Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors

Cleopatra and Frankenstein

Coco Mellors (author)

Paperback Published on: 02/02/2023

RRP £9.99

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50 reviews

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Bookseller Reviews

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Beautiful, Sudden, Explosive

A wonderful piece of literary fiction, featuring the most vibrant cast of characters, covering all methods of representation. The striking cover reference... READ MORE

Beth at Andover

Realistically raw

Mellors explored so many issues that plague our lives at the moment in such a tender way. It was heartbreaking and funny and relatable. It was one of the b... READ MORE

Shannon Funnell

A great debut!

I really enjoyed Cleopatra and Frankenstein, but it wasn’t at all what I expected. The main themes centre around addiction, trauma, art, love and all the b... READ MORE

Charlotte

Incredible!

I loved this book so much! It's beautifully written and the characters are all so well drawn that you can't help caring for each and every one of them - I ... READ MORE

Helen at Scarborough

Fans of Sally Rooney will adore this

Beautiful, funny, poignant and unputdownable. Coco Mellors reminds us that life and love are messy but there's always something bright at the end of it. ... READ MORE

Violet Daniels

A rare and powerful mediation on love.

I love this book! The characters are complex and flawed, bringing them to life in my mind. They felt human and real, and I think the author has done a beau... READ MORE

RONNIE

A coming-of-age and mid-life crisis story mixed with all the ups and downs of friendships, relationships, and family

I absolutely adored this book. I am always a sucker for a character-driven novel, and Cleopatra and Frankenstein is that and more. The novel follows Cleo, ... READ MORE

Chloe L

An immersive, character-driven narrative

Coco Mellors' novel takes readers on a journey through the lives of a young English artist and an older American advertiser, whose paths cross in New York.... READ MORE

Bridget @Sutton

The unbearable ordeal of youth and love

I wish I had read this faster, but life has a funny way of interrupting me at the worst possible moments. This story, the characters, the troubles they go... READ MORE

wik

Frustratingly Beautiful

Cleo and Frank now hold a special place in my heart. It begins with the two meeting at a party; a young brit who is in need of a visa after finishing Univ... READ MORE

Megan from Wolverhampton

Vibrantly shimmering, but not for me

First, the positives. In the book Mellors describes a hummingbird that one of the characters finds - this little creature is so unbearably delicate with t... READ MORE

Harry McWhirter

A heart baring, gut punching bit of brilliance

I wondered if I might not find the characters believable. If you have the same concern, I’ll settle it for you: This is a love story, so completely and utt... READ MORE

Phill - Waterstones Bookseller

a love letter to NYC

Cleopatra and Frankenstein follows the marriage between a 25 year old and a man 20 years her senior, and the way that relationships, and what happens insid... READ MORE

Rheannah Boyen

I didn't love it. Then I really did.

Cleo is a struggling artist in New York when she meets Frank, twenty years her senior. Frank has his own advertising company. He likes to think he is young... READ MORE

Katy Wheatley

Character driven story covering many difficult themes!

Love a character driven book and this was pretty great! I enjoyed the writing style and how so many difficult themes were explored. Although your life may ... READ MORE

Helen Dipietro

A gift to the literary world!

Mellor’s flawlessly captures the raw emotion of humankind in her searing debut. This book is perfect. I both loved and hated each character. It left m... READ MORE

Oliver Stanton

Mellor's debut offers a sharp and insightful look into contemporary relationships in all their glory and messiness

Cleopatra and Frankenstein was one of the first books that I gave 5 stars to this year and, now that the year is coming to an end, I can confidently say th... READ MORE

Emily at Waterstones Exeter

Synopsis

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. New York is slipping from Cleo's grasp. Sure, she's at a different party every other night, but she barely knows anyone. Her student visa is running out, and she doesn't even have money for cigarettes. But then she meets Frank. Twenty years older, Frank's life is full of all the success and excess that Cleo's lacks. He offers her the chance to be happy, the freedom to paint, and the opportunity to apply for a green card. She offers him a life imbued with beauty and art-and, hopefully, a reason to cut back on his drinking. He is everything she needs right now. Cleo and Frank run head-first into a romance that neither of them can quite keep up with. It reshapes their lives and the lives of those around them, whether that's Cleo's best friend struggling to embrace his gender identity in the wake of her marriage, or Frank's financially dependent sister arranging sugar daddy dates after being cut off. Ultimately, this chance meeting between two strangers outside of a New Year's Eve party changes everything, for better or worse. Cleopatra and Frankenstein is an astounding and painfully relatable debut novel about the spontaneous decisions that shape our entire lives and those imperfect relationships born of unexpectedly perfect evenings.

