. Mary knew/thought she was in love, but they also escaped with her 'sister' as well, who became an important piece in her life, both for her annoyance as well as her moods and the fact that it was rumored most of their life that she and Percy were having an affair. It's about Mary's writing, Percy and her relationship that ran hot and cold for Percy seems like an intelligent, sickly, but provocative character who enchanted many, including other women, possibly. There was devastation as Mary ended up losing three children at different stages of their childhood to illnesses, that went almost unrecognized by Percy or other family. It was only after Mary and Percy's actual marriage (after his wife committed suicide) that her father, Mary's greatest influence, came back in to her life because their union was legitimate. It's about the literati of the time who wooed and spent extravagantly, but also had the craziest lives. Affairs, children, moving here and there, finances (mostly the lack of) and more. A beautifully written verse that glimpses Mary's life and how Frankenstein probably came to be.

I got this book as an ARC from my local library and I'm so grateful to have picked it up. The minute I started reading, I was hooked on the sparse prose and the strength of the main character. I didn't know a thing about Mary Shelley prior to this but I now realize that she was an incredibly strong woman, and that her strength came from her faith in her writing and her love for her husband. As you will find out when you read the book, these things was tested time and time again. It's obvious Hemphill did her research, but the real skill was condensing eight incredibly tumultuous years of Shelley's life into a novel of such brevity.By writing this novel in verse, Hemphill is making Mary Shelley accessible to many teens who might not otherwise read about her. And while this book would be great for reluctant readers due to the large amount of white space, I could also see this being used in an Honors English class as a study of this historical literary figure and her times. Like any good historical fiction novel, it educates the reader without seeming like a history lesson and makes them want to know more.Next up, I plan to learn about Sylvia Plath through Hemphill's other novel, Your Own, Sylvia.

There is so much to say about the story told within this book's pages.A tale told completely in verse; Hideous Love chronicles the young life and love of Mary Shelley.This is a story rife with scandal.1. Mary's elopement with the already married Percy Shelley.2. Attempts by the two at "free love".3. The rather ambiguous nature of the relationship between Percy and Mary's step-sister Jane.Tragedy1. The death of Mary's mother when Mary was but 11 years old.2. The death of Mary and Percy's first child.3. The estrangement of Mary from her father and family as a result of her relationship with Shelley....and Love.As is often the case with young sheltered girls, Mary's love for Percy is idealistic and knows no bounds.This is however, the only negative in this fascinating look into the life of a literary legend.This is a surprisingly fast read, given the depth and breath of it's content.This book is an inspired answer to all who have puzzled the life that shaped "The Girl Who Wrote Frankenstein".

I think Mary Shelley's story is fascinating and perfect book to write about. I've gotten more into historical biographies more as of late, and this was a nice foray into that. The fact it was written in verse particularly since her great love, Percy Bysshe Shelley, was at the forefront of this story makes sense. That said, just a personal opinion, I got tired of reading it in verse, because that is just not how I read books, not because it was a problem with the book. It made sense to do it for this book artistically and risk wise, which I really appreciated, but I don't think I'll be picking up a book in verse in the near future. (I've read two recently, and while both were good, it's just not my standard fare).

An engrossing, nicely detailed fictionalized verse biography of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.

I wish that I had read this before reading Frankenstein.

Featured in "Frankenstein and Mary Shelley in Young Adult Books" on Intellectual Recreation.2018 is the bicentennial of the publication of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. I love Frankenstein. It's one of my very favorite classics, and there was no way I could let the bicentennial slip by without a big to-do, so I read a ton of Frankenstein retellings and Mary Shelley biopics. Hideous Love is another verse novel about Mary Shelley's life (without illustrations). It was written several years prior to Lita Judge's new book, Mary's Monster. Although the formats are quite similar, Stephanie Hemphill is a bit more thorough in her reconstruction of Mary Shelley's life. It was actually very interesting to read two verse novels about Mary Shelley's life back to back. The two authors had a bit of a different take especially when it came to Percy Shelley. I just wish this book didn't have such an unfortunate cover.

