cleopatra and Frankenstein by coco mellors

Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors

What a joy. Makes me want to be in New York.

Rating: 6/10

Genre: Fiction

Book Summary:

Follows the tumultuous relationship of Cleo and Frank. Cleo is an art student in New York and Frank has a marketing agency and is 20 years senior to Cleo. This book is about their entire relationship and their friends. What this book does so well is paint this aesthetically perfect picture of New York whilst highlighting it’s uniquely selfish characters and selfless ones. It’s rich, imaginative and develops it’s characters flawlessly.

Favourite Quotes: Entirety of chapter 8 - Eleanor <3 - full of quotable content.

“The only object on my new desk when I arrive is a mug that says ‘Always do what you love’ It goes straight into a drawer”

Would I read this book again?: Yes

Would I recommend this book?: Yes

First Impressions: Cinematic, Rich, Beautiful

Final thoughts: I pictured this book as if a movie was playing in my head. LA LA land came to mind. This book touches on themes of mental illness very well without explicitly going into it. All characters were developed so well. Lovers of Sally Rooney will devour this book.

Key Takeaways: From the start the story captivates you with it’s scene setting. You can imagine the way each character moves in the book. I particularly enjoyed Cleo’s description, and what she was wearing. The style of writing matched with the New York backdrop and the contrast of eccentric characters made this such a unique reading experience. The author gave every character justice and made it into an ensemble cast movie. What a joy. Makes me want to be in New York.