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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
As a young man, Frankenstein becomes obsessed with cracking the key to life and upon years of study, he chances upon the answer. However, after cobbling together a being, he can’t stand to be near it and finds himself haunted by the monstrous creature. After years of turmoil, Dr. Frankenstein has lost everyone and everything he holds dear until finally he meets his creature again. His monster makes a demand he’s loath to refuse but can he truly comply with the wishes of his mad creation?
My first and second times trying to read this book were disasters but I can finally say that the third try was a success. The way the story is told is similar to other books of its time but I am personally not a fan. Shelly was innovative for her time and is credited as a cornerstone of science fiction. Although I disliked the book and found it hard to immerse myself in, it was a worthwhile read as a classic gothic horror book.
My first and second times trying to read this book were disasters but I can finally say that the third try was a success. The way the story is told is similar to other books of its time but I am personally not a fan. Shelly was innovative for her time and is credited as a cornerstone of science fiction. Although I disliked the book and found it hard to immerse myself in, it was a worthwhile read as a classic gothic horror book.
a tad too meandering for my taste but brutally moving & Mary Shelley is forever a badass for whooping this up on a bet aged 19
Words cannot suffice to describe how much I love this book. I've reread it again just recently and books can truly relate to you differently when you reread it at different points of your life.
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
for all its flaws, and there are many, this is deservedly a classic.
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I hate the author, I hate the book, I hate the fact I know how to read, I hate that I relate to the monster so much, I hate the ending, I HATE Victor Frankenstein and every other human in the book!
This book shattered me in ways I didn't think were possible. Waterfalls after waterfalls fell from my eyes. My heart squeezed with sadness and cried out in despair when I read the last sentence!
After everything the monster went through, to let the story end with that, is a sin itself.
Shame on you, Mrs. Shelley! I hope you're satisfied with the despair you caused!
Also, the story's gay as hell.
4.99 stars, since I won't forgive her for the ending…
This book shattered me in ways I didn't think were possible. Waterfalls after waterfalls fell from my eyes. My heart squeezed with sadness and cried out in despair when I read the last sentence!
After everything the monster went through, to let the story end with that, is a sin itself.
Shame on you, Mrs. Shelley! I hope you're satisfied with the despair you caused!
Also, the story's gay as hell.
4.99 stars, since I won't forgive her for the ending…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
This book was truly amazing. Deserving of its reputation as a Classic.
Despite the characters in this book being culturally ubiquitous, it was very different from what I was expecting. It's much more a meditation of what it means to exist, the consequences of hubris, the contradictions of 'evil,' philosophical questions of accountability and justice, and the theoretical horrors of medical and scientific pursuits. I knew going in that this was considered the 'first science fiction novel,' but I also expected more elements of horror which were mostly non-existent. The most 'horrifying' scenes were pretty tame compared to the heart wrenching narrative from the monster ruminating on his tortured existence of loneliness and ostracization and Frankenstein's grief and accountability for his creation.
The structure itself was interesting. The entire novel is technically a letter from a ship captain re-telling Frankenstein's story from hubris to downfall. Within that story, there is also a full-length account from the monster's perspective escaping Frankenstein's lab, learning language (to a highly eloquent degree), and realizing the conditions and origins of his suffering only to find his creator and articulate his desire for a more meaningful life which he feel he is owed. It's the monster's story within Frankenstein's story within the ship captain's story which is all technically contained in a series of letters to his sister (taking "people just don't write letters like they used to" to a new extreme.) I don't know how unconventional the structure was for the time, but I enjoyed the multiple POVs. I especially liked the monster who contrasted how he was perceived with a genuinely beautiful reflection on his desires and anguish and his version of justification for the violence he inflicts. It's what ultimately gave the book the most life. I could have done without the ship captain's narrative, but it was a nice unbiased perspective in contrast to the two self-interested accounts from both Frankenstein and his monster and it ended the book in a satisfying way.
The prose was remarkably literary. Dated, obviously, but clear and descriptive and very eloquent. I'm glad I listened on audiobook which I find makes parsing the 19th century English phrasing easier, allowing me to cut straight to the plot and narrative. Although, despite its age, I found this very accessible. By far, one of the better "classics" I have read.
Final hot take: Mary Shelley should have named the poor monster and saved people 200+ years of pedantic "um actually Frankenstein was the scientist" corrections in pop cultural conversations. Plus, the poor guy was sentient enough to name himself, I think. I wonder what he would have come up with.
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's hard to sympathise from a modern perspective with the childishness of Frankenstein. Which of course is the point, but some of the critiques seem a little dated. Ultimately a horror which only inspires fear of your own subconscious.