Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
Just a disclaimer that my reviews are notes to myself.
As a computer scientist and lover of Frankenstein, I’m embarrassed that I never realized Lovelace was Lord Byron’s daughter. As a nonbinary person with a complicated relationship to labels who has been SA’d, this book felt written for me.
I loved this book. I think the characterizations between the two timelines are so well done. I think the characters and their actions really speak for themselves in a way that other reviews are overlooking (god I hated Ron but I thought he was an interesting character. He misgendered Ry and was really dense but I have older family members like that. That’s literally who they are. It’s problematic and disgusting but just like Ron they’d pick me up and carry me out if I’m about to drown myself underground).
The discussions about ML/AI are pretty good and I’m wondering how they’ll age in the next couple decades. I think the comparison between Frankenstein’s monster and Victor’s vague ambitions felt a little forced - I don’t think we’re anywhere near there yet. I liked little tidbits throughout the book that were a nod to computer science history (Turing not referring to computers as computers at first brought me back to my first day of Automata when the professor posed Turing’s same question and was like the BRAIN guys we want to replicate the BRAIN). When I put it like that, the connection between the monster and AI is clear. But in so many ways I think we’ve strayed from what Turing initially proposed.
There’s no good way to write being assaulted. There’s no good way to write being infantilized and objectified by older men whose attention you for some reason seek. There’s no good way to write loving people who are bad. There’s no good way to write bad people. But those are all real and I think worth being written.
As a computer scientist and lover of Frankenstein, I’m embarrassed that I never realized Lovelace was Lord Byron’s daughter. As a nonbinary person with a complicated relationship to labels who has been SA’d, this book felt written for me.
I loved this book. I think the characterizations between the two timelines are so well done. I think the characters and their actions really speak for themselves in a way that other reviews are overlooking (god I hated Ron but I thought he was an interesting character. He misgendered Ry and was really dense but I have older family members like that. That’s literally who they are. It’s problematic and disgusting but just like Ron they’d pick me up and carry me out if I’m about to drown myself underground).
The discussions about ML/AI are pretty good and I’m wondering how they’ll age in the next couple decades. I think the comparison between Frankenstein’s monster and Victor’s vague ambitions felt a little forced - I don’t think we’re anywhere near there yet. I liked little tidbits throughout the book that were a nod to computer science history (Turing not referring to computers as computers at first brought me back to my first day of Automata when the professor posed Turing’s same question and was like the BRAIN guys we want to replicate the BRAIN). When I put it like that, the connection between the monster and AI is clear. But in so many ways I think we’ve strayed from what Turing initially proposed.
There’s no good way to write being assaulted. There’s no good way to write being infantilized and objectified by older men whose attention you for some reason seek. There’s no good way to write loving people who are bad. There’s no good way to write bad people. But those are all real and I think worth being written.
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loved Ry
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
funny
informative
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If you are cis and are trying to understand the trans experience, do not read this book.
Winterson is truly disconnected from the reality of the trans experience. Aside from presenting lies within the work (specifically regarding hormones and top surgery), not one character in this novel respects Ry as a trans man. All throughout the novel Victor, Ron, and Claire continuously deadname him, use the wrong pronouns, and reduce him to simply an object that can be used for sexual gratification. This blatant transphobia in turn is reflected in Ry, to the point where he only perceives himself as a body, instead of a living, breathing human with thoughts and emotions.
If this is supposed to be satire, it is not funny. My transness, and transness in general, is not a joke for cis woman to comment on. I experienced so much dysphoria after reading this, to the point that I experienced several panic attacks during the week my class read this together.
Please please please, if you want to learn about the trans experience, read works by trans authors. They are out there, they exist, and they are worth reading.
Winterson is truly disconnected from the reality of the trans experience. Aside from presenting lies within the work (specifically regarding hormones and top surgery), not one character in this novel respects Ry as a trans man. All throughout the novel Victor, Ron, and Claire continuously deadname him, use the wrong pronouns, and reduce him to simply an object that can be used for sexual gratification. This blatant transphobia in turn is reflected in Ry, to the point where he only perceives himself as a body, instead of a living, breathing human with thoughts and emotions.
If this is supposed to be satire, it is not funny. My transness, and transness in general, is not a joke for cis woman to comment on. I experienced so much dysphoria after reading this, to the point that I experienced several panic attacks during the week my class read this together.
Please please please, if you want to learn about the trans experience, read works by trans authors. They are out there, they exist, and they are worth reading.
reflective
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Quite a timely read despite the fact it was published in 2019. I originally wanted to read this because I loved The Passion when I read it at college – maybe that needs a re-read.
Enjoyed it but the switching between timelines and narratives wasn’t always my fave. Found myself a bit bored during some of the Mary Shelley bits. And as can often be the case when cramming so much into one book, I feel like nothing had the chance to be fully explored to its potential.
Enjoyed it but the switching between timelines and narratives wasn’t always my fave. Found myself a bit bored during some of the Mary Shelley bits. And as can often be the case when cramming so much into one book, I feel like nothing had the chance to be fully explored to its potential.
This may have been the least thought out book I have read to date. I do not normally write a review, and certainly not a negative one, but I think it is needed to stop people from reading it. Winterson attempts to write about way too many subjects, the majority of which she knows nothing about. This book is filled with stereotypes for women, transgender people, southern Americans, plus sized people, Jewish people, and many others. It takes an unclear stance on AI, and the main character switches ideals multiple times. The character of Ry Shelley alone was enough to make me want to stop reading. This is not to speak on the historically-inaccurate Mary Shelley narrative, which made the book confusing to read and added nothing to the narrative. I had high hopes for this book, as it had the chance to become a fascinating study on AI or religion or post humanism or transgenderism in the lens of Frankenstein, but I was severely let down.
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I am both transgender and transhumanist and there were moments that made me tilt my head and go "huh," but that was the best thing I can say for this book. The transgender character was only added because of the connection to transhumanism and was handled with very little grace. It's wild how a story about shedding off our physical body ended up being pretty bioessentialist and transmedicalist.
There is a huge embrace of the original Frankenstien story in the trans community and this was a real missed opportunity.
There is a huge embrace of the original Frankenstien story in the trans community and this was a real missed opportunity.