Unnatural Creatures: A Novel of the Frankenstein Women

Kris Waldherr

Oct 2022 · Muse Publications LLC · Narrated by Barrie Kreinik

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12 hr 45 min

Unabridged

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About this audiobook

Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award • Read by Audie Award-winning narrator Barrie Kreinik

"Worthy of comparison to Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea . . . A splendid achievement from a writer at the height of her powers."—Historical Novels Review (Editors' Choice)

"This book has it all. Unnatural Creatures is an atmospheric, reimagined classic about the lines we cross for loyalty and love." —Foreword Reviews

For the first time, the story of the three women closest to Victor Frankenstein is revealed in a sweeping reimagining of Frankenstein by the author of The Lost History of Dreams.

THE MOTHER. Caroline Frankenstein will do anything to protect her family against the revolutions engulfing 18th-century Europe. In doing so, she creates her own monster in the form of her scientist son, Victor.

THE BRIDE. Rescued by Caroline as a four-year-old beggar, Elizabeth Lavenza knows the only way she can repay the Frankensteins is by accepting Victor's hand in marriage. But when Elizabeth's heart yearns for another, the lives of those she most loves collide with the unnatural creature born of Victor's profane experiments.

THE SERVANT. After an abusive childhood, Justine Moritz is taken in by Caroline to serve the Frankensteins. Justine's devotion to Caroline and Elizabeth knows no bounds . . . until a tragedy changes her irrevocably. Her fate sets her against Victor's monster, who is desperate to wreak revenge against the Frankensteins.

Stunningly written and exquisitely atmospheric, Unnatural Creatures shocks new life into Mary Shelley's beloved gothic classic by revealing the feminine side of the tale.

About the author

Kris Waldherr's books for adults and children include THE LOST HISTORY OF DREAMS, BAD PRINCESS, DOOMED QUEENS, and THE BOOK OF GODDESSES. THE LOST HISTORY OF DREAMS received a Kirkus starred review and was called "an unexpected delight" by Booklist. The New Yorker praised DOOMED QUEENS as "utterly satisfying" and "deliciously perverse." THE BOOK OF GODDESSES was a One Spirit/Book-of-the-Month Club's Top Ten Most Popular Book. Waldherr's fiction has won fellowships from the Virginia Center of the Creative Arts, and a works-in-progress reading grant from Poets & Writers. Her latest novel is UNNATURAL CREATURES, a reimagining of Mary Shelley's FRANKENSTEIN told through the eyes of the three women closest to Victor Frankenstein: his mother Caroline, fiancée Elizabeth, and servant Justine. Kris Waldherr is also the creator of The Goddess Tarot, which has over a quarter of a million copies in print. She lives and works in Brooklyn. Barrie Kreinik is an award-winning audiobook narrator and actor. She specializes in accents and dialects, particularly those of the British Isles. She won a 2022 Audie Award for her co-narration of Heresy by Melissa Lenhardt and was also nominated for her narration of Ariadne by Jennifer Saint.

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