Cleopatra and Frankenstein - Coco Mellors

Cleopatra and Frankenstein

By Coco Mellors

  • Release Date: 2022-02-08
  • Genre: Fiction & Literature
Score: 4
4
From 118 Ratings

Description

The smash National bestseller and Goodreads Choice Award finalist--perfect for readers of Modern Lovers and Conversations with Friends. An addictive, humorous, and poignant debut novel about the shock waves caused by one couple's impulsive marriage.

Twenty-four-year-old British painter Cleo has escaped from England to New York and is still finding her place in the sleepless city when, a few months before her student visa ends, she meets Frank. Twenty years older and a self-made success, Frank's life is full of all the excesses Cleo's lacks. He offers her the chance to be happy, the freedom to paint, and the opportunity to apply for a Green Card. But their impulsive marriage irreversibly changes both their lives, and the lives of those close to them, in ways they never could've predicted.

Each compulsively readable chapter explores the lives of Cleo, Frank, and an unforgettable cast of their closest friends and family as they grow up and grow older. Whether it's Cleo's best friend struggling to embrace his gender queerness in the wake of Cleo's marriage, or Frank's financially dependent sister arranging sugar daddy dates to support herself after being cut off, or Cleo and Frank themselves as they discover the trials of marriage and mental illness, each character is as absorbing, and painfully relatable, as the last.

As hilarious as it is heartbreaking, entertaining as it is deeply moving, Cleopatra and Frankenstein marks the entry of a brilliant and bold new talent.

Reviews

  • raw & heartbreakingly beautiful

    5
    By ninaodishoo
    I have been searching for a book like this since reading Normal People. The stillness of this book being threaded along with chaotic reality of life. The insecurities of each character and bad habits embedded into real, heart-wrenching moments that somehow become whole. What I loved so much about this book is its ability to you feel less alone in your own habits, that every single person has a thing, a darkness that dictates their own reality. This book hurts so good. Tears are still spilling as I write this review. Amazing.
  • Decent writing but fell flat

    3
    By adip2017
    Overall I thought the writing and word choice was good and had decent character development but overall the story did not entirely keep my attention. This book is just about modern everyday life and while that’s fine, I feel I am not walking away with much. Cute story overall just not my absolute favorite
  • Best book I read this year

    5
    By BearNotBear
    This novel is written about people and situations that are all too real. The characters are so well developed that you can actually see them. I would recommend this book but with the warning that it is painful at times.
  • 🤍

    5
    By arantxa.nava
    Nice ending