The Daughter of Doctor Moreau
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - From the bestselling author of Mexican Gothic and Velvet Was the Night comes a lavish historical drama reimagining of The Island of Doctor Moreau set against the backdrop of nineteenth-century Mexico. "This is historical science fiction at its best: a dreamy reimagining of a classic story with vivid descriptions of lush jungles and feminist themes. Some light romance threads through the heavier ethical questions concerning humanity."--Library Journal (starred review) "The imagination of Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a thing of wonder, restless and romantic, fearless in the face of genre, embracing the polarities of storytelling--the sleek and the bizarre, wild passions and deep hatreds--with cool equanimity."--The New York Times (Editors' Choice)
FINALIST FOR THE HUGO AWARD - ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, Time, NPR, Polygon, Tordotcom, Paste, CrimeReads, Booklist Carlota Moreau: A young woman growing up on a distant and luxuriant estate, safe from the conflict and strife of the Yucatán peninsula. The only daughter of a researcher who is either a genius or a madman. Montgomery Laughton: A melancholic overseer with a tragic past and a propensity for alcohol. An outcast who assists Dr. Moreau with his experiments, which are financed by the Lizaldes, owners of magnificent haciendas and plentiful coffers. The hybrids: The fruits of the doctor's labor, destined to blindly obey their creator and remain in the shadows. A motley group of part human, part animal monstrosities. All of them live in a perfectly balanced and static world, which is jolted by the abrupt arrival of Eduardo Lizalde, the charming and careless son of Dr. Moreau's patron, who will unwittingly begin a dangerous chain reaction. For Moreau keeps secrets, Carlota has questions, and, in the sweltering heat of the jungle, passions may ignite.
The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is both a dazzling historical novel and a daring science fiction journey.
FINALIST FOR THE HUGO AWARD - ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, Time, NPR, Polygon, Tordotcom, Paste, CrimeReads, Booklist Carlota Moreau: A young woman growing up on a distant and luxuriant estate, safe from the conflict and strife of the Yucatán peninsula. The only daughter of a researcher who is either a genius or a madman. Montgomery Laughton: A melancholic overseer with a tragic past and a propensity for alcohol. An outcast who assists Dr. Moreau with his experiments, which are financed by the Lizaldes, owners of magnificent haciendas and plentiful coffers. The hybrids: The fruits of the doctor's labor, destined to blindly obey their creator and remain in the shadows. A motley group of part human, part animal monstrosities. All of them live in a perfectly balanced and static world, which is jolted by the abrupt arrival of Eduardo Lizalde, the charming and careless son of Dr. Moreau's patron, who will unwittingly begin a dangerous chain reaction. For Moreau keeps secrets, Carlota has questions, and, in the sweltering heat of the jungle, passions may ignite.
The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is both a dazzling historical novel and a daring science fiction journey.
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Community Reviews
Silvia Moreno-Garcia does it again with this riveting and amazing gothic horror! The characters were amazing, and I was enveloped in the story. I normally donât enjoy historical classic stories but this one was amazing the gothic horror is what drew me in! Really fantastic retelling that I did not expect to enjoy!
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I found this story interesting. It was slow to start and I was frustrated with the FMC for quite awhile. But towards the end it became an empowering feminist story that I enjoyed.
The pacing of the first half of the novel was slow. I think my knowledge of Doctor Moreau meant that learning about the hybrids was expected and not interesting enough to hold my attention. I pushed through and eventually, the story picked up. I did enjoy the latter half and felt as if I knew the characters well and liked most of them. The ending was satisfying
We liked the easter eggs for the original Island of Dr. Moreau, the "classic novel" feel/tone, and the relationships between all of the doctor's creatures and employees.
I haven't read the original from H. G. Wells that this book was inspired from, so I came to it with no expectations. Actually, I had no idea what it was about other than it was a SMG book. I got it the day of release, excited to digest this in hours.
Yeah, no.
This book took me 2 months to finish, I dedicated myself to painfully reading a few pages every other day, because it was so boring. I don't know what this book strives to be, a mimic of 19th century women-lit, horror, sci-fi... What is it? Does it have a moral? You could argue it is another one of SMG's experimental works, that stroke gold. It just didn't, thats the problem. I find it rude to leave this review, but this book needed more development. It was beautifully written, as always. It's just that... Nothing of interest happened. The plot is revealed within the first few chapters, and its cliche.
I am happy I finished it, because I love how it's written. Theres some flow to it, and theres some thought put into how the story is told. It's just that it focuses too much on that, and less on what is going on. Besides, a lot of it was predictable. The ending was great, but summarizing such a slow plot in 30 pages has become the norm in modern books. It's becoming mentally exhausting to have to drag through 300 pages for a good resolution.
This one is a pass from my favorite author. I will continue to purchase and read her books, because she is a fantastic writer who isn't afraid to experiment. I was just not the audience for this one.
Yeah, no.
This book took me 2 months to finish, I dedicated myself to painfully reading a few pages every other day, because it was so boring. I don't know what this book strives to be, a mimic of 19th century women-lit, horror, sci-fi... What is it? Does it have a moral? You could argue it is another one of SMG's experimental works, that stroke gold. It just didn't, thats the problem. I find it rude to leave this review, but this book needed more development. It was beautifully written, as always. It's just that... Nothing of interest happened. The plot is revealed within the first few chapters, and its cliche.
I am happy I finished it, because I love how it's written. Theres some flow to it, and theres some thought put into how the story is told. It's just that it focuses too much on that, and less on what is going on. Besides, a lot of it was predictable. The ending was great, but summarizing such a slow plot in 30 pages has become the norm in modern books. It's becoming mentally exhausting to have to drag through 300 pages for a good resolution.
This one is a pass from my favorite author. I will continue to purchase and read her books, because she is a fantastic writer who isn't afraid to experiment. I was just not the audience for this one.
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