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The Last Man Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Books

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The Last Man Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Books

First off I struggled in reading this since the style of writing is not what I am used to.
I have read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, which I loved and I was interested in her
other works. It begans with a tale two orphans - Lionel and Perdita Verney. Once
from a well-off family, their father loses money and his position, they lose both parents and
struggle to survive as orphans. Later, they are reunited with their father's patron - the King
of England and his son Adrian. Lionel has reason to hate them for what he perceives as
abandonment, but soon finds friendship instead with Adrian and his sister Idris. Soon he
and Perdita also find love, but there are others that would love to see them fall. Then a
plague, time, fortunes, and war change things. Will England. . the world. . .come and
unite in a time of madness? Read and find out. Originally written in 1826. Must read!


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The Last Man Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Books Reviews

By today’s standards, I suspect most readers will find it tedious. However, if one has the patience for the literary style of those times, it was a compelling and emotionally evocative read. As each beloved, yet ultimately doomed, character passes, one can feel the encroaching despair and the ultimate resignation to whatever fate lies in store for the last remaining (as far as we know) human. Modern takes on this plot typically involve zombies and while I get the “what does it really mean to be alive” thing, the Last Man doesn’t need zombies to make that same point. So, well done, Mary Shelley.
The particular edition with the green cover that says "First digital edition 2017 by Anna Ruggieri" in the first few pages has a lot of errors. There are spaces missing between words, occurs multiple times on each page. Get another edition.
Mary Shelley isn't known for writing much other than Frankenstein but, in my opinion, this should be called her masterpiece. Picture Candide without the absurdity but with consummate usage & grammar.

As a 69-year old who spends most of his time "resting," my present life was summed up perfectly near the end of the novel “I have lived. I have spent days and nights of festivity; I have joined in ambitious hopes, and exulted in victory now,—shut the door on the world, and build high the wall that is to separate me from the troubled scene enacted within its precincts. Let us live for each other and for happiness; let us seek peace in our dear home, near the inland murmur of streams, and the gracious waving of trees, the beauteous vesture of earth, and sublime pageantry of the skies. Let us leave ‘life,’ that we may live.”

And most of all, don't read this novel expecting a happy ending.
Mary Shelley, who, in my assumption, was truly a fascinating author. She weaved together a very fast moving extraordinary saga, THE LAST MAN that kept me enthralled. Lionel’s life began on a cheerful note, but then tragedy struck. As I watched Lionel’s emotions go from sorrow, to bliss, back to sorrow, then grief in one brief moment took him by the throat and would not let go until his heart was broken. As deep depression set in he felt pure torment and could do nothing but try to comfort those around him as his dear friends, neighbors, and family departed, one by one, from what seemed to be a never-ending epidemic that swept through each countryside. This skillfully written masterpiece of a seriously tragic and also an intensely passionate story regarding love found, then lost through devastation, which led to unspeakable sorrow and loneliness, held me as I read line after line, and page after page, savoring every word.
As I followed Lionel through his existence, in each chapter he must take action against this foe that always seemed to have the upper hand in everything, and yet, each time, he knew he must move on because of the need to find others. Will he have to live in constant silence, or will there be someone out there waiting to be heard? From the Sibyl’s Cave, where it all seemed to initiate, all the way through to the end, or the start of a new beginning, this fascinating tale of intrigue led me down some desolate paths, and through some unforgettable and very picturesque forlorn valleys. Wonderful read!
This is not a review of Mary Shelley's book but rather this version of the book. Do yourself a favor a look for a different version. I think this was run off on a photocopier and then bound; the combination of font size, line spacing, and page size, this one is virtually unreadable. I made it through about ten pages before I was exhausted. Mine is going in the recycle bin and then I'll look for a different edition of the book. And I'll be very careful when buying a "classic" on in the future.
I read the entire book. I did consider quitting it a few times. It's long, verbose, flowery, rambling. It's alright-if you are in the mood. There are a few 'digs' at society of the 1800's. Set in the future, but not particularly 'forward-looking'. (well, maybe it is relative to the era, but other books from early 1800's seem more 'forward-looking' than did this book). Still, considering that "Future' is asserted and reminded, it would have been nice if it actually had some sort of future in it.

I think I would have enjoyed it more if it had been edited (a lot). It got tedious. I couldn't get engrossed in it, so it took a while to read. And, by the end, it was just depressing. I don't think I would have read it at all if I knew then what I know now. It's not poetry, but it's about what I might expect from a 300 page poem (too much). It seems written from Mary Shelley's perspective as her being the main character as a man. She should have remained a woman-I think it would have worked better.

Too hard to be succinct in this review. I'm suffering from my own complaints here. Best to just be done now.
First off I struggled in reading this since the style of writing is not what I am used to.
I have read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, which I loved and I was interested in her
other works. It begans with a tale two orphans - Lionel and Perdita Verney. Once
from a well-off family, their father loses money and his position, they lose both parents and
struggle to survive as orphans. Later, they are reunited with their father's patron - the King
of England and his son Adrian. Lionel has reason to hate them for what he perceives as
abandonment, but soon finds friendship instead with Adrian and his sister Idris. Soon he
and Perdita also find love, but there are others that would love to see them fall. Then a
plague, time, fortunes, and war change things. Will England. . the world. . .come and
unite in a time of madness? Read and find out. Originally written in 1826. Must read!