Lesley McDowell est une auteure et critique dont l'œuvre est profondément informée par sa formation universitaire en théorie féministe et en journalisme littéraire. Ses premières recherches académiques se sont concentrées sur James Joyce et les approches féministes de la littérature, jetant les bases de ses explorations perspicaces de personnages complexes. Ses romans ultérieurs plongent dans les complexités des vies et des relations humaines, faisant preuve d'une vive compréhension psychologique. L'écriture de McDowell est célébrée pour son intelligence et sa profondeur dans le dénouement de récits captivants.
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.