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A review by debmo79
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
3.0
I like the concept and the ideas it raises better than the story itself. The idea that humanity might create intelligent life distinct from itself and the ramifications of that, feels increasingly relevant. I find the question of what creators owe to the beings they create fascinating. As a parent how responsible am I for the actions of my children. When do they become accountable for their own actions? And in a modern context, if humanity creates true artificial intelligence what will we owe to it, and it to us? At first I was really interested to see how those themes developed in this story.
However, as the story went on I found myself distracted by Frankenstein. Deeply flawed characters are normally my jam, but not in this case; he frustrated and irritated me in equal measure. He is responsible for so much suffering, repeatedly makes terrible decisions and then whines and faints and spends time in bed feeling sorry for himself. By the end of the book I was rooting for the creature.
Ultimately I'm glad I read this book, and I can see why it was so important. Unfortunately really not liking the POV character was a significant hurdle for me to overcome - and I'm not sure I would read it again.
However, as the story went on I found myself distracted by Frankenstein. Deeply flawed characters are normally my jam, but not in this case; he frustrated and irritated me in equal measure. He is responsible for so much suffering, repeatedly makes terrible decisions and then whines and faints and spends time in bed feeling sorry for himself. By the end of the book I was rooting for the creature.
Ultimately I'm glad I read this book, and I can see why it was so important. Unfortunately really not liking the POV character was a significant hurdle for me to overcome - and I'm not sure I would read it again.