karrative's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Spoiler
This novel is the most fertile for political philosophy theorising I have ever read. Between the Mary Shelley and the modern plotline, it covers more applied issues of gender and AI as well as the traditional questions about the human nature. At the same time, it is not a heavy read at all. It sets out all these problems for you to engage with, should you wish, but makes your adventure thorough it, dare i say, fun. I laughed at every other thing Ron LOrd said and I loved the snarky metacommentary (it was the most profound thing she ever said in her life). I was not a fan of the Bedlam storyline, it didnt feel to me that it added much and also would have prefered less 'spooky' or 'metaphyical' elements, in a particular around the ending - but this is very much personal preference whining.emmieince's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
siebensommer's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
‘you got a lot of not yets in your life‘ […]. she‘s right. i am liminal, cussing, in between, emerging, undecided, transitional, experimental, a start-up - or is it an upstart?
when people part, they usually hate each other, or one hates the other. - that is the conventional way. there are other ways. […] if we cannot keep this love, there is place in me that has been changed by this love and i will honour it - think of it as a kind of place of worship if you like. and sometimes, boarding a plane or waking up or walking down a street or taking a shower,… i will recall that place and never regret the time i spent there.
life, we imagine, is familiar enough until we begin to tell it to another. then, observe the wonder on their faces.
women blame each other all the time, it is a trick men play on us.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Child death, Transphobia, Death, and Deadnaming
gelliestar's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
freesien's review against another edition
4.0
This is such an interesting and thought-provoking re-interpretation of Frankenstein! The book also has a rather unconventional structure but it works very well.
With most books I prefer one POV over the other if there are multiple ones but in this book I was always excited to read each perspective.
With most books I prefer one POV over the other if there are multiple ones but in this book I was always excited to read each perspective.
balfies's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This was weird. Like, properly twisted. Winterson is one of my favourite writers, so I always trust where she takes me. This was....
A modern retelling of Frankenstein wearing a coat made of transhuman, transgender, AI, sexbot feminist body horror sci-fi interleafed with Mary Shelley's own experiences of writing Frankenstein.
If you want a glimmer of queer macabre literary satire on what it means to be human and have a body, give it a go.
Personally, it's not my fave from old Jeanie baby, reminds me a bit of Ian McEwan's slightly trite retelling of Hamlet from the perspective of a foetus, though admittedly there is more craft in Frankissstein than there was in Nutshell.
A modern retelling of Frankenstein wearing a coat made of transhuman, transgender, AI, sexbot feminist body horror sci-fi interleafed with Mary Shelley's own experiences of writing Frankenstein.
If you want a glimmer of queer macabre literary satire on what it means to be human and have a body, give it a go.
Personally, it's not my fave from old Jeanie baby, reminds me a bit of Ian McEwan's slightly trite retelling of Hamlet from the perspective of a foetus, though admittedly there is more craft in Frankissstein than there was in Nutshell.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Body horror, Medical content, and Transphobia
girlygirlreader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
salemander's review against another edition
i wanted to like this so much since i love jeanette’s prose and frankenstein is one of my favorite books but the transphobia and fetishization of Ry in the present along with the annoying ass treatment of Mary in the past…. it’s gonna be a no from me
cythera15's review against another edition
challenging
tense
slow-paced
4.0
I have mixed feelings about how Ry is depicted in this novel because it really feels like a cis person's imagination of a transman