Fiction

Cleopatra and Frankenstein

Cleopatra and Frankenstein

  • Downloads：2263
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-04-25 14:16:33
  • Update Date：2025-09-23
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Coco Mellors
  • ISBN：0008421765
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

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。

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Reviews

Hayley ，

A novel in which unlikely， and often unlikeable， people do unlikely things for no logical reason。 Cleo is a British expat Artist living in New York， Frank is a successful advertising executive who is significantly her senior。 They meet cute， fall in love， get married， things fall apart， and then they go their separate and more fulfilling ways。 I found Cleo particularly irritating。 She’s the kind of woman who often appears in novels: beautiful and vacuous but everyone is obsessed with her and， wi A novel in which unlikely， and often unlikeable， people do unlikely things for no logical reason。 Cleo is a British expat Artist living in New York， Frank is a successful advertising executive who is significantly her senior。 They meet cute， fall in love， get married， things fall apart， and then they go their separate and more fulfilling ways。 I found Cleo particularly irritating。 She’s the kind of woman who often appears in novels: beautiful and vacuous but everyone is obsessed with her and， without actually having any agency， she falls on her feet。I had seen this talked about in the same breath as Dolly Alderton’s Ghosts， but that turned out to be completely misleading。 Ghosts has an authenticity and life that Cleopatra and Frankenstein completely lacks。 。。。more

Marie ，

The writing was impeccable & the dialogues were realistic， flowing and effortless。 It was truly a journey and a rollercoaster ride with this story。 The characters were flawed， selfish， lonely， insecure， broken and mostly a nightmare， to be frank - no pun intended - but a good story doesn’t necessarily need likable characters。 The only thing I must say that annoyed me during the reading was the constant shift from one character to the next。 It made me feel like the reader only got a peek into a c The writing was impeccable & the dialogues were realistic， flowing and effortless。 It was truly a journey and a rollercoaster ride with this story。 The characters were flawed， selfish， lonely， insecure， broken and mostly a nightmare， to be frank - no pun intended - but a good story doesn’t necessarily need likable characters。 The only thing I must say that annoyed me during the reading was the constant shift from one character to the next。 It made me feel like the reader only got a peek into a character’s life before quickly heading out again and saving the author time and energy to actually dig deep。 However， I’d take this somewhat back after finishing the book because it all kind of intertwined and made sense in the end。 Definitely some character development happened and made me close the book with a “Wow”。 The only reason I couldn’t give this book five stars was the fact that I felt like the author made it look a little too easy changing self destructive behavior and turning your life around。 。。。more

Roman Clodia ，

This has the vibe of upmarket soap opera， very much an ensemble story circulating around the main cast of Cleo and Frank。 It's easy enough to read， though is painfully self-conscious in that creative writing class way， especially at the beginning， and deals with some heavy topics （marital breakdown， alcoholism， mental health and so on） in an accessible -or maybe lightweight？ - way。 Frankly， I was bored within the the first chapter where our heroine is described as the clichéd English eccentric i This has the vibe of upmarket soap opera， very much an ensemble story circulating around the main cast of Cleo and Frank。 It's easy enough to read， though is painfully self-conscious in that creative writing class way， especially at the beginning， and deals with some heavy topics （marital breakdown， alcoholism， mental health and so on） in an accessible -or maybe lightweight？ - way。 Frankly， I was bored within the the first chapter where our heroine is described as the clichéd English eccentric in New York， all accent and supposedly bohemian quirkiness - but I skim-read to the end in case it ever picked up and morphed into something more interesting。 Nope， it doesn't。 。。。more

Krithika ，

The writing style felt so…glittery， for lack of a better， which made it so easy to gobble this book up in a weekend。 I kinda hate every single person in this book though

Theresa ，

DNF - Mellors’ debut is filled with beautiful writing and devastatingly comical jabs at patriarchal power structures。 Unfortunately， the main characters’ stories were too bleak and painful to keep me invested。 Would consider revisiting solely to finish Eleanor’s narrative arc。

