Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - Frankissstein

Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

Frankissstein by Jeanette Winterson

27 reviews

rosekent's review

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adventurous challenging dark inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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boyinajar's review

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challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

echoing some previeious concerns, it did feel a little off color to a transmasc reader of theis novel but the surrealist experience of finishing the book was evocative enough that I give it some points

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basil_touche's review

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challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

2.0

The Mary Shelley segments were the best parts of the book. It felt like a lot of research went into Shelley's history and the prose felt of the period. The Bedlam parts I didn't quite get though.

However, the modern parts, while they could be philosophical at times, treated the trans protaganist, Ry, abysmally. The

sexual assult

was gratuitous and did nothing to the narrative. It's just there to tell you how "miserable" being trans is. Having a trans protaganist in a reimagining of Frankenstein should be a match made in heaven, touching on themes of what humans can change of themselves, seeing ourselves in the creature in how he is viewed in ways that he's not, but here it just feels tacked on and not respectfully explored. Ry doesn't feel likely a fully realised character (the rest of the cast doesn't fare too well either) and is deadnamed and fetishised constantly. Doesn't help that it didn't keep my attention well either.

I can appreciate the novel's exploration of AI and what makes us human, but I feel like I can find a better book that covers the topic without the transphobia.

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the_tridentarii's review

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reflective slow-paced

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

1.0

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waterbear0821's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

It’s an interesting thought exercise, overlaying Frankenstein on modern culture, medicine, and technology. I get why this book is good. It gave me the brain-tingling feelings of good literature, where I can feel myself thinking about things in a new way. I enjoyed the shifting, melding perspectives, the recurring, regenerative, reimagined themes. The general science fiction horror structure and style. But also why are the characters in literature so blank and deplorable? Bah. Also, big CW vibes. Having a trans main character doesn’t mean you have to include hate crimes.

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gaygothiccowboy's review

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medium-paced

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

2.75

Pains me to give a Jeanette winterson novel this low of a rating but god I hated so many things about the “present” timeline in this. Victor you are my number one enemy, I’m coming for you bitch.

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brechtian's review against another edition

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fast-paced

Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.75

The lows of this book are quite low (poor depiction of trans identity, borderline trauma porn, sections of quite spotty prose), but the highs are, admittedly, very high. This book at its best is a masterful postmodern examination of Frankenstein as biography, text, legacy, and cultural object. It explores multiplicity and our creation of monsters within ourselves as well as others beautifully, all while providing fascinating parallels to conversations surrounding transhumanism, AI, and the future of technological advancement. Honestly, the more you know about the critical conversations/academic discourse surrounding Frankenstein, the more you will likely enjoy this novel.

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