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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
I can sum up my feelings with 5 words.
I. Fucking. Love. Mary. Shelley!
Granted i'm not sure how much someone who isn't interested in Mary Shelley and Frankenstein would enjoy this book, since I seem to be obsessed with Mary Shelley and Frankenstein, I freaking loved it! Mary Shelley dealt with a lot of shit, was a bad-ass, and an amazing woman.
I learned a lot about history, science, and Mary Shelley and was fascinated by all of it. And I am so angry about all the ways her novel has been twisted from it's intention and meaning by films, to which I just want to say this (about Frankenstein)
Edit: lowered to 4.25 from the initial 5 because there is a part that says "The 1818 edition was written with significant input from her husband, but this later edition is all Mary's own and has become the most read and enjoyed."
Yes, the 1831 version is the most read and yes, her husband died in 1822. She initially ignored his edits and suggestions in the initial version, the initial is all her own, but then when he died she couldn't honor her husband in the ways she wanted to (because of her father in law, which is explained more in the book) but she could, and did, use his, initially ignored, edits in the 1831 version. So it was her own choice to do it but the initial 1818 version is all hers, the 1831 version contains his edits.
I know it's one part but until I figured that out (which I had heard before but didn't know much about) I initially read that and felt bad for preferring the original version thinking that was the "wrong" one to prefer so to speak, but I was very confused. Scholars typically prefer the original 1818 version because it's all her own vision, and I had heard that prior but then reading that just confused me.
I do think the rest is solid but that one little part has me questioning. Obviously a lot of time, effort and research went into this book and I hate that one sentence could make me wonder like that, but it does taint it a bit. I did really enjoy this book, and have heard much of what's in here elsewhere so I do think there is plenty of good stuff to be learned from this book. It's just one damn sentence getting on my nerves.
I. Fucking. Love. Mary. Shelley!
Granted i'm not sure how much someone who isn't interested in Mary Shelley and Frankenstein would enjoy this book, since I seem to be obsessed with Mary Shelley and Frankenstein, I freaking loved it! Mary Shelley dealt with a lot of shit, was a bad-ass, and an amazing woman.
I learned a lot about history, science, and Mary Shelley and was fascinated by all of it. And I am so angry about all the ways her novel has been twisted from it's intention and meaning by films, to which I just want to say this (about Frankenstein)
Edit: lowered to 4.25 from the initial 5 because there is a part that says "The 1818 edition was written with significant input from her husband, but this later edition is all Mary's own and has become the most read and enjoyed."
Yes, the 1831 version is the most read and yes, her husband died in 1822. She initially ignored his edits and suggestions in the initial version, the initial is all her own, but then when he died she couldn't honor her husband in the ways she wanted to (because of her father in law, which is explained more in the book) but she could, and did, use his, initially ignored, edits in the 1831 version. So it was her own choice to do it but the initial 1818 version is all hers, the 1831 version contains his edits.
I know it's one part but until I figured that out (which I had heard before but didn't know much about) I initially read that and felt bad for preferring the original version thinking that was the "wrong" one to prefer so to speak, but I was very confused. Scholars typically prefer the original 1818 version because it's all her own vision, and I had heard that prior but then reading that just confused me.
I do think the rest is solid but that one little part has me questioning. Obviously a lot of time, effort and research went into this book and I hate that one sentence could make me wonder like that, but it does taint it a bit. I did really enjoy this book, and have heard much of what's in here elsewhere so I do think there is plenty of good stuff to be learned from this book. It's just one damn sentence getting on my nerves.
Full review at booksonal.blogspot.com
*ARC kindly provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!*
✦✦✦✦.5
Like Harkups last novel A is for Arsenic based on Agatha Christie and the poisons she used (link to my review), this book was filled with science.
This book went through lots of aspects including science at that time and to my great interest: things that might've inspired her.
The thing is though, Frankenstein has such a rich history because though it's science fiction, it has some bits that have been regarded as almost fact.
I learned a great deal from this book, and not all of it things I though I might learn, so to say it surprised me is an understatement. Do note that it isn't exactly a bedtime story.
So what did I think?
So as usual, I'll tell things I liked and didn't like, relating to the stars I gave:
+1 | The science. This book was stuffed to the brim with information, just like I hoped!
+1 | The book delved into inspiration: real experiments and interesting facts - also from the future since the publication of Frankenstein, which I though brought a great perspective.
+1 | Not only did it explain experiments and science, Harkup also discussed places and people, again also from later times.
+1 | Mary Shelley's life, family history and connections were presented with fascinating facts told.
+/-0.5 | The writing was gripping, but the pace, since it is scientific, won't be to everyone's liking.
All in all, I can only imagine the work that has been put into this book and I think it is vital to fans of frankenstein or to those whom are just fascinated by science.
Captivating read about science and inspiration, Harkup excelled in portraying the feelings and setting of Frankenstein. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am keenly waiting for what is yet to come!
Read on lovelies,
S
*ARC kindly provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!*
✦✦✦✦.5
Like Harkups last novel A is for Arsenic based on Agatha Christie and the poisons she used (link to my review), this book was filled with science.
This book went through lots of aspects including science at that time and to my great interest: things that might've inspired her.
