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Romantics Brought to Life
Although this is an imperfect novel, Jude Morgan has done an amazing job of bringing the three great Romantic poets, Byron, Shelley and Keats, to life. I have studied their biographies and works extensively, and was happily surprised by the accuracy with which they are portrayed in this book. The invented dialogue, especially that of Byron, enlivens the book and makes it more compelling than a conventional biography. Yes, the book is choppy and sometimes hard to follow, and it is not structurally sound. But the characters are always interesting, and I wanted to keep on reading because of the inherent drama of the stories and the period. What I disliked from the beginning was the odd sentence structure and incessant use of colons after a single word at the beginning of sentences. That's the English teacher in me wishing for clarity and correctness. However, overall the book is a masterpiece of presentation of thrillingly unique characters in an age of romantic idealism.
Helen Bennett
"Don't be afraid of the world. Square up to it. Knock it down."
Focusing on the women in the lives of the romantic poets--Byron, Shelley, and Keats--rather than on the poets themselves, Jude Morgan recreates the years from 1812 - 1824, during which time Mary Godwin, Augusta Leigh, Caroline Lamb, Claire Clairmont, and Fanny Brawne fall in love, encourage the poets in some of their finest work, and ultimately, learn to cope with the poets' premature deaths. Mary Godwin, daughter of journalist/philosopher William Godwin and early feminist Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, is the linchpin of this biographical novel. Falling in love with Percy Bysshe Shelley at age sixteen, Mary defies convention by running away to the continent with Shelley when his wife refuses to grant him a divorce.
In contrast to Shelley, Lord Byron has many lovers. Augusta Leigh, his half-sister and the wife of George Leigh, is terrified that her feelings for Byron will become public. Caroline Lamb, married to William Lamb, conducts a long affair with him, pursuing him even after he marries her cousin, Annabella Milbanke (mother of his daughter Ada). Claire Clairmont, stepsister of Mary Godwin Shelley, becomes his lover in Italy and the mother of another daughter, Allegra.
The story of Fanny Brawne and John Keats does not unfold until almost the end of the novel. As Keats seems not to have much direct connection with Byron and Shelley here, and as Fanny is far more conventional in personality than any of the other women, the addition of this story line feels somewhat disconnected and is not integrated into most of the action.
Author Jude Morgan recreates conversations and fleshes out the daily lives of these characters, creating scenes that are often dramatic and sometimes moving. His careful attention to detail and immense research create a full picture of the attitudes of the times, and the context in which these women lived. With five female characters, however, he sometimes changes focus unexpectedly, and the reader must pay careful attention to detail to figure out who is who in the changing scenes. Occasionally even the point of view changes unexpectedly--from the third person to first person.
For those interested in the romantic poets, Morgan's novel offers many new insights and fascinating glimpses of early nineteenth century life, as romanticism emerges from the neoclassicism of the past. He assumes, however, that the reader will bring some knowledge of the poets and their works to the novel, spending little time discussing the works themselves, and concentrating on relationships instead. Mary Shelley, Augusta Leigh, Caroline Lamb, and Claire Clairmont, all early feminists, flout convention and sacrifice all for love, often behaving more romantically than the poets. Carefully researched, Passion offers fascinating information within an uneven narrative structure. n Mary Whipple
intriguing biographical fiction
The mother of feminism, Mary Wollstonecraft, fails at her attempt to commit suicide, but by 1797 dies eleven days after giving birth to Mary Shelley. Mary and three other Wollstonecraft disciples Fanny Brawne, Augusta Leigh and Caroline Lamb grow up in relative comfort while the Napoleonic Wars occur.
Augusta meets her half-brother, Lord Byron, but soon turns to George Leigh for marital protection. Caroline marries William Lamb, but prefers sleeping with Byron, who has tasted the harem of sultans. When he drops Caroline to sleep with Augusta, his ex lover becomes his stalker. Meanwhile Mary elopes with her father's prot�g� Shelley, who already has a wife, her stepsister; the trio move tougher to Switzerland where Byron, physician Dr Polidori, Keats and his squeeze Fanny join them until tragedy strikes.
PASSION is an intriguing biographical fiction novel that looks deep into the romantic poets of the early nineteenth century and the prime women who hung with them. The tale grips the audience especially once the players are in place as when they gather in Switzerland. Interestingly the four females clearly are the better characters as they seem alive and real while the more famous male counterparts (Mary Shelley aside) seem limpid in comparison; perhaps because one would want Byron or Shelley to be more like their poems. Fans of the Regency era will want to read this strong insightful glimpse at some of the more famous expatriates of the period.
Harriet Klausner
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