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Poor Creatures
The fascinating story of Mary Shelley – the mind which birthed Frankenstein
Brief Description
The worst monsters are the human kind . . . Dundee, 1812. Isabel Baxter awaits the arrival of Mary Godwin, a girl of fierce intelligence and grand passions, sent north to recover from a mysterious ailment. The Baxter family home, nestled in woodland by the river...
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See moreUnravel a hidden thread of literary history as the woman behind Frankenstein finally escapes the monster's shadow.
Unravel a hidden thread of literary history as the woman behind Frankenstein finally escapes the monster's shadow.
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Description
The worst monsters are the human kind . . .
Dundee, 1812. Isabel Baxter awaits the arrival of Mary Godwin, a girl of fierce intelligence and grand passions, sent north to recover from a mysterious ailment. The Baxter family home, nestled in woodland by the river Tay, seems the perfect retreat. But The Cottage is a place of secrets, and Mary is no ordinary guest.
As the girls grow closer, their friendship becomes all-consuming, haunted by memory, fuelled by feverish creativity, and shadowed by something monstrous.
Inspired by true events, this is an immersive reimagining of the young Mary Shelley before she became the author of Frankenstein. A story of girlhood, obsession, and the birth of a literary legend.
Years before Frankenstein, this is a story of emerging womanhood and literary intrigue, exploring the many monsters in young Mary Shelley's life. From the bestselling author of Waterstones Scottish Book of the Month, Specimens, Poor Creatures is perfect for fans of Stacey Halls, Sara Sheridan, and Ambrose Parry.
'Makes the historical feel present and urgent' - ZOE VENDITOZZI
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781785309304
Publisher: Bonnier Books Ltd
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 07 May 2026
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Black and White Publishing
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 20.0mm
Width: 133.0mm
Height: 200.0mm
Weight: 210g
Pages: 288
About the Author
Mairi Kidd graduated with a First in Celtic Studies from the University of Edinburgh and has worked in books ever since. Her novel The Specimens - a retelling of the 1828 crimes of Burke and Hare - was Waterstones Scottish
Book of the Month and the short stories from her collection We Are All Witches formed the basis for the award-winning 'Heal and Harrow' project.
She lives by the sea in Edinburgh with her illustrator husband and their rescue cat.
Also by Mairi Kidd
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The Specimens
"A work of fiction that is both a potent portrait of early 19th-century Edinburgh but also a story about female agency or the lack of it. The result is a compelling, painful, haunted piece of work." THE HERALD Edinburgh, 1828. Two women - one rich, one poor - must navigate life against a frenzied backdrop of medical discovery, mob mayhem,...Paperback$2799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Poor Creatures
She did not mean to.But she has killed, and killed, and killed again.Dundee, 1812. Isabel Baxter awaits the arrival of Mary Godwin, a girl of precocious intellect and grand passions, sent north to cure an ailment no one understands. Nestled in woodland on the banks of the Tay, the Baxter family estate seems a perfect place for a troubled girl...Paperback$3499Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
The Specimens
"A work of fiction that is both a potent portrait of early 19th-century Edinburgh but also a story about female agency or the lack of it. The result is a compelling, painful, haunted piece of work." THE HERALD Up the close and down the stair, meet the women of Burke and Hare Edinburgh, 1828. Two women - one rich, one...Paperback$3699Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
We Are All Witches
Weaving fact and fiction in a melodic portrayal of folklore, strength and femininity, Mairi Kidd invites readers to examine their beliefs, investigate the past and find power in the virtues of modern witchcraft. As stories of suspected witches, healers and those revelling in the power of magic are told, we imagine the lives of these women, not as unlucky victims...HardbackSold Out
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