The thing is though, Frankenstein has such a rich history because though it's science fiction, it has some bits that have been regarded as almost fact.
I learned a great deal from this book, and not all of it things I though I might learn, so to say it surprised me is an understatement. Do note that it isn't exactly a bedtime story.
So what did I think?
So as usual, I'll tell things I liked and didn't like, relating to the stars I gave:
+1 | The science. This book was stuffed to the brim with information, just like I hoped!
+1 | The book delved into inspiration: real experiments and interesting facts - also from the future since the publication of Frankenstein, which I though brought a great perspective.
+1 | Not only did it explain experiments and science, Harkup also discussed places and people, again also from later times.
+1 | Mary Shelley's life, family history and connections were presented with fascinating facts told.
+/-0.5 | The writing was gripping, but the pace, since it is scientific, won't be to everyone's liking.
All in all, I can only imagine the work that has been put into this book and I think it is vital to fans of frankenstein or to those whom are just fascinated by science.
Captivating read about science and inspiration, Harkup excelled in portraying the feelings and setting of Frankenstein. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am keenly waiting for what is yet to come!
Read on lovelies,
S
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
An in-depth but easy to read look at so many of the influences working on Mary Shelley to write "Frankenstein," that novel that is such a part of our own popular culture that there is no one who doesn't know Frankenstein even if they've never read the novel. This book had a unique examination of the science of the time and how Mary incorporated it (and where she did not) into the creation of the first science fiction novel. I did feel that sometimes the author veered a little too much into science that happened more than a hundred years after Mary was writing, which obviously has nothing to do with the subject at hand and sometimes it felt like a jump to head back to the early 19th century after such departures. But otherwise, a really fascinating read.
I found this book really interesting and engaging. Despite not being interested in science most of the time, I really enjoyed reading about the scientific world of the 1700s & 1800s, and it provided amazing insight into the potential inspiration for so many aspects of Frankenstein, which is one of my favourite classic novels. It is definitely a little gory in parts as it goes into a lot of detail about scientific exploration on the human body and animals and corpses, so I wouldn’t read it while eating, but definitely worth a read if you love Mary Shelley, Frankenstein or science in general.
2018 marks the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley's gothic masterpiece-- Frankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus. Widely recognized as one of the first works of science fiction, this revolutionary novel has truly withstood the test of time (and continues to haunt middle school literary criticism to this day!). Some may already know the broad strokes of how this story came to life: on a dark and stormy night (of course), 18 year old Mary joins her friends in a competitive game to see who can write the best horror story. Inspired by the rational ideals of the Enlightenment and recent advances in electricity research, Mary writes the short story that she will later develop into the novel we know and love.
Making the Monster dives quite bit deeper into the historical context of this work, piecing together not only Mary's biography but those of her family, friends and any intellectual or "natural philosopher" she may have been influenced by. This is interwoven with the upheavals in politics and the sciences leading up to her education and journey away from home. Though the narrative unravels into countless tangents and side-histories, it is well-organized and cohesive. This is a book for anyone who enjoys reading about the history of scientific progress-- the controversies, the blunders, and the experiments that got us where we are today. Whether or not you enjoyed (or even read) Frankenstein, if you appreciate its significance in history and are ready to fall down the rabbit-hole of alchemy, galvanism, and medical experimentation (oh my!), check it out.
// I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Making the Monster dives quite bit deeper into the historical context of this work, piecing together not only Mary's biography but those of her family, friends and any intellectual or "natural philosopher" she may have been influenced by. This is interwoven with the upheavals in politics and the sciences leading up to her education and journey away from home. Though the narrative unravels into countless tangents and side-histories, it is well-organized and cohesive. This is a book for anyone who enjoys reading about the history of scientific progress-- the controversies, the blunders, and the experiments that got us where we are today. Whether or not you enjoyed (or even read) Frankenstein, if you appreciate its significance in history and are ready to fall down the rabbit-hole of alchemy, galvanism, and medical experimentation (oh my!), check it out.
// I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
An interesting read, very thorough research and lots of information. I enjoyed getting to know a bit more about Mary Shelley's life, all the scientific discoveries that were happening during her time and how they were linked to the writing of Frankenstein.
I've read and loved the author's previous book A is for Arsenic on Agatha Christie's use of poison and I will certainly pick up more of her work in the future. Here she tackles the science that inspired Mary Shelley's Frankenstein but also Mary Shelley's life, from her parents to her upbringing and afterwards her and her husbands's nomadic lifestyle and financial troubles. The book explores various scientific theories of the time such as Galvanism, an early research on the influences of electricity, and how the idea of bringing a corpse to life by application of electricity came from. There is a lot of rather gory details on dissection and preservation of body parts and historical attempts to graft body parts or transplant organs. There is the story Scottish-born 18th-century surgeon John Hunter a surgeon and anatomist who opened an anatomy school in Covent Garden and how the practice of body snatching has risen to supply the demands of such schools. How preservation of soft tissues was done mostly in spirits at the time, so the Lord Byron's body for example was transported back to England in a barrel filled with alcohol. All in all a fascinating read but not if you are squeamish.
Part biography, part history, the book weaves together Mary Shelly’s life & experiences with scientific history and the latest in medical procedures that were contemporary. I can’t wait to read Frankenstein with a fresh point of view.