roxane's review
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
Kinda felt like the author was just writing in as many famous people as he could but also it did have a pretty good ending.
thesassybookworm's review
4.0
What can I say, this was a cracking good read! A very interesting take on the Frankenstein story. I really enjoyed this one!
befo's review
dark
mysterious
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
1.0
pussreboots's review against another edition
1.0
In 2008 I read Requiem for the Author of Frankenstein by Molly Dwyer. Intrigued by the historical fiction of Mary Shelley's life, I decided to give Peter Ackroyd's book, The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein a try.
Where Dwyer carefully looks at the elements of Mary Shelley's life that could have come together to inspire Frankenstein. Ackroyd's book though focuses not on Mary Shelley. Instead the two main characters are Victor Frankenstein and his school chum Percy Shelley. Excuse me while I mutter to myself an scratch my head. Except for marriage and the encouragement of one spouse for another, what exactly does the poet have to do with his wife's novel?
I got about one hundred pages into this book before the misogyny got too much for me. Mary Shelley is relegated to the background while her fictional creation and her husband go about being macho. Percy and Mary are so out of character that I couldn't finish the book.
Where Dwyer carefully looks at the elements of Mary Shelley's life that could have come together to inspire Frankenstein. Ackroyd's book though focuses not on Mary Shelley. Instead the two main characters are Victor Frankenstein and his school chum Percy Shelley. Excuse me while I mutter to myself an scratch my head. Except for marriage and the encouragement of one spouse for another, what exactly does the poet have to do with his wife's novel?
I got about one hundred pages into this book before the misogyny got too much for me. Mary Shelley is relegated to the background while her fictional creation and her husband go about being macho. Percy and Mary are so out of character that I couldn't finish the book.
aseel_reads's review against another edition
2.0
A semi good but also bizarre plot twist, that I can't tell if I enjoyed or not.
This whole book was a tad confusing, I found it lacked a coherent flow and it was just painful to read
This whole book was a tad confusing, I found it lacked a coherent flow and it was just painful to read
knightbirds's review
Stale writing, boring characters. Didn't seem to add anything interesting to Shelley's book, except for downgrading Victor's character and accomplishments.
chasing_dallas's review
4.0
I enjoyed this retelling of this classic and honestly I did not expect to. I figured the story would be predictable and cardboard but instead it was intriguing and captivating. Perhaps going with low expectations made this better but I found this to be a great read.
the_sassy_bookworm's review
4.0
What can I say, this was a cracking good read! A very interesting take on the Frankenstein story. I really enjoyed this one!
pfefferminza's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I think I was expecting that "twist" but the last few pages still shook me.