A brilliantly detailed retelling of the personal and literary crisis in Byron's life. Vivid, sympathetic and judicious, this remarkable book is a provocative counter to recent biographical and critical studies.<br />
<b>Jenny Uglow</b>
By synthesising multiple perspectives ... and by giving himself space to explore some of the summer's bit-part players in more detail, Ellis certainly succeeds in adding colour and detail to a well-known story.... Because of its extraordinary confluence of ideas and personalities, its story is one that bears retelling.<br />
<b>Daisy Hay, <i>Literary Review</i></b>
Literary Review
The book distils copious research in a convivial and occasionally offhand manner ... [and] Ellis' amassing of biographical subplots creates a richly peopled context. [His] narrative of criss-crossing pathways details with brilliant economy the way in which "that summer" failed to answer the lonely searches of all those involved.<br />
<b>Jane Stabler, <i>Times Higher Education</i></b>
David Ellis's account of Byron's time with Shelley and others in Geneva may be forgiven its myth-making subtitle. His manyvoiced account of the Genevan summer provides a welcome refinement of Byron's biography, in reminding us just how elusive his character remains.<br />
<b>Tom Durno, <i>Times Literary Supplement</i></b>
Times Literary Supplement
The story Ellis tells is of Byron on the run, and having, as they say, to turn his life around, but without wanting to explain himself, or to feign regrets he didn't feel or a wish for forgiveness he didn't want. [...] Byron in Geneva makes us wonder whether there really are turning points in people's lives, or rather obscure evolutions punctured and punctuated by crises.
<p><b>Adam Phillips, <i>London Review of Books</i></b></p>
London Review of Books
No student of Byron or the Romantics should miss it.<br />
<b>Steve Donoghue,<i> Open Letters Monthly: An Arts and Literature Review</i></b>
Open Letters Monthly: An Arts and Literature Review
An insightful, judicious biographical account of a crucial period in Byron's life... This book is perfect for those interested in the story of Byron's and the Shelleys' memorable summer of 1816; for advanced scholars, it serves as an excellent refresher on this period in the authors' lives. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers.<br />
<b>J. W. Vail, <i>Choice</i> Vol.49, No.3</b>
Mr. Ellis's book is admirably free of exaggeration or guesswork. We have here a succinct and full account of one eventful summer in the lives of some extraordinarily talented young writers. Who needs embellishment when the facts are as interesting as these?<br />
<b>J. S. Tennant, <i>The Wall Street Journal</i></b>
The Wall Street Journal