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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
When the story switched to the second narrator, I was concerned... Read some reviews... Decided I didn't need to continue
fast-paced
Fascinating. Frankissstein explores unsettling ideas about consciousness and the political/ethical/moral questions raised by artificial intelligence in an original and entertaining way. The intertwining narratives—Mary Shelley during and after writing Frankenstein, and trans scientist Ry Shelley with mad genius Victor Stein in a very near future—run parallel in ways that are illuminating and sometimes hilarious. A menacing Byron has his modern counterpart in crude sex-bot manufacturer Ron Lord (a character who provides comic relief but is sometimes too stupid to be for real). Ada Lovelace also has a crucial cameo near the end.
The novel itself feels like a kind of experiment, stitched together so that the seams show and motley parts sit awkwardly beside each other, with a few threads left hanging. That may detract from the story at times, but overall it's a highly enjoyable read.
The novel itself feels like a kind of experiment, stitched together so that the seams show and motley parts sit awkwardly beside each other, with a few threads left hanging. That may detract from the story at times, but overall it's a highly enjoyable read.
After three attempts, I finally managed to finish this book. Some aspects of it were really interesting (like the discussions about post-humanism and AI) and I enjoyed how the different timelines interacted with each other. The play with the names (Mary/Ry, Victor Stein, Claire etc.) was a fun way of connecting the stories.
But there was also so much that was either just weird (Ron Lord's entire character, the random switches in tenses, sometimes within the same sentence??) or just plain bad (the way Ry's transness was treated was just horrible, there was basically nothing in between fetishization and direct transphobia/violence). Overall, some things were interesting but additionally to the obvious issues, it also just feels like a book that doesn't fully know what it wants to do and keeps being a mess until the end.
But there was also so much that was either just weird (Ron Lord's entire character, the random switches in tenses, sometimes within the same sentence??) or just plain bad (the way Ry's transness was treated was just horrible, there was basically nothing in between fetishization and direct transphobia/violence). Overall, some things were interesting but additionally to the obvious issues, it also just feels like a book that doesn't fully know what it wants to do and keeps being a mess until the end.
Wow!
UPDATE: This book blew me away (stylistically, narratively, conceptually), and when I try to write a coherent review my hands go all flappy and I can’t type. It was creative and challenging and clever and surprising at every turn, and I just enjoyed the hell out of it. DO NOT LET THE SILLY TITLE TURN YOU OFF. This was my first by Winterson and I’m so excited to read through everything else she’s done. Geniuses walk among us even today.
UPDATE: This book blew me away (stylistically, narratively, conceptually), and when I try to write a coherent review my hands go all flappy and I can’t type. It was creative and challenging and clever and surprising at every turn, and I just enjoyed the hell out of it. DO NOT LET THE SILLY TITLE TURN YOU OFF. This was my first by Winterson and I’m so excited to read through everything else she’s done. Geniuses walk among us even today.
Transphobic drivel. Such an exciting premise but so so badly handled that it made my head hurt. I don’t like to write bad reviews, but Jesus Christ!! Save yourself the headache!
Beautiful writing becomes less effective when it’s just a method for hiding the author’s transphobia
dark
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
jeanette winterson... what in the world was this??? genuinely.