Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Frankenstein: The 1818 Text by Mary Shelley

326 reviews

agatha_hopkins's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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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.
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sxndaze's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense 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

3.0

Yet even that enemy of God and man had friends and associates in his desolation; I am alone.
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corriejn's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced

4.5

I was of course familiar with the core conceipt of the story via cultural osmosis, but reading the original story I found it to be so much more complex and full of nuance! Worth a read.
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robin_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
This story was difficult to read because the story is told in form of letter by a seaman who was told the story by Viktor Frankenstein and he now tells the story to his sister.. which is so weird? It was definitely interesting but it wasn’t what I expected which took away from the pleasure of reading it.
I wanted to read the original version first but I will be reading the second edition too at some point. I want to know where our lore comes from. 
I was missing a lot of information too about the science behind it and why he did it. I know that it was mentioned here and there but not to the point that I expected.
Viktor Frankenstein is more annoying and whiny than crazy scientist, wanting to create life from death with lightning crashing behind him in some remote castle.
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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.
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cbrigs99's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A classic for good reason. Mary Shelley exemplifies the best of writing in this period in both quality and beauty. This is by far one of my favorite classics I’ve read, as it dissects the duality of humanity and questions who the true monster of the narrative is. This is the perfect read for the fall season, and delivers everything a reader could want: from elaborate character introspection, striking prose, and thought provoking story lines. Frankenstein continues to stand the test of time - without a doubt one of the best classics (and general stories) I have ever read and likely ever will. 
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laurendart's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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m_delaney's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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fe_aye's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective 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

Frankenstein truly is an enduring classic. A tale of a magnificent privileged man descending into insanity entirely through his own actions negatively effecting the lives of those around him. 

A supposedly clever university scientist who doesn’t have basic common sense greatly overreacting to everything. Thinking his emotions above all are important, even on the edge of death. A story of a man playing god by creating a child and then neglecting said child and then being surprised that child grew up to hate him.  
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