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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
I wanted to like this a lot more than I actually did. There are several lines that made me laugh out loud, which is always a positive for a book. It also discusses what it means to be human and the definition of the soul all in terms of where AI and robot tech is heading. I recently copy edited a dissertation on a similar topic so I was familiar with a lot of the philosophical debates and moral quandaries; however I wonder how accessible this is to most people. I also think the trans rep in this book is a bit questionable: often Ry's identity is used as a punchline or Ry is being used as a punching bag. Although this mixed Frankenstein, literary history, humor, and a modern problem I've thought a lot about recently, I wanted it to be a different book than what it was.
Not unhinged enough, but I enjoyed the historical portions quite a bit. A book that made me think, if nothing else.
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Really wanted to like this more than I did. I loved the Mary Shelley portions of the novel (her relationships with Shelley and Byron, her writing of Frankenstein, her grief, her meeting with Ada Lovelace), but the modern-day stuff was a mess. It had nothing new to say about AI, transhumanism, robotics, etc. It felt like Winterson was trying to write a sci-fi romp but it wasn’t as funny as it could have been. So many jokes are at the expense of Ry, the trans protagonist, that it felt flat and offensive. There is so much transphobia and misgendering from other characters towards Ry, including by the person who claims to be in love them, not to mention a really unnecessary moment of sexual violence that I’m just left wondering: why? What is this book ultimately about? It doesn’t seem to be about anything in the end except a writer’s experiment (lol
medium-paced
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
i felt deeply uncomfortable to while reading this and i’ve yet to decide if this was a good thing or a bad thing. the writing style reminded me a lot of ali smith’s writing in her seasonal books.
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes