What a triumph for beautiful and flowery writing and literature for adult women. It has me wanting to revisit many of my favorite flowery authors. A book I will be getting a cop of but also one I'll be telling others of, as I am going through hard times this book has been a refuge and comfort. The narrator has truly added and brought the passages to life.

I want to start this review by thanking Samantha Silva, Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for Flatiron Books for this audio-ARC of “Love and Fury: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft”. What an incredible read! I cannot wait to purchase my own copy to own, physically. I took note of many lines that moved me and I think the writing, alone, will transfix readers, even if they have no idea who Wollstonecraft is. The storytelling is expert in pacing, sweeping and full of descriptions of nature, longing, despair and strength.

It’s out today, May 25 2021, in the United States!

I want to say that there are a couple of notable trigger warnings for severe cruelty towards animals and suicidal thoughts and attempt. These, I believed were handled delicately and were NOT placed gratuitously for the sake of emotional impact. I appreciated the additions for what they added to the novel.

In this subtly-queer book, rooted in feminism and the contradictions of the human condition, we follow Mary all through her life and the radical ways in which she lived and loved. Forever seeking her own power, meaning and fighting for the same for other women and girls, she uses her luck and privilege to better the world. But it does not paint her as a one dimensional warrior. She retains layers of frivolity, naivety, depression, hypocrisy and self-doubt. She loves so wholly that she exposes herself to pain, over and over again. She can be frustrating but Samantha Silva has managed to allow for this while still making her sympathetic. She seems to have done justice to the woman, ahead of her time, making her way in the world.

A note on the audio, which I HIGHLY recommend, as well, is that it was narrated by Ell Potter. What a talented narrator! I really think her incredible voice complimented the prose, perfectly.

I loved the themes of spirituality and motherhood that ran, like threads, throughout the novel. They were deftly placed and never heavy handed. And for such a sprawling timeline, with beautiful prose, it never felt as though it was taking too long in any one spot. Silva has packed this novel with humanity and introspection in a way I found to be expert. I admire the balance. This was such a testimony to the power of narrative, and claiming your own! Powerful, to say the least!

This book was wonderful! The narrator was superb and the story was chock full of things I did not know! As I listened I found myself Googling different things about Mary and learned quite a lot!

I am so happy that I was able to read this ARC!!! Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio!

I absolutely adored this audiobook. Ell Potter's performance was outstanding, and she had the perfect voice for this story. The beautiful prose really came alive in her narration.

I thought the novel was crafted beautifully. It opens as Mary Wollstonecraft gives birth to her second daughter, future author Mary Shelley. It then unfolds in two points of view: Mary's, as she recalls her life to her newborn daughter, and Mary's midwife's, as she cares for mom and baby during the author's final days.

Samantha Silva does a fabulous job highlighting the parts of Mary Wollstonecraft's life that shaped her ideology and led her to write her feminist treatise. She presents a complex woman with strong ideals who finds herself balancing between sense and sensibility.

The first thing I did after finishing this book was revisiting 'A Vindication of the Rights of Woman'. It was so much fun to read it after Love and Fury, and I would recommend reading them in tandem.

You will definitely like this one if you love historical fiction or feminist theory!

Love and Fury is a well done historical fiction that tracks the life of Mary Wollstonecraft, arguably the first feminist. The book starts with Mary about to give birth to her daughter, Mary Shelley. The story alternates between Mary’s chapters which are told as the story of her life to her daughter and those of Mrs. B, the midwife, who stays on after the birth as a nurse.
Mary didn’t have an easy life. The daughter of an abusive alcoholic, the family was constantly forced to move as her father attempted to reinvent himself. Her parents were randomly cruel. A scene involving violence against an animal had me wishing for one’s death. Denied the education she so desperately wanted, she was fortunate to meet two men that believed in the education of girls. She pays it forward when she starts a school for young girls. But for all her strength and determination, she remained vulnerable in matters of the heart.
While I was familiar with her writing, I had no idea about her life and how fascinating it was. I was especially enthralled by the section when she is in France during the French Revolution.
The book doesn’t pull any punches. It highlights the hardships of women’s lives in the 18th century - the lack of any kind of rights, the worries of childbirth, the horrors of the medical practices of the day, the lack of opportunities for women.
The book grabbed me both emotionally and intellectually. I appreciated that Mrs. B was much more than just a secondary character to move Mary’s story forward.
Ell Potter narrates the book and did a good job of conveying the emotions of the book.
I highly recommend this book for those that want to learn something when they read historical fiction. My thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of this audiobook.

"You say that I am hard on all women. But no harder than I am on myself. I want a serious and thoughtful examination of authentic human emotion and experience, not false sensibility that imprisons us, but a genuine one that empowers us. Not only for me, but you for you too".

This book is not for the faint of heart. The content warnings include child abuse, animal cruelty, drug overdose, suicide, rape and more. Despite all this, the story's overall message is that of hope. I knew little of Mary Wollstonecraft before this book, but now I'll certainly seek out more of her writing. Her story, told skillfully through Silva, is one that I'll carry with me. Mary Wollstonecraft was a women well before her time and her story as told in "Love and Fury" is a compelling look at the strength humans have even when broken and flawed.

The narration is wonderful- besides the terrible American accent, which I will forgive since the rest was outstanding- and I was emotionally engaged throughout.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this early copy of audiobook. It was truly wonderful.

The narrators voice was extremely pleasing. She did and excellent job. The subject matter was intriguing and I have a feeling this historical fiction will become a bestseller. The description of how and why the characters are behaving really helped me to feel the plot and kept me wondering about the story itself. I'm glad that Mary Wollstonecrafts story has been told in a way that gives justice to the women's movement. I would highly recommend this as a historical fiction but also as a work about equal rights and women's rights and the history of where that came from initially.

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Audiobook narrated by Ell Potter which I can only say did a beautiful job telling me this story.
I’ve started writing this review a dozen times only to try again because I can’t possibly do it justice. I knew absolutely nothing about Mary Wollstonecraft. Her bravery, talent and love. Her cruel childhood, her writings. She’s one of the first women to fight for equal rights.
She saw injustice at a very young age. She knew many marriages were slavery for women. And that women had no rights, money or power during her life.
It was breathtaking to read this, a prose that flowed seamlessly, wonderfully detailed observations. I couldn’t put it down.
I’m not going to say anymore except that I highly recommend it. It’s a must read.
Thanks Macmillan Audio, Allison & Busby via Netgalley.