Reviews with content warning for Death - Frankenstein

Reviews tagging 'Death'

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

328 reviews

the_books_music_life's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This is my very first time actually reading Frankenstein. I can say I’m happy to have read such an occult classic.

In Frankenstein you explore the question of what makes a monster. Is it nature or nurture? Are you born a monster? Or do the actions of others and trauma that happens to you cause the monster in you to come forth?

I can understand why Frankenstein has stood the test of time, it is a powerful, and telling novel now in 2024, I can’t imagine what it was like when it was first published. Frankenstein gave the science fiction genre its name.

I listened to the audiobook and while it was good, I found myself zoning out. I don’t know why because I did enjoy the story. It did at times feel like it was dragging, but most older books like these tend to feel like that to me.

Mary Shelley was a writer beyond her time. To have come up with the idea of Frankenstein at only 18 years old, and from an odd prompt to write a horror story, it’s incredible. Especially being a woman in 1816 writing this.

At times you can’t help but feel for Frankenstein’s monster, he is an ugly abomination in a time where appearance was what people first noticed about you. He was also abandoned by his maker before he could even open his eyes. But, you can also see Victor’s struggle as well and his deep remorse and guilt over creating such a creature.

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singalana's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I must confess I didn't have a clear understanding of the story as I've never watched any films or read the story before. Therefore, it took me by surprise.

Frankenstein was originally published in 1818. Unless I'm mistaken, it's one of the first science fiction stories ever written. Of course it's also a gothic horror novel, and possibly the best known work of its author.

Frankenstein tells the story of a young scientist, Victor Frankenstein, who creates a monstrous being and brings it to life. After this, his life becomes a nightmare.

Frankenstein and his creation contrast each other on a thought-provoking way, and I found my sympathies to be with the monster. For a modern reader, the story lagged a bit in places but I decided not to deduct any stars because of it. The book is full of interesting themes and symbolism, no wonder this is a classic.

This edition: I liked the colourful audiobook cover and I found the narrator (Jonathan Keeble) to fit the work very well.

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sunflower7skull's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

It's really interesting how different the book was from the media based off it! Really cool to analyze.

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pikkumarja's review against another edition

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adventurous dark reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Ymmärrän kirjan klassikkoaseman! Teoksessa on niin monta tasoa, että metakonteksti välillä unohtuu (Kirjassa on kohtia, joissa kirjailija on kirjoittanut miehen kirjoittamaan kirjeessä toisen miehen kertomaa tarinaa, jossa mies kertoo tarinaa, jossa tapahtuu monia asioita).

Tässä laitoksessa ihastutti myös esipuheet, joiden lukemisen jälkeen kirjaa oli mennyt jo 10 %.

Taidokas tarina hylkäämisestä ja ulkopuolisuudesta. Moraalintaju pyrkii seurailemaan lukijan mukana, mutta hahmot ovat niin moniulotteisia, että hetkessä sympatiat vaihtavat kohdettaan päikseen.

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lunarblazes's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

i think this is one of the better books i've been forced to read in school. it's incredibly atmospheric and its moral quandaries are truly compelling. i think about victor frankenstein and the creature a ton, as well as everyone caught in the blast zone of whatever fucked up dynamic they have going on. the framing device is so cool, it preserves tension really well. the main flaw with this book is how goddamn long it is. shelley probably needed an editor or something because by the time we get to three different exhaustive life stories in one letter (thanks to red from osp for that description) it starts to drag a little. i am shocked i don't see more people talk about the ending to this book. i think it was what stuck with me the most. i'd recommend a read if you've never given it a shot! it mostly lives up to the hype if you're willing to wade through dense victorian-era language.

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