Clairmont

The spellbinding, bold new retelling of the story of Lord Byron and the Shelleys, from the perspective of Claire Clairmont, the incredible woman that history tried to forget.

'Beautifully written, Clairmont tells the sensuous hidden story of an influential historic woman.' Sara Sheridan, author of The Fair Botanists Waterstones Scottish Book of the Year

'An absorbing, intoxicating page-turner about a woman who deserves to be remembered.' Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne and Atalanta

'Riveting - a clever portrait of a fascinating, flawed heroine.' Sunday Times

'An intimate and enlightening tale of one of Romanticism's forsaken muses - an artfully told story that lingers in the mind far beyond the last page' Susan Stokes-Chapman, author of Pandora

1816. A massive volcanic eruption has caused the worst storms that Europe has seen in decades, yet Percy and Mary Shelley have chosen to visit the infamous Lord Byron at his villa on Lake Geneva. It wasn't their idea: Mary's eighteen year old step-sister, Claire Clairmont, insisted.

But the reason for Claire's visit is more pressing than a summer escape with the most famous writers in the world. She's pregnant with Byron's child - a child Byron doesn't want, and scarcely believes is his own.

Claire has the world in her grasp. This trip should have given her everything she ever dreamed of. But within days, her life will be in ruins.

History has all but forgotten her story - but she will not be silenced.

Beautifully written, Clairmont tells the sensuous hidden story of an influential historic woman. Sara Sheridan
A novel that captures feverish infatuation, devastating betrayal and the glimpse of a legendary moment in history; Clairmont is an absorbing, intoxicating page-turner about a woman who deserves to be remembered. Jennifer Saint
Riveting - a clever portrait of a fascinating, flawed heroine. The Times
Enthralling Observer
Claire Clairmont hasn't often been given her due and McDowell restores her to thrilling, palpitating life. The Spectator
Clairmont emerges as a brave and sympathetic heroine in this engrossing novel The Scotsman
Clairmont is an intimate and enlightening tale of one of Romanticism's forsaken muses - artfully told in beautiful prose, a story that lingers in the mind far beyond the last page Susan Stokes-Chapman
A sensitive, beautifully told fictionalisation that gives a voice to one of literature's greatest muses. Laura Shepperson
A must-read. McDowell brings Claire to vivid, embodied life; a flirtatious, flawed woman fighting for her place in a man's world. The Herald
Clairmont is a fascinating journey into the dark underbelly of Romanticism. I was gripped, horrified and enlightened - and in awe of a woman who risked such pain and sorrow to 'mix in the throng' Meg Clothier
Clairmont is a beautifully written unveiling of a character who deserves to be as remembered as Byron and Shelley. A delightfully haunting gem of a story. L R Lam
A must for all lovers of historical fiction. Clairmont is a true-life story of hope, passion, and regrets with Claire Clairmont (step sister of the writer Mary Shelley) enduring against all odds after an ill-starred affair with the poet, Byron. Essie Fox
A spellbinding retelling The Scots Magazine

Lesley McDowell's debut novel The Picnic came out in 2007. In 2010 she published Between the Sheets: The Literary Liaisons of Nine 20th-Century Women Writers, which was shortlisted for the non-fiction prize in the 2011 Scottish Book Awards. Her second novel Unfashioned Creatures, about Mary Shelley's Scottish childhood friend, was published in 2013. Lesley was a literary critic for The Herald, The Scotsman, The Independent, TLS and others. She has a PhD on the work of James Joyce, and has won three Creative Scotland writers' bursaries. Clairmont is her third novel.

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