Started off a little dry with the early history of galvanism and dissections, but somewhere around Chapter 3 or 4 the pace picked up and my interest was fully engaged. I most appreciated the context I now have for Shelley's Frankenstein, and Montillo's theories rounded out the book as one cohesive narrative.

This was great! Look for more science and history books by this author. ( )

I found this interesting, but the writing style was kind of boring to me. Also, the author would go off on tangents. Not as interesting as I thought it would be. I had been wanting to read it, so I am glad I did. I can remove it from the list. ( )

I read this work with no expectations and was very pleasantly surprised.

The author's informative and straightforward style makes for an easy read. The book discusses early medical history pertaining to the possibility of reanimating the dead via electricity (i.e., galvanism) and the grave robbing phenomenon which supported early anatomists' work. Add to this the fascinating history of Mary and Percy Shelley, including Lord Byron, and the end result is a thoroughly entertaining insight into the making of the classic novel Frankenstein.

My only mild criticism is that sometimes unnecessary details about peripheral characters can bog down the reader.

Highly recommended. ( )

I'm guessing most of you have read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. Have you ever wondered about the history of the author and how she came to write such a story before she'd even turned 20 years old? Well, if you didn't um...well you probably won't be interested in what I've just read. If you did, then hold onto your hats! The Lady and Her Monsters: A Tale of Dissections, Real-Life Dr. Frankensteins, and the Creation of Mary Shelley's Masterpiece by Roseanne Montillo is the book for you! A large portion of the book is dedicated to the history of galvanism (electricity applied to muscles and its reactions) and the preoccupation of reanimation in the early 1800s. This fascination was not relegated to those in the sciences but also crossed over to the literary world as well. This is where the Shelleys come into play. Percy Bysshe Shelley, the poet, had an obsessive interest in galvanism and discussed this at length with his wife who had an equal interest in the subject and in particular, reanimation. Are you seeing where this is headed? The author discusses the history of the sciences while also delving into the marriage of these two iconic literary figures. I'd say the only thing this book was lacking was a more fleshed out appendix (remember I'm an uber nerd who actually reads these things). Other than that, I'd say this was an excellent book. It provided a lot of interesting information on an unfamiliar topic and I find myself wanting to learn more which is definitely the mark of a good book. :-) ( )