Clairmont

Beautifully written, Clairmont tells the sensuous hidden story of an influential historic woman. * Sara Sheridan *A novel that captures feverish infatuation, devastating betrayal and the glimpse of a legendary moment in history; Clairmont is an absorbing, intoxicating page-turner about a woman who deserves to be remembered. * Jennifer Saint *Riveting - a clever portrait of a fascinating, flawed heroine. * The Times *Enthralling * Observer *Claire Clairmont hasn’t often been given her due and McDowell restores her to thrilling, palpitating life. * The Spectator *Clairmont emerges as a brave and sympathetic heroine in this engrossing novel * The Scotsman *Clairmont is an intimate and enlightening tale of one of Romanticism’s forsaken muses - artfully told in beautiful prose, a story that lingers in the mind far beyond the last page * Susan Stokes-Chapman *A sensitive, beautifully told fictionalisation that gives a voice to one of literature’s greatest muses. * Laura Shepperson *A must-read. McDowell brings Claire to vivid, embodied life; a flirtatious, flawed woman fighting for her place in a man’s world. * The Herald *Clairmont is a fascinating journey into the dark underbelly of Romanticism. I was gripped, horrified and enlightened - and in awe of a woman who risked such pain and sorrow to ‘mix in the throng’ * Meg Clothier *Clairmont is a beautifully written unveiling of a character who deserves to be as remembered as Byron and Shelley. A delightfully haunting gem of a story. * L R Lam *A must for all lovers of historical fiction. Clairmont is a true-life story of hope, passion, and regrets with Claire Clairmont (step sister of the writer Mary Shelley) enduring against all odds after an ill-starred affair with the poet, Byron. * Essie Fox *A spellbinding retelling * The Scots Magazine *

Lesley McDowell’s debut novel The Picnic came out in 2007. In 2010 she published Between the Sheets: The Literary Liaisons of Nine 20th-Century Women Writers, which was shortlisted for the non-fiction prize at the 2011 Scottish Book Awards. Her second novel Unfashioned Creatures, about Mary Shelley’s Scottish childhood friend, was published in 2013. Lesley was a literary critic for the Herald, Scotsman, Independent, TLS and others. She has a PhD on the work of James Joyce and has won three Creative Scotland writers’ bursaries. Her third novel, Clairmont, is a historical retelling of the story of Lord Byron and the Shelleys from the perspective of his secret muse, Claire Clairmont. Love and Other Poisons is her fourth novel.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.