Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Frankissstein by Jeanette Winterson

25 reviews

hannahbailey's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-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

3.5

This is an interesting exploration of what our future could look like: bionic humans, AI sex robots and eternal life (the brain as data). I loved how Winterson connects these ideas to Mary Shelley's ideas of human life and reanimation after death. This connection between the past and present shows how prevalent this idea of eternal life and making the impossible possible has always been. Shelley's perspective was engaging to read and reminded me how much I love her novel Frankenstein (perhaps more praise should be given to Shelley here than Winterson lol). The modern POV follows a non-binary trans person (Ry) and their relationship with Victor Stein, a scientist (of sorts) trying to bring his mate's beheaded head back to life. This was (perhaps purposefully) less engaging, as Ry often lacks agency amongst the people around them who shove their opinions of gender and identity down their throat.

I've read several reviews of this novel in which people describe Winterson as transphobic. In this novel specifically, I don't see the ignorant views of the characters as a reflection of her own views. However, there is very crude language used throughout which focuses on the anatomy of the characters. I don't feel that this narrative focus on bodily features has aged well (I know this book is only 3 years old but even then)  in response to present ideas of gender, sex and identity. The characters around Ry are consistently transphobic, denying their identity, misgendering them and deadnaming them. This is a book to read if you're interested in the future of AI and human relationships, but not if you're looking for a story with good trans rep. Had this book not featured Frankenstein but a different cautionary tale, such as Brave New World, I probably would've hated it.

Alternative reads with trans rep/trans authors:

https://bookriot.com/best-trans-fantasy-books/
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/126482.Novels_by_Trans_Authors_with_Trans_Protagonists

Jeanette Winterson//transphobia:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-lgbt-books/no-rush-to-change-gender-uk-writer-joins-trans-debate-idUSKCN1T028R

Non-exhaustive list of TW: sexual assault, transphobia, homophobia, child death, miscarriage, misogyny, body horror/gore

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Body shaming, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Medical content, Death, Child death, and Transphobia

Moderate: Miscarriage

mobygrapes's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Transphobia

Moderate: Medical trauma, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Child death, and Medical content

kaia's review

challenging reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Homophobia, Sexual content, Cursing, and Deadnaming

Moderate: Child death, Sexual assault, Antisemitism, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Pedophilia

githgorlfriend's review

i am conflicted! beautiful writing and very mind-twisting, but it does get confusing and either i was bad at figuring it out or it could have been more satisfying at the end. also i don't need to make a conclusive statement about whether this book does things well or not because i don't know how to measure that but i think certain things people have qualms with in the book are supposed to be there (ex. victor's weird attitude towards trans people, ron's misogyny - they serve a purpose and are clearly not author-endorsed) but some other things may be insensitive. IF YOU ARE TO ANY DEGREE UPSET BY DEPICTIONS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT SKIP PAGES 241-243 it made me sick to read. sorry for long and nonsensical review

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Sexual content, and Deadnaming

Minor: Child death and Death

radfordmanor's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Grief, Medical trauma, Sexism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia

Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence

rachael_amber's review against another edition

challenging dark informative mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault

Moderate: Child death

anth's review against another edition

adventurous challenging reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

Almost 4 stars because this book really fascinated me and made me think a lot, because I found Ry and Victor two interesting and intense characters and I felt very invested in them and their relationship.
However, I'm not sure I completely get where the story went. I think I do, but the doubt leaves me hanging. Maybe that's the point. I don't know what was the point, but maybe it was leaving me here to think about what the point was.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia and Deadnaming

Moderate: Sexual assault, Child death, and Miscarriage

Minor: Misogyny

mryshells's review

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

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

1.0

Huge TW for transphobia towards characters in the book but also in the clearly problematic views the author must hold that come through in the writing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Transphobia, and Violence

Moderate: Ableism, Alcohol, Antisemitism, Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Outing, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexism

julietejames's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Transphobia

Moderate: Child death

bookedbymadeline's review

Confusing how there aren’t any quotes around the dialogue

Problematic: Ry compliments a Black woman’s hair by saying she looks like an expert “maybe because of how you style it. Very professional.” As I’ve seen from other reviewers the book does not get any better in Trans rep for Ry. I have no interest in reading about a Trans character that is written for cis people like myself and would rather spend my time on books with more accurate representation.

The conversation around AI-prof stein says that AI won’t make women obsolete or be sexist which begs the question of how could it not be sexist when the ones building the robots are sexist themselves? It’s human error. He’s being idealistic in thinking that a future of AI will be non binary when the creators of AI have their own prejudices and beliefs that will be built into AI, just like humans writing the Bible put their own image on God.

Where is the story even set in?! First they talk about Memphis then they’re going to a bar in Trafalgar Square?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Misogyny, Sexism, and Transphobia

Moderate: Grief

Minor: Ableism and Child death