Mary Shelley

'I gained his secret and we were both lost for ever' Mary Shelley's dark story of a bereaved man's disturbing passion for his daughter was suppressed by her own father, and not published for over a century. One of 46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946. Each book gives readers a taste of the Classics' huge range and diversity, with works from around the world and across the centuries - including fables, decadence, heartbreak, tall tales, satire, ghosts, battles and elephants.

Mary and Maria - Matilda

ella

The breeze that played in my hair revived me, and I watched with quiet eyes the sunbeams that glittered on the waves, and the birds that coursed each other over the waters just brushing them with their plumes. I slept too undisturbed by dreams; and awoke refreshed to again enjoy my tranquil freedom.

Under his bitter words, whose kindly heat

My greatest pleasure was the enjoyment of a serene sky amidst these verdant woods: yet I loved all the changes of Nature; and rain, and storm, and the beautiful clouds of heaven brought their delights with them. When rocked by the waves of the lake my spirits rose in triumph as a horseman feels with pride the motions of his high fed steed.

An absolutely beautiful profound exploration of grief and loss permeating through all of life. That being said, I don’t remember half of the book.

The final chapter broke my soul and left it to be trampled on the ground. 

Jovana Gjekanovikj 

Caitlyn Johanna Bolton 

Unlike Shelley's first and most known novel Frankenstein, this is a character driven novella that is incredibly well written and emotionally intense. 
It follows the protagonist Matilda who, after her mother dies due to complications with childbirth, is left in the care of her aunt until she turns 16 and her father pops back on the scene.
Matilda spends most of the novella in utter isolation and it causes her to feel incredibly alone and to resent the company of everyone, that is until she meets her one true friend in the world by chance one day in the middle of nowhere.
I loved the way this novella tackles human nature, in particular when that is challenged by lack of human contact, and I was deeply impressed with the way Shelley is able to convey the mental deterioration of her protagonist so effectively that Matilda becomes so familiar and her struggles are a lot more hard hitting for the reader. 
Although Frankenstein is a fantastic novel, Matilda is definitely one of Mary Shelley's best written works and I would definitely recommend as a place to start with her work if you can handle a bit more hard hitting stories that tackle mental health in particular depression and suicide.

Mary and Maria - Matilda

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