I didn't know what to think about this book when I opened it and realized that it told the story of Mary Shelley in verse. My friend, who is a librarian, asked me to read it and give me her opinion as I am a little bit obsessed with the Gothic Romantics (Bryon, the Shelleys, and Keats). I really enjoyed it! Everything Ms Hemphill brings up in the book is accurate and interesting. And surprisingly, the verse approach is an excellent way to infuse the story with feeling. It reads like the personal journal of a teenage girl (which amazingly enough, Mrs. Shelley was when she penned Frankenstein). This quick read is very worth your time.

At first, I did not like this book. Then again, I didn’t like Frankenstein the first time I read it either. I grew to really enjoy Frankenstein and this book helped explain who Mary Shelley was and why she authored Frankenstein the way she did. Being torn between a man’s world and a woman’s world is a difficult place to be—especially in Mary Shelley’s day.If you haven’t read Frankenstein, then I don’t think you’ll enjoy this book very much.

Like Mary’s Monster by Lita Judge, Hideous Love is told in free verse. In essence, the two books tell the same story, in much the same voice. Both books give the same information at the end: a cast of characters and additional biographical information about Mary and her writing.For the full review: https://twobookwormsblog.wordpress.co...

Full of feeling and life. You really understand the background behind Frankenstein. I would read Wicked Girls, Your Own Sylvia, and Hideous Love back to back for maximum enjoyment. You won't be disappointed unless you're against the in verse format.

This was an amazingly captivating book. It just sucked you in right until the very end.

I like the poetic style of this book. I read her book about Sylvia Plath too. It's an easy way to take historical facts.

Really interesting read- so much tragedy for one life!

Review Posted on Reading Lark 9/6/13: http://readinglark.blogspot.com/2013/...This novel seems to be one of those you either love or hate. I fall into the love category, but I can totally see why this read is not everyone's cup of tea. For starters, it does not read like a typical YA novel. The content and language are vastly different from mainstream YA. In my opinion, this makes the novel have a more literary feel. I could totally see this novel being used in high school English classes. It isn't the sort of thing most people pick up to read for entertainment. History nerds (like me) and those who are interested in Mary Shelley's life might pick this one up for fun, but the general masses may shy away.In addition, the author's choice to write in verse may also be difficult for some readers to enjoy. I loved it because it felt like I was reading journal entries or getting a front row seat to Mary's stream of consciousness. Verse novels are limited in many ways that can be frustrating for a reader. For example, there isn't really space or time to flesh out setting. In Hideous Love, Mary is constantly moving. Her life is not stationery, therefore, the setting is in constant motion. We never truly get to settle into one place or event as the reader. Also, aside from Mary, I didn't feel like I truly knew any of the other characters. That was a non-issue for me because I wanted to read this to learn more about Mary.One of the things I loved about this book was that I learned a great deal about what life was like for Mary Shelley. She had a life full of travel, excitement, tragedy, and scandal. I always just assumed that she and Percy Shelley had such a normal courtship and marriage, but that couldn't be further from the truth. It was all quite scandalous for the time period, but I would argue it would turn heads even today. Percy and Mary fall in love while he is still married to another woman and they run away together. While I have to admire Mary for going after what she wanted in a time period when women were second class citizens, I did have trouble understanding what she found so fascinating about Percy. He seemed to be a womanizer who couldn't truly offer Mary a strong relationship. Both Percy and Lord Byron seemed like giant creeps to me.I also really enjoyed the women's history elements that run throughout this one. I often forget that Mary Shelley is the daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft, one of the first feminist writers. Her parents taught her to think and voice her opinions when that was frowned upon coming from the "fairer sex". Mary does not allow society to force her into a corner, but rather she fights against the gender caste system with her words. It saddened me that when Frankenstein was first published that Mary's name did not grace its cover. She had to publish it anonymously due to the way society viewed her based on her relationship with Shelley. It irked me to no end that he was still able to enjoy a publishing career, but she was seen as the evil one. The double standard made my stomach churn.All in all, I enjoyed the time I spent with Mary's story. I am even inspired to reread Frankenstein as it has been ages since I read it last. I think it's amazing that Mary Shelley crafted such an iconic novel during her teen years.One Last Gripe: I wanted Mary to wake up and see that the man she loved was a selfish jerk.My Favorite Thing About This Book: I loved learning more about Mary's life. First Sentence: I want to be beauty, but I am not.Favorite Character: MaryLeast Favorite Character: Claire