Maxwell ，

This book will surely divide readers。 Either described as poignant and relatable or shallow and pretentious， this debut novel from Coco Mellors feels like the personification of an Instagram filter—something that simultaneously enhances and yet covers up reality。 Cleo and Frank， the eponymous couple （though those are not their legal names， but 'cute' nicknames they give each other early on in their relationship）， meet on New Year's Eve and are married within six months。 She， an early 20s artist， This book will surely divide readers。 Either described as poignant and relatable or shallow and pretentious， this debut novel from Coco Mellors feels like the personification of an Instagram filter—something that simultaneously enhances and yet covers up reality。 Cleo and Frank， the eponymous couple （though those are not their legal names， but 'cute' nicknames they give each other early on in their relationship）， meet on New Year's Eve and are married within six months。 She， an early 20s artist， and he， a mid-40s ad executive， bond over their troubled family histories and seek solace in one another。 Their caustic relationship， however， doesn't prove to be as picture perfect as it seems， as each struggles with addiction （whether sex， drugs or alcohol） and mental health issues。 The effects of their marriage reverberate out into the lives of their family and friends: Zoe， Frank's ambitious half-sister; Quentin， Cleo's best friend grappling with his sexuality; Eleanor， a new hire at Frank's office; and more。I'll admit: the first page of this book had me rolling my eyes。 When Frank describes Cleo's British accent as "how biting into a Granny Smith apple feels。。。crisp，" I figured this might be some overwrought， MFA-style prose。 And honestly， in some ways it kind of is。 There is no doubt that Cleo and Frank are fairly pretentious。 This feels in some ways like it was written to eventually be adapted; I'd be shocked if it isn't a miniseries in the next few years。 At the same time， it's highly readable and incredibly engaging。 Mellors really does know how to write， how to set a scene， describe the setting， hit the reader with some strong images， and write a darn good metaphor。 While not every sentence sticks the landing， there's more than enough in this novel to make up for the few issues I had with it， especially considering this is a debut！You have to be okay with unlikeable characters to read this book。 You have to be willing to go on a journey that doesn't necessarily leave our protagonists shining and shimmering in the end。 And I would've appreciated a bit more time to have the characters really dig into their issues， to grapple with the fact that the world is much bigger than just the two of them; though in some ways I think that's part of the point Mellors is trying to make。 People in love， or in lust， don't see the world beyond them。 Young people， people with addictions， people with traumatic childhood experiences， whatever it may be。 All these things can add up to the perfect cocktail of misery and searching for meaning。 That's no excuse for their behavior， and of course not all people with these problems turn out like Cleo and Frank。 But this the story of just two of those people， and I think Mellors did a pretty masterful job of it。 。。。more

Kathie Price ，

Excellent debut novel。 Great characters and a story of love， friendship and excesses。

Emma Rose ，

My new favourite book。

Emma Moore ，

Oh wow。 Beautifully written， characters that I couldn't help but love even if it felt that I shouldn't at times， and just such a nice story。 It wasn't at all what I expected， but it was simply wonderful。 I'll be thinking about this for such a long time and recommending it to everyone I know Oh wow。 Beautifully written， characters that I couldn't help but love even if it felt that I shouldn't at times， and just such a nice story。 It wasn't at all what I expected， but it was simply wonderful。 I'll be thinking about this for such a long time and recommending it to everyone I know 。。。more

Hargun Kaur Sachdev ，

Wow。I didn't expect to like it half as much as I did。 Initially it just seemed like a book good enough to get me out of a two month reading slump。 But now I think it's definitely going to be one of my top reads of this year。 Always in search of books like Conversations With Friends and I finally found one。 Books where people you love hurt you and you do the same。 Books that capture human behaviour and emotions so well and specifically that it is so universal。 Wow。I didn't expect to like it half as much as I did。 Initially it just seemed like a book good enough to get me out of a two month reading slump。 But now I think it's definitely going to be one of my top reads of this year。 Always in search of books like Conversations With Friends and I finally found one。 Books where people you love hurt you and you do the same。 Books that capture human behaviour and emotions so well and specifically that it is so universal。 。。。more

Sophie Joanna ，

I fell in love with the characters of this beautifully written book， i'm already missing them。 I fell in love with the characters of this beautifully written book， i'm already missing them。 。。。more

Anne Altman ，

4。5 stars。 This author writes so beautifully and so viscerally about really hard things， and I was here for it。 It took me a bit of time to get my footing because I went into it completely blind。 It would have been helpful to know the very basic premise， which is that a couple meets and falls in love， and that’s where the story begins （instead of ends like in most books。）The rest of the book is what happens after that， and it’s told from multiple perspectives— all of the people that surround thi 4。5 stars。 This author writes so beautifully and so viscerally about really hard things， and I was here for it。 It took me a bit of time to get my footing because I went into it completely blind。 It would have been helpful to know the very basic premise， which is that a couple meets and falls in love， and that’s where the story begins （instead of ends like in most books。）The rest of the book is what happens after that， and it’s told from multiple perspectives— all of the people that surround this couple get their own POV。 The first chapter alone is far and away one of my favorite pieces of writing I’ve read this year。 This is not a happy story。 This is a dark story but it has hope at its core。 Definitely recommend particularly if you like Sally Rooney， but know that it won’t work for everyone。 My favorite quote was “when the darkest part of you meets the darkest part of me， it creates light。” 。。。more

