Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
I finished Frankenstein (the 1831 edition) on the sixth of September this year, but due to a cold and some work this review was delayed. Well, there is not a single aspect of this book that I did not like.
A vessel on an expedition to the North Pole was once almost completely trapped by ice on all sides. About two o'clock, the Captain of the vessel, Robert Walton, and his crew saw something strange half a mile away: a gigantic humanoid figure on a sledge heading north. The ice that had trapped them prevented any immediate pursuit, and by the time it broke and freed their vessel, the figure was long gone. The next morning, they came upon a man upon a sledge, which was upon a large fragment of ice that had drifted towards their ship during the night. This man's limbs were frozen, and his body sickly thin. He appeared European and knew English, but he spoke it with a foriegn accent. He did not board the vessel until he was assured that it was not going back south strangely enough, and immediately fainted upon entering the cabin. He was able to speak only after two days, and in answering the Lieutenant's query he revealed that he was apperantly seeking the humanoid on the sledge, or the 'demon' as he called it. Upon recovering further he was constantly looking out for it, and Captain Walton quickly found out that he was very intelligent and refined in every sense of the word yet melancholic and fixated madly upon the strange monster. Captain Walton quickly became friends with him, and often discussed in detail with him about his enterprise, and the stranger gave very helpful advice. One day Captain Walton said how he would sacrifice his fortune, his existence and every hope to accomplish his mission, and that one man's death was a small price to pay for the advancement of science. At hearing this the stranger's face darkened, and he broke down into tears, asking Walton that was he as mad as him, and then he asked him to listen to and learn from his marvelous yet tragic tale, so that he may not suffer the same fate as him. So begins the tragedy of Victor Frankenstein: a scientist, a creator, and, in a way, a murderer.
I won't tell you anything more about the plot, but it was most excellent and always kept me on the edge of my seat. I haven't watched Universal's 1931 film adaptation yet, but I know enough about it to tell you that it is VASTLY different from the original novel.
Mary Shelley's characterisation of Frankenstein and his 'monster' was, simply, phenomenonal - and so were their respective arcs. What I also liked is how Mary Shelley made me sympathise with both Victor and the Monster. Their tragedy is truly heart-wrenching.
And the prose! Mary Shelley's prose is the perfect balance between elegance and readability, to me at least. So elegant yet approachable, that is how I would describe her prose.
Of course, I need not say that this is a very thought-provoking book and deals with many complex themes - it's Frankenstein, after all.
As I said earlier, there is not a single aspect of this book that I did not like. 5/5, a truly phenomenonal and thoughtful read that I cannot recommend enough.
A vessel on an expedition to the North Pole was once almost completely trapped by ice on all sides. About two o'clock, the Captain of the vessel, Robert Walton, and his crew saw something strange half a mile away: a gigantic humanoid figure on a sledge heading north. The ice that had trapped them prevented any immediate pursuit, and by the time it broke and freed their vessel, the figure was long gone. The next morning, they came upon a man upon a sledge, which was upon a large fragment of ice that had drifted towards their ship during the night. This man's limbs were frozen, and his body sickly thin. He appeared European and knew English, but he spoke it with a foriegn accent. He did not board the vessel until he was assured that it was not going back south strangely enough, and immediately fainted upon entering the cabin. He was able to speak only after two days, and in answering the Lieutenant's query he revealed that he was apperantly seeking the humanoid on the sledge, or the 'demon' as he called it. Upon recovering further he was constantly looking out for it, and Captain Walton quickly found out that he was very intelligent and refined in every sense of the word yet melancholic and fixated madly upon the strange monster. Captain Walton quickly became friends with him, and often discussed in detail with him about his enterprise, and the stranger gave very helpful advice. One day Captain Walton said how he would sacrifice his fortune, his existence and every hope to accomplish his mission, and that one man's death was a small price to pay for the advancement of science. At hearing this the stranger's face darkened, and he broke down into tears, asking Walton that was he as mad as him, and then he asked him to listen to and learn from his marvelous yet tragic tale, so that he may not suffer the same fate as him. So begins the tragedy of Victor Frankenstein: a scientist, a creator, and, in a way, a murderer.
I won't tell you anything more about the plot, but it was most excellent and always kept me on the edge of my seat. I haven't watched Universal's 1931 film adaptation yet, but I know enough about it to tell you that it is VASTLY different from the original novel.
Mary Shelley's characterisation of Frankenstein and his 'monster' was, simply, phenomenonal - and so were their respective arcs. What I also liked is how Mary Shelley made me sympathise with both Victor and the Monster. Their tragedy is truly heart-wrenching.
