mokey81's review against another edition
3.0
Oh my goodness was this book dull! No wonder it is one of her lesser known works. The actual plot of the book is not even alluded to until you are more than half way through! I'd say the last 50-100 pages were the most interesting. A very boring read that I trudged through and got behind on my goal because I was stubborn.
akbates's review against another edition
4.0
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's mental landscape must have been a wonderland. She fascinates me!
darla78's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
booksbythewindow's review against another edition
For full review: https://booksbythewindow.wordpress.com/2022/05/04/the-last-man/
Summary: Set in the 2080s and 2090s, The Last Man takes place in an England that has become a republic after the abdication of the king. The Last Man follows a tight-knit group of five characters: narrator Lionel Verney, who will become the eponymous last man; Verney’s wife Idris, the daughter of the last king; Idris’ brother Adrian, Verney’s closest friend who will become a leader in a time of crisis; Verney’s sister Perdita; and Perdita’s husband Raymond, who will be elected Lord Protector by the ruling elite. The narrative is divided into three volumes with the first concerned mostly with the politics and romantic entanglements of the five main characters. It is during the second volume that the first signs of the virus start to emerge, in the midst of a war that Raymond has entered into. By the third volume, the virus has taken hold all over the world, causing devastation everywhere.
Overall Thoughts: I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started The Last Man, but it was an engaging, absorbing read that kept me engaged despite how unsettling the pandemic aspect of the narrative was. The first volume of The Last Man feels almost like reading an account of Shelley, Percy Shelley, Claire Claremont, and Byron; it is definitely hard not to see the parallels between the real life and relationships of Shelley and the narrative in Volume One. One aspect of Shelley’s writing that stands out in Volumes Two and Three is the way in which she gradually builds up tension. I am not sure that everyone would enjoy The Last Man as it is quite a slow-paced narrative, and the plague might make it a particularly difficult read at the moment, but I would definitely recommend it for those who are interested in Mary Shelley and her life, as well as those who want to read some classic apocalyptic literature.
Summary: Set in the 2080s and 2090s, The Last Man takes place in an England that has become a republic after the abdication of the king. The Last Man follows a tight-knit group of five characters: narrator Lionel Verney, who will become the eponymous last man; Verney’s wife Idris, the daughter of the last king; Idris’ brother Adrian, Verney’s closest friend who will become a leader in a time of crisis; Verney’s sister Perdita; and Perdita’s husband Raymond, who will be elected Lord Protector by the ruling elite. The narrative is divided into three volumes with the first concerned mostly with the politics and romantic entanglements of the five main characters. It is during the second volume that the first signs of the virus start to emerge, in the midst of a war that Raymond has entered into. By the third volume, the virus has taken hold all over the world, causing devastation everywhere.
Overall Thoughts: I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started The Last Man, but it was an engaging, absorbing read that kept me engaged despite how unsettling the pandemic aspect of the narrative was. The first volume of The Last Man feels almost like reading an account of Shelley, Percy Shelley, Claire Claremont, and Byron; it is definitely hard not to see the parallels between the real life and relationships of Shelley and the narrative in Volume One. One aspect of Shelley’s writing that stands out in Volumes Two and Three is the way in which she gradually builds up tension. I am not sure that everyone would enjoy The Last Man as it is quite a slow-paced narrative, and the plague might make it a particularly difficult read at the moment, but I would definitely recommend it for those who are interested in Mary Shelley and her life, as well as those who want to read some classic apocalyptic literature.
cavitlum's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
sb27's review against another edition
Language too detailed and too much description for my liking. Will try again.
firstknight's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Child death, Classism, Racial slurs, War, Death, Grief, Islamophobia, and Racism
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Misogyny, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, and Sexism
pbanditp's review against another edition
2.0
Just takes too long to settle into a storyline. Starts off as a love story, changes to war, before finally getting to the plague. It felt like I was reading Shakespeare, having to decipher every passage
adamz24's review against another edition
4.0
A profoundly sad reaction to Romanticism, initially vilified, mocked, and essentially blacklisted, before being recovered and championed in the 1960s.
It's overlong, the language is annoyingly exalted, most of the characters are flat, and there's a lot of rubbish. Sounds tedious? It sort of is. This is definitely one of the few examples I've encountered of an excellent literary work that for much of its padded length feels somewhat interminable, but that emerges as a remarkable, deeply interesting piece of writing.
Shelley takes on humanity's crumbling death from an unstoppable plague with great skill, and presents a powerful critical engagement with Romanticism and its ideals, making it hard to read even the Romantic poets I appreciate without a sense of sadness and an acknowledgment of their enterprise's ultimate meaninglessness and futility. Mary Shelley was certainly a more interesting, perceptive, and intelligent writer than her husband, though also infinitely more depressing and certainly less cuddly. I might write more later.
It's overlong, the language is annoyingly exalted, most of the characters are flat, and there's a lot of rubbish. Sounds tedious? It sort of is. This is definitely one of the few examples I've encountered of an excellent literary work that for much of its padded length feels somewhat interminable, but that emerges as a remarkable, deeply interesting piece of writing.
Shelley takes on humanity's crumbling death from an unstoppable plague with great skill, and presents a powerful critical engagement with Romanticism and its ideals, making it hard to read even the Romantic poets I appreciate without a sense of sadness and an acknowledgment of their enterprise's ultimate meaninglessness and futility. Mary Shelley was certainly a more interesting, perceptive, and intelligent writer than her husband, though also infinitely more depressing and certainly less cuddly. I might write more later.
melann86's review against another edition
3.0
I know this book probably deserves a higher score based on the writing .. but I’m basing this review on feeling .. and idk why .. I just couldn’t get into it .. I am rather shocked by it tbh .. Frankenstein is one of my very fave books of all time .. but this just “wasn’t it” for me, as the kids say..