Scan barcode
A review by annewilgenbusch
Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors
3.0
A bit disappointed with this one. I appreciate the idea - of sharing the dangers of an ill-fated marriage from the view of everyone around the couple. However, all the characters were unlikable and annoying (except for Santiago). The love that Frank and Cleo claimed to have for one another was never there. I understand that that is the story's point, but it was hard to understand why they ever got together, let alone got married, when there was even a semblance of love between the characters.
I think that telling this story as a dark comedy was another shortcoming of the story. The idea has so much emotional depth that Mellors could have explored had she written the story as a melodrama. The characters were so annoying and melodramatic that the contrast between their attitudes and actions felt incredibly disconnected. Another downside to the storytelling was the choice to tell Elanor's story from short vignettes written in the first person. These chapters took me out of the story because of the form change. Furthermore, I don't think changing the storytelling form for her was necessary. I didn't gain any particular affection or perspective from Elanor because it was written differently. Her chapters were jarring and took me out of the story completely.
The novel is not a total loss. I think it speaks a lot about love, lust, and how our actions ripple to everyone around us. However, I think Mellors missed the mark on how she decided to tell the story. I would love to read about following the same concept, but that took the subject matter more seriously.
I think that telling this story as a dark comedy was another shortcoming of the story. The idea has so much emotional depth that Mellors could have explored had she written the story as a melodrama. The characters were so annoying and melodramatic that the contrast between their attitudes and actions felt incredibly disconnected. Another downside to the storytelling was the choice to tell Elanor's story from short vignettes written in the first person. These chapters took me out of the story because of the form change. Furthermore, I don't think changing the storytelling form for her was necessary. I didn't gain any particular affection or perspective from Elanor because it was written differently. Her chapters were jarring and took me out of the story completely.
The novel is not a total loss. I think it speaks a lot about love, lust, and how our actions ripple to everyone around us. However, I think Mellors missed the mark on how she decided to tell the story. I would love to read about following the same concept, but that took the subject matter more seriously.