I was instantly drawn to Cleo and Frank and their strange interaction and I'm a sucker for the classic New York City setting; it gives me a warm vibe. they read like caricatures to me than actual characters, they go on poetic rants about their life and whatnot— and it reeks of white privilege. Ultimately, this chance meeting between two strangers outside of a New Year’s Eve party changes everything, for better or worse. and i know that if i were to read cleopatra and frankenstein, i'd be left hungry and longing for a more substantial meal.

Let me give you some context of how I came about the novel: to start with, I think I was more accustomed with the cover of this novel, than I was the actual content of it. Cleopatra and Frankenstein is a journey and yes, it isn’t for everyone, but if you can get past the change in form and tone, I think you’ll be able to appreciate the fact that Mellors has managed to build a relationship with the reader and several very complicated characters in her very first novel while paying homage to New York. Whilst Frank feels indebted to help his sister who has been cut off but is plagued with illness and the need to feel something. A tender, devastating and funny exploration of love and friendship and the yearning for self-evisceration.And I would've appreciated a bit more time to have the characters really dig into their issues, to grapple with the fact that the world is much bigger than just the two of them; though in some ways I think that's part of the point Mellors is trying to make. Any attempt at meaningful discussions on the books themes felt superficial to me, and distracted by an insufferable need to assert the tragic but beautiful shine of Cleo. She talks about being broke, drugs, alcohol abuse, childhood trauma, suicide, loss of friendship, mental health and multiple LGBTQ+ topics. but alas, I had to stop reading at 51 % percent because I just couldn't bear it anymore, and I hardly DNF books.

Eleanor, the character which filled the least amount of chapters in this book, was probably the most likeable, and dare I say original. Maybe because each chapter was concerning a different person, which I used to love but didn’t in this circumstance. I sometimes loved, and sometimes hated all the characters in this one: the title pair who marry mere months after meeting, and their eccentric circle of pals. I have a super short attention span (like the rest of our population: thank you tiktok) and a mind that continually daydreams. these ppl are boring and the author's attempts to make them into rooney-esque figures, well, tis' cringe.For all ebook purchases, you will be prompted to create an account or login with your existing HarperCollins username and password.

There is only one novel this reminded me of, and that’s Elizabeth Gilbert’s City of Girls which portrayed New York in the 1940’s. I have nothing kind to say because for me to have a discussion about this book Mellors would have had to do something as an author worth discussing.It reached out, ripped my heart out through my chest, threw it at the wall and left me staring into a huge abyss for twenty straight minutes. Part of me longed to get to the bits where her quirky personality hit the pages and her relationship with Frank was seen through, because that is what they both deserved. After graduating with an English Literature degree and taking on a Communications job, Sophie's Edit focuses on her love for literature and film, good food, pop culture and her love for Scotland. It is thrilling to read a book that articles with nuance and compassion the way gender impacts every part of our lives. The writing has potential , there were some funny moments and I enjoyed her description but this book has no idea what it’s doing.