Clairmont by Lesley McDowell Review

Title: Clairmont

Author: Lesley McDowell

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Wildfire

Pages: 400

Release Date: 29 February 2024

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Hello fellow booklovers! Today I'm sharing my review for Clairmont by Lesley McDowell, a beautifully written and emotional read exploring the life of a complex and fascinating woman that history has, for the most part, all but forgotten. 

Synopsis

 Geneva.

They always come back to it, somehow.

They're the only ones who know what took place there.

1816. 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.

Review

As the stepsister of Mary Shelley (and sometime lover to Lord Byron), Claire Clairmont was at the centre of The Romantic poetry scene (she actually introduced Percy Bysshe Shelley to Byron!) And yet her story, condensed mostly to footnotes (as background character and witness to literary genius) is far more compelling than history has led us to believe.

Spanning three timelines and emotional stages of Claire’s life (including the infamous night that birthed Frankenstein.) Mcdowell’s fictionalised version of the flawed muse finally gives her a voice, shedding light on her (fascinating yet tragic) story of love, loss, motherhood and betrayal— alongside her path to the enlightened, independent woman she had always strived to be.

I loved Claire, as impulsive and rebellious as she was, and really enjoyed her rather candid narrative voice. McDowell does a brilliant job in portraying both the emotional, vulnerable and more nuanced side of Claire’s personality with her bolder, risk taking demeanour she uses to impress and shock Byron.

But it’s the depth and emotion, particularly surrounding her fraught, abusive relationship with Byron, the manipulative whims of the Shelleys (and later surrounding the loss of her daughter) really kept me engaged and rooting for her to find some semblance of happiness. 

It’s by no means a lighthearted or easy read given the tragedy she experiences throughout her life, but still utterly unputdownable nonetheless. Just make sure you have some tissues handy as you may (if you’re anything like me) find yourself teary eyed during several of the more emotionally intense scenes. 

The biggest surprise for me was just how dislikeable many of the people in her life  were. I had expected Byron’s awfulness given his “mad, bad and dangerous to know” reputation (as well as Percy’s whose abandonment of his first wife is pretty well known), but Mary was a bit of a shock. 

Despite her literary darling status and reverence from Shelley, Byron and even Polidori, she comes across as a rather jealous woman who needed constant adoration to feel validated. I’m not familiar enough with Mary Shelley to know whether McDowell’s version is accurate to the real Mary —but the fictional version’s hypocrisy and lack of empathy when it came to Claire (and women in general) was more than a little rage inducing!  

Overall, a well researched, incredibly evocative and memorable read that historical fiction lovers are bound to find utterly captivating—but do be sure to check the TW/CWs first.

Also, a huge thank you to Headline/ Wildfire for the proof. 

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

About The Author 

Lesley McDowell is the author of three novels, The Picnic (Black and White 2007), Unfashioned Creatures (Saraband 2013) and Clairmont (Wildfire 2024), as well as a work of non-fiction, Between the Sheets: The Literary Liaisons of Nine 20th Century Women Writers (Overlook Duckworth 2010). She works as an editorial consultant and was for many years a literary critic for The Independent, The Independent on Sunday, The Herald, The Scotsman, and The Times Literary Supplement. She has won three Creative Scotland awards, and has a PhD on the work of James Joyce. She lives in Glasgow, Scotland.

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