Femke ，

4，5

sela ，

i don’t even have words for this。 i went in with a certain set of expectations and by god this blew past all of them。 it really seems like this novel— every bit of it— was written for me and me alone。 i know that it wasn’t， obviously， but that’s how great fiction should feel i think

Gabby Humphreys ，

Cleopatra and Frankenstein is everywhere at the moment。 I don’t know who I thought I was delaying this read。 Often if I book is very hyped up I shy away from it， when actually this is because it’s really good， like the following。I thought this book was a romance。 It is for a bit， but my grinchy heart was pleased to discover that it’s actually a massive thwack of sadness。Cleo and Frank meet unexpectedly and get whisked away in love and it’s a very rocky journey from there。 Another layer of the bo Cleopatra and Frankenstein is everywhere at the moment。 I don’t know who I thought I was delaying this read。 Often if I book is very hyped up I shy away from it， when actually this is because it’s really good， like the following。I thought this book was a romance。 It is for a bit， but my grinchy heart was pleased to discover that it’s actually a massive thwack of sadness。Cleo and Frank meet unexpectedly and get whisked away in love and it’s a very rocky journey from there。 Another layer of the book is mental health; with Cleo struggling and her mother dying from suicide。 Grief is a massive part of this book， with the intimacy We’ve also got multiple affairs， discussions on the questionable value of artwork and the love that pets can bring。 Additionally， my addiction PhD student heart was singing because there’s absolutely cracking representations of addiction。Somehow the words in this book feel pillowy， despite their sharp content。 I was comforted by this read， in a Dolly Alderton manner， and it was a reminder of how much a book can fill your mind and be so real and ！！！ AH I don’t know， it was just really really bloody nice to read。I fucking loved this book， obviously， and understand the hype。 。。。more

sophie ✰ ，

The writing in this book was stunning， so many lines which struck my soul。 The first fifty pages did take me a while to get into but other than that this was so good。

Valentina ，

This book is the equivalent of Harry Style’s “Fine Line”， don’t ask me why

Jenn ，

'Like earth。 It grounds you。 All this nonsense about love being a drug， making you feel high， that's not real。 It should hold you like the earth。' 'Like earth。 It grounds you。 All this nonsense about love being a drug， making you feel high， that's not real。 It should hold you like the earth。' 。。。more

Allie Rowbottom ，

I loved this book！ Searing and true and dark while somehow also feeling light and sexy， it got me through a lonely week during which I seriously could not put it down。 Five big stars and then some <3

Mary Kate ，

If half stars were an option， I’d give this book a 3 1/2。 After I read various reviews of this book， I was really excited to start it。 Normally I like dark/depressing books but this one almost had no flickers of hope。 I did enjoy the writing and the end， which was satisfying without coming close to a formulaic happy ending。 That said， I’m not sure I’d recommend this to a friend。

Ashely ，

Started on April 20， 2022。

Ashlyn ，

wow <3 I went into this book blind and it has quickly become one of my favourites。 I can definitely see myself rereading this & annotating it in the future。 I think what made this book stand out to me was the complexity & imperfectness of the characters。 We follow a pretty large cast of characters so diving into each one individually & seeing their connections with each other was so so interesting。 I didn’t like all the characters - but I wasn’t supposed to， and that’s okay。 They were all perfec wow <3 I went into this book blind and it has quickly become one of my favourites。 I can definitely see myself rereading this & annotating it in the future。 I think what made this book stand out to me was the complexity & imperfectness of the characters。 We follow a pretty large cast of characters so diving into each one individually & seeing their connections with each other was so so interesting。 I didn’t like all the characters - but I wasn’t supposed to， and that’s okay。 They were all perfectly flawed but special in their own way。 The exploration of mental health issues and addiction was so well done in a way that made me connect so easily with the struggles。 The writing in this book was phenomenal。 I found myself laughing at times， then immediately followed by reading a deep thought provoking message。 I had multiple times that I looked up & reread quotes over and over because they were some of my favourites I have ever read。 My favourite chapter has to be “Late March” - I think that one was especially captivating。 I would definitely recommend this book if you are a fan of literary fiction， character driven stories， & Sally Rooney。 I can’t believe this is the authors first novel， I hope there are many more to come in the future。 。。。more

