Solitary Walker: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft by N. J. Mastro

Solitary Walker: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft

N. J. Mastro

Black Rose Writing (2025)

978-1-68513-561-4

Reviewed by Jordan Waterwash for Reader Views (12/2025)

https://readerviews.com/reviews/solitary-walker-mastro/

5/5

Mary Wollstonecraft: feminist, intellectual, writer, mother, lover. Over the years, Mary Wollstonecraft has become an icon for women’s rights around the world. Without her, those early steps toward women’s liberation would not have happened—and who knows what the repercussions might have been in our present day had she not used her voice. In Solitary Walker: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft, N.J. Mastro covers Wollstonecraft’s life between 1787 and her premature death in 1797 at the age of thirty-eight. In her last ten years on earth, Wollstonecraft accomplished more than most of us do in our entire lifetimes.

This novel depicts her after she had been released from her governess position; this marked the start of her life as a full-time writer, philosopher, and intellectual in London. Her life takes many unfortunate turns as a woman who lives in a society not yet made for her. Scandal tends to follow her wherever she goes, in part because of her radical ideas but also because to be a woman in the late 1700s was to face extreme scrutiny for merely existing. After a misunderstanding between her and a friend and his wife, she must leave London for a politically volatile Paris.

The book follows Wollstonecraft’s life pretty faithfully to how it may have actually happened, which I appreciated. Her life was tumultuous, and depicting it as true as possible made for an exciting read. Without spoiling too much, seeing Wollstonecraft in her darkest moments as more than just a figurehead for feminism highlighted what I love most about fictional biographies: these pillars in history, above all, were people. They loved and lost, and faced problems we all face every single day. Mary Wollstonecraft, though most definitely an inspiration and warrior for women’s rights, was a complex person. For every brave political action she took, she equally yearned for life’s simple pleasures—to love and be loved.

Mastro’s writing beautifully portrays Wollstonecraft’s personhood. Told in the third person, the book delves into Wollstonecraft’s inner life without presumption. We see her thoughts and feelings in a way that allows us to see Wollstonecraft as she might have been. The inclusion of actual letters and quotes from her and those around her added to the realism. Additionally, I enjoyed the prose; it mirrored the subject matter and time period well. It’s clear Mastro has a deep love for not only Wollstonecraft but the early Romantic period as well.

Solitary Walker: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft by N.J. Mastro is a fantastic work. It is for those who love Mary Wollstonecraft, Mary Shelley, or the history of literary powerhouses in general. I am excited to see what N.J. Mastro works on next.