You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
alanakramer 's review for:
Frankenstein: The 1818 Text
by Mary Shelley
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
For as iconic of a story as this is, I thought this was incredibly mid. Victor Frankenstein is an insufferable character, which made this a real slog to get through. The middle third of the book was leaps and bounds better than the first and last, and it’s that piece that makes this book a 3 star read for me.
Maybe it’s because I haven’t read anything this old in like a decade so I have nothing to compare it to, but I didn’t think the prose was anything special either. I will say it was interesting to learn how different the OG story is from its contemporary retellings. And I do think the forthcoming movie, which is supposedly staying close to this source material, has the potential to better than the book if its just the straight up plot and not the story-within-a-story structure that this is. I just really can’t stand Victor.
I can appreciate the impact it’s had on literature and horror, but honestly, I wouldn’t recommend unless you genuinely enjoy reading classics. It’s back to works from the 20th and 21st centuries for me!
Maybe it’s because I haven’t read anything this old in like a decade so I have nothing to compare it to, but I didn’t think the prose was anything special either. I will say it was interesting to learn how different the OG story is from its contemporary retellings. And I do think the forthcoming movie, which is supposedly staying close to this source material, has the potential to better than the book if its just the straight up plot and not the story-within-a-story structure that this is. I just really can’t stand Victor.
I can appreciate the impact it’s had on literature and horror, but honestly, I wouldn’t recommend unless you genuinely enjoy reading classics. It’s back to works from the 20th and 21st centuries for me!