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN: 9780008421793
Number of pages: 384
Weight: 330g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 29 mm

Customer Reviews

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Cliches and Chaos!!

Everything about this book is quirky, mostly too quirky to the point of trying too hard. It has a certain vibe but it didn't provide that energy to carry i... READ MORE

bookishlybesotted

Too many indulged narcissists

Bought this for a poolside read. Im perhaps not target readership demographic as I’m 45 but I struggled to sympathise with any other the characters. So muc... READ MORE

M Kearney

Cliches and Chaos!!

Everything about this book is quirky, mostly too quirky to the point of trying too hard. It has a certain vibe but it didn't provide that energy to carry i... READ MORE

bookishlybesotted

Massively pretentious

If you try to get past the gut- wrenching writing style and slightly irritating clichéd characters, the book picks up around the middle. It is reminiscent ... READ MORE

Olivia Hill

Shallow

Written like a Wattpad fanfiction, Cleopatra and Frankenstein makes for an uninspiring read. Mellors manages to invent intolerable characters that renders ... READ MORE

Eve Maris

Disappointed

I had really looked forward to reading this book, but I couldn't get to the end. I disliked the constantly drug-taking throughout the story. I persevered f... READ MORE

Helen Dagger

Enjoyable but not blown away

I enjoyed this book as a holiday read but not sure I’d insist others read it. It felt at times a bit unrealistic and introduced characters and their deepes... READ MORE

Francesca MacVean

Utter tosh.

Don't get me started, this book is a really put you off romantic fiction for life. The title draws you in, only to be trapped in a nonsensical love story. ... READ MORE

Ian Paternoster

Don't believe the hype

This book put me in such a reading slump. It's taken me over two weeks to finish it. I found it very slow with nothing worth noting happening for 2/3 of th... READ MORE

Shelley Connor

Unexpected

I didn’t know what to expect from this book but I found full enjoyment from reading it. It explores an unexpected relationship is the be all and end all. I... READ MORE

Jade Muir Kenny

One of the best books I've read in a long time

If I could give it more stars, I would. Loved the characters (well most of them), loved the dialogue, the setting, the plot, everything. Only regret is tha... READ MORE

Louise Stephenson

Sparkling as New York frost

A well written novel, brimming with sharp prose and acidic wit. Changes moods in a heartbeat, and the characters are well drawn in their different aspect... READ MORE

Melanie Mason

Monsters and Modern life

I absolutely loved this book, it filled a space in me with misfits and empathetic loneliness that comes with life in a metropolis. It's filled with people ... READ MORE

Jess Thomas

Not a love story

Many people seem to this this is a love story, but it’s not and never claimed to be. It’s not happy and it’s not cute. It’s raw and honest and ugly. It’s e... READ MORE

Hope Taylor

Heartbreakingly human

A stunning rendition of the beautiful tragedy of human nature. The author touches on many of the complex struggles of being human, and whilst the depth of ... READ MORE

Maddy Bevan

Not as expected

Not quite what I expected - descriptions of drug taking and gay sex in first 100 pages put me off in case remainder of novel was similar=more graphic. I qu... READ MORE

Penny Still

Warming, thought provoking and clever

Loved reading this! A beautifully written treat with a bit of everything I look for in a book.

Nicky Ward

Beautiful and Entrancing

The way she describes and explores the relationships, no matter how unhealthy, is beautiful. The story is so vivid one can imagine being there.

Millie Boulcott

Beautifully written

I adored reading this book. I physically couldn’t put it down. Not because it had major plot twist or anything like but because I was so emotionally attach... READ MORE

Ro Goodwin

One of the best books I’ve read in a while

Gripping, heartfelt. Didn’t want to put it down once I started reading. The story lines are beautifully written and the characters are interesting and comp... READ MORE

Holly Guest