Reviews with content warning for Stalking - Frankenstein: The 1818 Text

This was a book that I’ve had for quite a while and was interested in reading as a lover of sci-fi stories. Having read it, I’m not sure I gained any more respect for it.

Caveat: I don’t have a great track record of liking classics, so definitely take my opinion with a grain of salt!

I only knew the bare bones of the story through pop culture references. I was expecting a gothic, atmospheric story of man’s hubris. The actual story didn’t quite hit that mark. Mostly, I was bored. The monster featured so little, most of the characters were flat, and framing it as a story being told to a man on a mission to the North Pole felt unnecessary. The most interesting part was what the monster did after running away from Victor, but that was told as a dry conversation rather than actually spending time in that space. It frankly made Felix out to be a more enticing character than anyone else in the book.

Luckily, I read through the info in the front of my copy that explained some of the historical context that Mary Shelley wrote it under. If I hadn’t, I’d feel even more disconnected from the point of it all than I already am. If you’re only looking at it as an example of historic literature, it’s a fascinating study. However, that’s not what I was doing.

Knowing the kind of reader I am, I should have done the audiobook to better comprehend and connect with the story, or just picked my favorite movie adaption and called it good.

Content Warnings

sunflowerhour's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Victor Frankenstein is that one annoying kid from english class that wont shut up, and if you were him in middle school—you'll love this.

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jrspitler1112's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

Content Warnings

e_r_q's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark reflective medium-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

"I shall die, and what I now feel be no longer felt. Soon these burning miseries will be extinct. I shall ascend my funeral pile triumphantly and exult in the agony of the torturing flames. The light of that conflagration will fade away; my ashes will be swept into the sea by the winds. My spirit will sleep in peace, or if it thinks, it will not surely think thus. Farewell.”

Despite becoming so ingrained and recognisable within popular culture, Frankenstein still managed to surprise me. Firstly, Mary Shelley's prose is exquisite and extremely coherent, especially for a piece of literature written in the 1800s. Furthermore, Shelley's writing is rich in symbolism, philosophical deliberations, as well as explorations of compelling themes such as the thirst for knowledge/power, unbridled ambition, revenge, discrimination, prejudice, and creation versus destruction. Additionally, the profound poeticism with which she captures The Monster's perception of life and humanity is hauntingly beautiful. I saw one review criticising Shelley for being unable to write male characters, but I wholeheartedly disagree, as the emotional vulnerability of said male characters is both realistic and truly refreshing to see.

Despite still surprising and impressing me, Frankenstein didn't entirely live up to my expectations. Some parts of the narrative felt confusingly rushed, while other aspects felt entirely unnecessary. But still, I'm glad I finally got around to reading this classic work of horror fiction, especially in time for Halloween.

Content Warnings

bookgurl488's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-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

5.0

This book showed that humans are hopelessly flawed and in need of true companionship.

Content Warnings

bebidocrimes's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I remembered enjoying this in high school, but now I simply will never stop thinking about how much I love this story. My brain won't let it go, it's like I'm gnawing on a bone. It's about the loneliness of every kind of ostracization, it's about spurning God, it's about not learning your lesson even after facing every consequence, it's about hating your dad, it's about nature versus nurture, it's about being human yet inhuman. I can't wait to reread and do full annotations.

Content Warnings

laurenkgrace'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? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

anika_mae's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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