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mercedes's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
No one can deny the hold Frankenstein has on the public consciousness, even if the knowledge of it is almost entirely understood from the 1931 film that revolutionised the monster's appearance yet oversimplified the plot of the story. So reading—even rereading—the novel can be strange. To begin with, from a contemporary point of view, we are given page after page of mostly uninteresting rambles by Walton, and yet the creation of the monster is told to us after the fact, with little detail, almost glossed over. Any suspension that can be built is through foreshadowing that all but explicitly tells us what is going to happen. It shouldn't work, and yet it does.
It's through said foreshadowing, and eventual circularity, that Walton's letters become interesting. It's through the repeated and ever-present themes within the book that the excitement, wonder, and meaning can be gained. It's hard to pick out what I love most about the book—I won't lie, everything prior to chapter 10 is a little tedious, but chapter 10 is marvellous. The creature's tale of looking in on the cottagers is just an absolute page turner for me. Mary Shelley's use of words, especially in the monster's dialogue, is breathtaking. The way she describes nature! The way that the creature speaks through Victor who speaks through Walton, and how each character parallels one another. But above all, it's the idea that knowledge is a danger that once attained is almost impossible to escape that really resonated with me on this reread.
Recently it's been playing on my mind that the constant onslaught of information I have consumed, particularly information pertaining to social justice, has served no purpose except to make me aware of the miseries in our existence. I cannot alleviate people's suffering or injustices they have faced, so what is the use of knowing about it? Is ignorance really bliss? I'm not sure that knowing all of the intricacies of bigotry and oppression have made me any more accepting than I already was of marginalised people, who before would have just been people but are now fit into neat little boxes in my mind. We further separate and alienate ourselves from others—like Victor Frankenstein. And to what end? Am I really better off for knowing every time a celebrity steps out of line, or a popular creator I've never heard of likes a problematic tweet? I don't think we have evolved far enough to be able to asborb these levels of constant mass-information sharing, and for that reason I have decided to stop browsing social media once again. Ignorance may not be bliss, but like Walton, like Frankenstein, like the creature, sometimes I feel knowledge may not always be bliss either.
It's through said foreshadowing, and eventual circularity, that Walton's letters become interesting. It's through the repeated and ever-present themes within the book that the excitement, wonder, and meaning can be gained. It's hard to pick out what I love most about the book—I won't lie, everything prior to chapter 10 is a little tedious, but chapter 10 is marvellous. The creature's tale of looking in on the cottagers is just an absolute page turner for me. Mary Shelley's use of words, especially in the monster's dialogue, is breathtaking. The way she describes nature! The way that the creature speaks through Victor who speaks through Walton, and how each character parallels one another. But above all, it's the idea that knowledge is a danger that once attained is almost impossible to escape that really resonated with me on this reread.
Recently it's been playing on my mind that the constant onslaught of information I have consumed, particularly information pertaining to social justice, has served no purpose except to make me aware of the miseries in our existence. I cannot alleviate people's suffering or injustices they have faced, so what is the use of knowing about it? Is ignorance really bliss? I'm not sure that knowing all of the intricacies of bigotry and oppression have made me any more accepting than I already was of marginalised people, who before would have just been people but are now fit into neat little boxes in my mind. We further separate and alienate ourselves from others—like Victor Frankenstein. And to what end? Am I really better off for knowing every time a celebrity steps out of line, or a popular creator I've never heard of likes a problematic tweet? I don't think we have evolved far enough to be able to asborb these levels of constant mass-information sharing, and for that reason I have decided to stop browsing social media once again. Ignorance may not be bliss, but like Walton, like Frankenstein, like the creature, sometimes I feel knowledge may not always be bliss either.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Child death, and Incest
rosita's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I first tried to read Frankenstein when i was 14, and i didnt like it. The pace was too slow for my taste, and i ended up dnfing it. Now, that i am 20, i decided to pick it back up again, this time in audiobook form, and i loved it!
I love how complex and morally grey both Frankenstein and The Creature are, i love the whole moral dilemma of progress and science and prejudices, I loved the parts that were narrated by the creature the most.
I isnt a 5 star bc the descriptions were too long for my taste, and that fact that Frankenstein was just narrating this to his friend, word for word, destroyed my suspension of disbelief, nobody is that bad at summarizing.
I love how complex and morally grey both Frankenstein and The Creature are, i love the whole moral dilemma of progress and science and prejudices, I loved the parts that were narrated by the creature the most.
I isnt a 5 star bc the descriptions were too long for my taste, and that fact that Frankenstein was just narrating this to his friend, word for word, destroyed my suspension of disbelief, nobody is that bad at summarizing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness
Moderate: Child death and Body horror
Minor: Death of parent, Incest, Suicide, and Gun violence
Just like, general loneliness and bigotry against people for what they look like.ellawhen's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Incest and Murder
smallredboy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I could fix the Creature
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Incest, Violence, Murder, Death, Death of parent, and Child death
melchior's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
2.25
Interesting idea, sadly bogged down to a grinding halt towards the end, made unbearable to read with the on-the-nose foreshadowing that basically spoils what will happen ahead of time.
Regrettably, a five-star premise with a one-star execution. Frankenstein was devised as a brilliant novelty when it was first published, and it is a deservedly respected piece of literature given its context, so I was quite excited to finally give it a read. However, despite its far-reaching impact on western pop culture, the book hasn't aged well at all, making it a laborious read in spite of its brevity. My main complaint is with the way it was written, as especially the foreshadowing happens too explicitly and too often. The forewarning sentences are repeated verbatim and ad nauseam so often that I couldn't help but shake the feeling that the book thought I was a bit slow, and I really don't need that kind of sass from a two-hundred-years-old book. Scenes in the book are often little described, giving essentially no leeway to taste the atmosphere in any the wonderful locations across Europe that the story takes place in without visiting Lonely Planet. However, my biggest complaint lies with the characters. Each character is so irredeemably bland that it's hard to tell them apart. They have no depth to their personalities, and mostly indeed no personality at all. Having all the main characters be a ragtag band of Mary Sue's does little to connect you with them, so when tragedy befalls any of them and they start incessantly moping about it I simply couldn't bring myself to care and wanted the book to get on with the good bits already. Sadly, just like the first time I got three-quarters of a handjob in high school, those good bits I hoped for never came, leaving me sorely dissatisfied.
Regrettably, a five-star premise with a one-star execution. Frankenstein was devised as a brilliant novelty when it was first published, and it is a deservedly respected piece of literature given its context, so I was quite excited to finally give it a read. However, despite its far-reaching impact on western pop culture, the book hasn't aged well at all, making it a laborious read in spite of its brevity. My main complaint is with the way it was written, as especially the foreshadowing happens too explicitly and too often. The forewarning sentences are repeated verbatim and ad nauseam so often that I couldn't help but shake the feeling that the book thought I was a bit slow, and I really don't need that kind of sass from a two-hundred-years-old book. Scenes in the book are often little described, giving essentially no leeway to taste the atmosphere in any the wonderful locations across Europe that the story takes place in without visiting Lonely Planet. However, my biggest complaint lies with the characters. Each character is so irredeemably bland that it's hard to tell them apart. They have no depth to their personalities, and mostly indeed no personality at all. Having all the main characters be a ragtag band of Mary Sue's does little to connect you with them, so when tragedy befalls any of them and they start incessantly moping about it I simply couldn't bring myself to care and wanted the book to get on with the good bits already. Sadly, just like the first time I got three-quarters of a handjob in high school, those good bits I hoped for never came, leaving me sorely dissatisfied.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Incest and Xenophobia
paulaspityparty's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Take a shot everytime she writes benevolent, hitherto, endeavour, or countenance.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Body horror, Child death, Death of parent, Incest, Murder, and Stalking
ok7a's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Stalking
Moderate: Incest
kaiulanilee's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was absolutely stunning. It tore my heart completely in two and was completely brilliant in how it made you feel both for Frankenstein and the monster he created. The writing was so stunning I couldn’t keep myself from underlining all of the time. The only thing I could see people disliking is the way the story builds and the lack of any particular gruesome moments that some may come to associate with this story because of the ideas around it. I would say if you want something genuinely scary this is not it, but if you want something that will disturb you purely because of how nuanced it is, this is the one.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Grief, Incest, Mental illness, Murder, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
baponthecob's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Body horror, Death of parent, Stalking, and Suicide
Minor: Confinement, Incest, and Medical content
gabrield's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Child death, Incest, Confinement, and Animal cruelty