And the prose! Mary Shelley's prose is the perfect balance between elegance and readability, to me at least. So elegant yet approachable, that is how I would describe her prose.
Of course, I need not say that this is a very thought-provoking book and deals with many complex themes - it's Frankenstein, after all.
As I said earlier, there is not a single aspect of this book that I did not like. 5/5, a truly phenomenonal and thoughtful read that I cannot recommend enough.
Overall i guess it was OK. The only think that really bothered me was how slow the book was. A lot of the stuff they went into detail about was stuff i could care less for. Like, sure it was good info but it could have been summarized a lot faster. The thing i liked about the book was the monster, "Frankenstein", because all he wanted was someone to love:)
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
I still can't wrap my mind that this masterpiece is a result of a bet. Like seriously?
I wanted to read it since ages but never had the chance until now. It took me quite some time to finish it as the emotions were off the top. I must admit though that I never had the chance to watch it on TV so I wasn't totally aware about the plot besides that someone had created a monster. But to read this story was another whole level. The fact that this is one of the first science fiction novels and written by a woman is enough to blow your mind.
The story itself is captivating and the emotions were all over the place. The devastation of the monster, the Frankenstein's abomination of his own doings and the consequences of them. I really can't distinguish who was the victim and who the perpetrator.
I cried for Frankenstein and the loss of his loved ones but I cried for the monster too who only wanted some company, some affection but everybody treated him as they were seeing him, a monster, without giving him a chance to express himself.
So was the monster evil? Or did the society led him to that road?
I wanted to read it since ages but never had the chance until now. It took me quite some time to finish it as the emotions were off the top. I must admit though that I never had the chance to watch it on TV so I wasn't totally aware about the plot besides that someone had created a monster. But to read this story was another whole level. The fact that this is one of the first science fiction novels and written by a woman is enough to blow your mind.
The story itself is captivating and the emotions were all over the place. The devastation of the monster, the Frankenstein's abomination of his own doings and the consequences of them. I really can't distinguish who was the victim and who the perpetrator.
I cried for Frankenstein and the loss of his loved ones but I cried for the monster too who only wanted some company, some affection but everybody treated him as they were seeing him, a monster, without giving him a chance to express himself.
So was the monster evil? Or did the society led him to that road?
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
- gay
- depressed
- religious trauma
- horror and dark academia
more in depth later. loved this tho
- depressed
- religious trauma
- horror and dark academia
more in depth later. loved this tho
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Such a tragic story. The writing is amazingly detailed and the story was truly gripping. Really the poetic writing brings the story to life with eloquent quotes and prose.
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
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
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read Frankenstein in my first year of university in a -get this- History course. I'm still not quite sure why we had to read it for that course, but I enjoyed it.
It was a bit slow at the beginning, and for a very brief period in the middle, but aside from that, I could see exactly why it's called one of the first thrillers in modern history. It's gripping and exciting, and I greatly enjoyed it. There is a lot more to Frankenstein than the obvious, and those little bits and pieces commenting about society and human nature were the most interesting to me.
It was a bit slow at the beginning, and for a very brief period in the middle, but aside from that, I could see exactly why it's called one of the first thrillers in modern history. It's gripping and exciting, and I greatly enjoyed it. There is a lot more to Frankenstein than the obvious, and those little bits and pieces commenting about society and human nature were the most interesting to me.
Life, although it may only be an accumulation of anguish, is dear to me, and I will defend it.
.
Segunda lectura: junio 2021
.
This book is the perfect example of why some people shouldn't have kids.
***
The whole series of my life appeared to me as a dream; I sometimes doubted if indeed it were all true, for it never presented itself to my mind with the force of reality.
.
Primera lectura: marzo 2020
.
Estoy en ese momento después de terminar el libro en el que lo estoy procesando, pero lo primero que voy a decir es qué hermoso que este libro, y cómo la sociedad contemporánea se burló de él con la cantidad de adaptaciones infieles y paródicas que hay. Frankenstein, Shelley, I’m sorry babes.
.
Segunda lectura: junio 2021
.
This book is the perfect example of why some people shouldn't have kids.
***
The whole series of my life appeared to me as a dream; I sometimes doubted if indeed it were all true, for it never presented itself to my mind with the force of reality.
.
Primera lectura: marzo 2020
.
Estoy en ese momento después de terminar el libro en el que lo estoy procesando, pero lo primero que voy a decir es qué hermoso que este libro, y cómo la sociedad contemporánea se burló de él con la cantidad de adaptaciones infieles y paródicas que hay. Frankenstein, Shelley, I’m sorry babes.