jrspitler1112's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Stalking, Murder, Gore, Blood, Kidnapping, Child death, and Death
draven_deathcrush's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I had to read this for school, and I'm so glad I did. It was amazing, and I loved it so much. I'm a big fan of zombies, and I always wanted to read this book, but I never ended up doing it. Now I had to, and I'm very glad!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Death
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Death of parent and Suicidal thoughts
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I picked this up as a fun, classic read for Halloween this year.
"Frankenstein" is the classic story written by Mary Shelley. In an effort to find immortality, Dr. Victor Frankenstein spends his adolescence seeking education in the sciences. Once he reaches adulthood, he attempts his own experiments to bring something to life. When he succeeds, he is horrified by the abomination he created, and he runs away from it. Feeling abandoned and slighted by its creator, the monster seeks revenge, and causes havoc to Frankenstein's life.
This book really epitomizes the idea that monsters are created, not born. The monster in this novel did not want to kill or cause harm, and it initially attempted to help the people it encountered. Only after the people realized what he looked like, did they become scared of the monster and run away. At its core, the monster had a good heart, but the world turned its back on it.
Even after Frankenstein saw the destruction the monster caused, he did not do enough to appease the monster. The monster wanted a woman companion and asked Frankenstein to create one for it. This only further highlights that the monster was just lonely. Sometimes it only takes one person to show kindness and change a person's entire perspective on life.
This was a very approachable classic, and fairly easy to read. I also think the themes and lessons it presents are elements that today's world needs a refresher on.
I highly recommend this novel, especially this time of year!
"Frankenstein" is the classic story written by Mary Shelley. In an effort to find immortality, Dr. Victor Frankenstein spends his adolescence seeking education in the sciences. Once he reaches adulthood, he attempts his own experiments to bring something to life. When he succeeds, he is horrified by the abomination he created, and he runs away from it. Feeling abandoned and slighted by its creator, the monster seeks revenge, and causes havoc to Frankenstein's life.
This book really epitomizes the idea that monsters are created, not born. The monster in this novel did not want to kill or cause harm, and it initially attempted to help the people it encountered. Only after the people realized what he looked like, did they become scared of the monster and run away. At its core, the monster had a good heart, but the world turned its back on it.
Even after Frankenstein saw the destruction the monster caused, he did not do enough to appease the monster. The monster wanted a woman companion and asked Frankenstein to create one for it. This only further highlights that the monster was just lonely. Sometimes it only takes one person to show kindness and change a person's entire perspective on life.
This was a very approachable classic, and fairly easy to read. I also think the themes and lessons it presents are elements that today's world needs a refresher on.
I highly recommend this novel, especially this time of year!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child death, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Murder
potterpav's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
me rating a classic only 3 stars should be a crime punishable by death but this is my storygraph and i get to be brutally honest. victor frankenstein is a very intriguing character to me because although at first i really didn't like him and his intense lack of compassion and selfishness, by the end i felt quite bad for him. he watched his mother die an awful death as a teenager and then wanted to create life from death... and then that life killed everyone he loved. is that not at least a little bit sad? yeah it was his fault that the reanimated life killed them all but idk. its a bit more complex to me than "victor = bad; frankenstein's creature = good" because both sides were guilty parties whilst also being human enough to sympathise and see the complexities of their characters. 2.5 stars because even though it was only like 200 pages, it was just way too slow. so slow. sorry mary babe your name will forever be remembered in history, there were just a few too many words xx
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
e_r_q's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"I shall die, and what I now feel be no longer felt. Soon these burning miseries will be extinct. I shall ascend my funeral pile triumphantly and exult in the agony of the torturing flames. The light of that conflagration will fade away; my ashes will be swept into the sea by the winds. My spirit will sleep in peace, or if it thinks, it will not surely think thus. Farewell.”
Despite becoming so ingrained and recognisable within popular culture, Frankenstein still managed to surprise me. Firstly, Mary Shelley's prose is exquisite and extremely coherent, especially for a piece of literature written in the 1800s. Furthermore, Shelley's writing is rich in symbolism, philosophical deliberations, as well as explorations of compelling themes such as the thirst for knowledge/power, unbridled ambition, revenge, discrimination, prejudice, and creation versus destruction. Additionally, the profound poeticism with which she captures The Monster's perception of life and humanity is hauntingly beautiful. I saw one review criticising Shelley for being unable to write male characters, but I wholeheartedly disagree, as the emotional vulnerability of said male characters is both realistic and truly refreshing to see.
Despite still surprising and impressing me, Frankenstein didn't entirely live up to my expectations. Some parts of the narrative felt confusingly rushed, while other aspects felt entirely unnecessary. But still, I'm glad I finally got around to reading this classic work of horror fiction, especially in time for Halloween.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Child death, Death, Murder, Bullying, Abandonment, Ableism, and Body shaming
Minor: Stalking
bookgurl488's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book showed that humans are hopelessly flawed and in need of true companionship.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Stalking, and Abandonment
Moderate: Child death, Classism, Bullying, and Death of parent
corriejn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
I was of course familiar with the core conceipt of the story via cultural osmosis, but reading the original story I found it to be so much more complex and full of nuance! Worth a read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Child death, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Death of parent, and Drug use
annaforthebooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Death of parent
bebidocrimes's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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
I remembered enjoying this in high school, but now I simply will never stop thinking about how much I love this story. My brain won't let it go, it's like I'm gnawing on a bone. It's about the loneliness of every kind of ostracization, it's about spurning God, it's about not learning your lesson even after facing every consequence, it's about hating your dad, it's about nature versus nurture, it's about being human yet inhuman. I can't wait to reread and do full annotations.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Murder, Stalking, and Violence
Minor: Classism, Colonisation, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Death of parent, and Incest
fe_aye's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Frankenstein truly is an enduring classic. A tale of a magnificent privileged man descending into insanity entirely through his own actions negatively effecting the lives of those around him.
A supposedly clever university scientist who doesn’t have basic common sense greatly overreacting to everything. Thinking his emotions above all are important, even on the edge of death. A story of a man playing god by creating a child and then neglecting said child and then being surprised that child grew up to hate him.
A supposedly clever university scientist who doesn’t have basic common sense greatly overreacting to everything. Thinking his emotions above all are important, even on the edge of death. A story of a man playing god by creating a child and then neglecting said child and then being surprised that child grew up to hate him.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Grief, and Murder