Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus

I tried reading Frankenstein several years ago but didn’t get past the first few pages. Attempting it again, I was surprised at how absorbed I became. Not so much in the story itself, but the questions pondered, particularly involving the 'being'.

After seeing endless spoofs in TV shows or movies, I went into this expecting some form of satire. That's not to say I was under the impression this was a comedy… I'm not sure how to put my exact expectations into words. Anyway, as it went on, I got the gothic feel, though I wouldn't personally consider this a horror story. Twisted, but not particularly scary. It felt very literary.

I found Victor easy to dislike and I sympathized more with his creation at first. Then the tables turned, and then by the end, I wasn't sure who I ought to root for. I love books that leave me feeling unsettled. I also think listening to this book on audio also made the difference. The narrator did a fantastic job portraying the being. It added so much to the atmosphere of the story. I'm already looking forward to a future reread.

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cleotheo's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

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alphabetmafiamember's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense 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

4.5

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michelles_book_nook's review against another edition

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dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

⚠️ CW: murder, child death and suicidal ideations ⚠️ If classics are your thing then this one will probably be high up on your list but unfortunately it just wasn't for me and I appreciate that may be somewhat of an unpopular opinion 🙈 This book follows Victor Frankenstein who succeeds in giving life to one of his creations. However, rather than it being the perfect specimen he'd imagined it to be, it became a hideous creature that Victor and the townspeople rejected and tried to drive away but this led to the monster seeking revenge through murder and terror. This book really fell quite flat with me and even though it's a good read I felt that the biggest barrier was the language. And yes, I know this book was written in 1818 and a lot has changed since then but I feel like some classics really stand the test of time and can still be understood and enjoyed across generations and while I'm not saying I didn't enjoy this book, it was just a difficult one because I felt I needed to keep flipping to the glossary to understand certain words and phrases. Overall, this is a good literary gothic horror and I'm glad I can tick it off of my list but this may be one of the few books where I recommend choosing the film or tv adaptation instead.

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amissabellator's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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