Rita ，

A book that so deeply encapsulates the complexities of love， human nature， trauma， relationships， and living in New York。 I see myself so deeply in Cleo as a character and not only did I draw so many similarities in my feelings to hers， I felt so deeply protective of her as a character that the ending felt like a betrayal。 I loved how beautifully this was written， and how it was written in different perspectives， each to give an understanding of the different struggles we as humans face in life。 A book that so deeply encapsulates the complexities of love， human nature， trauma， relationships， and living in New York。 I see myself so deeply in Cleo as a character and not only did I draw so many similarities in my feelings to hers， I felt so deeply protective of her as a character that the ending felt like a betrayal。 I loved how beautifully this was written， and how it was written in different perspectives， each to give an understanding of the different struggles we as humans face in life。 The hollowness and desire for connection we feel in life even when to others we appear to be glowing and have a perfect life。 How no matter what age we are， it is never to late to make changes in our lives， how other's can be the catalyst for our change， and how we can hurt people we love very deeply simply by being ourselves or not living up to our own exceptions of how we treat other people。This book touches on so many topics within the human experience， including the female experience， the queer experience， poverty， racism， mental health， addiction， desire， feeling lost no matter what age you are。 It discusses our traumas， and who we become around certain people， in order to simply not be alone。 The connections we make， the things we do to fill the void may not be healthy for us， but we continue on， if only to not be alone in the world。 This book touched me so deeply and shows us how much capacity for love we can have for people who we are not meant to be with。 How enduring that love is despite the understanding that people do not always fit into our lives in the way that we hope。 It shows that we cannot expect other people to bear our burdens， and we cannot expect others to be our single source of joy or take all our pains away。 I loved this book with all my heart and found in it a friend and a mirror。My one qualm is that there were no chapters from Audrey's perspective， and I had been expecting there to be since there seemed to be at least one or two chapters from every other peripheral character。 There is a diverse range of perspectives within what was given in this novel， but as Audrey is one of the only Asian characters in this book， it would have been nice to see her perspective spotlighted as well。But overall， I loved this book。 This review cannot even begin to cover the breadth of all the things I loved about it， but just know that it is a book about two broken people who try to find love， joy， and hope in each other。 。。。more

Celeste Ho ，

3。5 rounded up because this is honestly the best book to read while solo traveling since it reminds you how awful people can be lol

alyanda （literarypoets） ，

i love everything about this book

Kim ，

DNF at page…2？ Possibly a record for me。 I got to the part where he compares her accent to a Granny Smith apple and says something about the Midwest accent being a golden delicious and I got the ick。 This book is trying too hard to be too clever。

Em Cahill ，

A triumphant debut novel！ I absolutely LOVED this！ It deserves the hype！ It’s beautiful， elegant， tender， devastating， edgy and hilarious， just like the reviews say。

Bilal ，

Upon the recommendation from a friend， @Faibolt， I gave this title a read。 This story is about two protagonists Cleo and Frank as we follow their dysfunctional romantic relationship and how that relationship effects the various people in their lives。 As Faibolt stated in her review the beginning of the story is the weakest part of the novel， perhaps the first 1/3'rd give or take？ As with many other critiques of this novel， the flirtatious banter between characters feels overworked and unnatural; Upon the recommendation from a friend， @Faibolt， I gave this title a read。 This story is about two protagonists Cleo and Frank as we follow their dysfunctional romantic relationship and how that relationship effects the various people in their lives。 As Faibolt stated in her review the beginning of the story is the weakest part of the novel， perhaps the first 1/3'rd give or take？ As with many other critiques of this novel， the flirtatious banter between characters feels overworked and unnatural; attempting to be witty for the sake of being witty。Then something happens where the things change and I ended up really enjoying the novel and loved the ending。 There are quite a few characters that we meet and Mellors does an excellent job at immersing the reader into lives of each character。 You may not like the decisions made by each character， but Mellors isn't concerned about the moral decisions of her characters， rather their relatability and I respect the truth in that decision。 The introduction of the Eleanor was what had me hooked， she was a standout & the only character who's written in 1'st POV。 This title is a solid 4 - maybe 4。5。 。。。more

Lexie Hayes ，

Wow what a beautifully written story。 It is filled with flawed， often frustrating characters， but it is real and raw。 Be forewarned that this is not often a comfortable read because it tackles a lot of heavy subjects including addiction， suicide attempts， infidelity， domestic violence， and more but it is an important read。 It made me feel， and I love that about a story。 I cannot wait to read more from this author。 My only critique for the book is the seemingly unnecessary use of animal death/cru Wow what a beautifully written story。 It is filled with flawed， often frustrating characters， but it is real and raw。 Be forewarned that this is not often a comfortable read because it tackles a lot of heavy subjects including addiction， suicide attempts， infidelity， domestic violence， and more but it is an important read。 It made me feel， and I love that about a story。 I cannot wait to read more from this author。 My only critique for the book is the seemingly unnecessary use of animal death/cruelty at two different points in the book that I don’t think were necessary to the plot。 。。。more

Lorri Steinbacher ，

I liked the story， hated the characters。 The one character I was rooting for got what they wanted， though， so another half star for that。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Cleopatra and Frankenstein

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Cleopatra and Frankenstein&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Cleopatra and Frankenstein&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0