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adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder
challenging
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Murder
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
For the first classic literature book I’ve read on my own terms, this was a fun ride for Halloween. Mary Shelley does a great job at storytelling. There were definitely a handful of chapters that dragged on and felt slow (how often can we hear about Frankenstein lamenting over his actions?) but overall I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the storyline. Can’t wait to watch the 1931 adaptation this weekend to see how much it stays along the source. Perfect October read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Murder
Minor: Incest
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Death
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Murder
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Incest, Racism, Abandonment
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Frankenstein is compelling, dark, and wrought with devastation. I don’t usually read horror/dark stories, so my review is from the perspective of someone who is crossing genres. I was curious about this, as it’s one of the most prominent stories in pop-culture of all time. After reading, it is clear why. The philosophical themes of life, debt of creation, loneliness, and misery all uphold the horrific elements. It is a story that feels familiar and realistic in an eerie way. I found myself passionately invested, and parts of the novel had me turning pages as fast as I could, eager to see what happened next.
Contrary to that, I found much of the novel to be dense, hard to navigate, and incredibly slow. I required a dictionary at my side that I used nearly every page, as the meanings and popularity of words have changed drastically in the last 200 years. This, while challenging, is not what made the novel feel slow. The novel takes its time setting everything up, which in my opinion unfortunately dragged the rating down. I understand why this set up was required for the story-especially after reading the hauntingly coincidental story of Mary Shelley’s life-but I feel the first 1/3 of the novel dictating Victors life could have been shortened. I sympathized with the monster far more than Victor Frankenstein, and perhaps that’s why I feel this way.
The version I read included some fascinating insights into how the book was received and how it became a sensation. My favorite thing about classical literature is learning the stories around it, and this book, as well as Mary Shelley, have an intriguing history.
The most compelling and heart wrenching parts of the story for me were the monsters recount of his experiences, victors moments of passionate action-for better or worse-, and the finale of the novel. I was extremely pleased with the ending. I feel it suited the melancholy and complex nuance of the novel perfectly.
All in all, I am glad to have read this. And I’ve learned to steer clear from dark horror, as it doesn’t intrigue me as a genre.
Contrary to that, I found much of the novel to be dense, hard to navigate, and incredibly slow. I required a dictionary at my side that I used nearly every page, as the meanings and popularity of words have changed drastically in the last 200 years. This, while challenging, is not what made the novel feel slow. The novel takes its time setting everything up, which in my opinion unfortunately dragged the rating down. I understand why this set up was required for the story-especially after reading the hauntingly coincidental story of Mary Shelley’s life-but I feel the first 1/3 of the novel dictating Victors life could have been shortened. I sympathized with the monster far more than Victor Frankenstein, and perhaps that’s why I feel this way.
The version I read included some fascinating insights into how the book was received and how it became a sensation. My favorite thing about classical literature is learning the stories around it, and this book, as well as Mary Shelley, have an intriguing history.
The most compelling and heart wrenching parts of the story for me were the monsters recount of his experiences, victors moments of passionate action-for better or worse-, and the finale of the novel. I was extremely pleased with the ending. I feel it suited the melancholy and complex nuance of the novel perfectly.
All in all, I am glad to have read this. And I’ve learned to steer clear from dark horror, as it doesn’t intrigue me as a genre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment
Minor: Incest, Suicide, Suicide attempt
The book is very dark and heavy. The characters experience a lot of grief and horrific events. The incest is minor, as it was altered by the author to be between adoptive siblings, but originally the characters were blood cousins.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is an exceptionally interesting tale, especially when you consider it was written so many years ago and is still fascinating today. So many stories have spawned from Frankenstein and it's really nice to get to know the source material better.
Frankenstein is a spoiled man-child who has never been held accountable for his actions. Full of hubris, he manages to create life which he unleashes on the world without considering the repercussions.
It's an epistolary story, meaning the story is told via letters. It's a clever way of sharing information which is essentially told in 3 main parts or books. Whether you're a big fan of classics or just curious how this tale of the monster was really written, it's definitely worth the read!
Frankenstein is a spoiled man-child who has never been held accountable for his actions. Full of hubris, he manages to create life which he unleashes on the world without considering the repercussions.
It's an epistolary story, meaning the story is told via letters. It's a clever way of sharing information which is essentially told in 3 main parts or books. Whether you're a big fan of classics or just curious how this tale of the monster was really written, it's definitely worth the read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Murder
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In terms of classics this writing is very easy to understand. It was however still published in 1818 so some brain power is required. Don’t expect the book to be like the movie adaptation. Otherwise, I would say this is a book that everyone should read at least once in their life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder