Reviews with content warning for Violence - Frankenstein in Baghdad

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi

37 reviews

draven_deathcrush's review

dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I'm obsessed with Frankenstein now and I thought this would be like a retelling, but it wasn't really. It didn't really focus much on the actual Frankenstein part, which is completely fine, but I just thought/hoped it would. It's a good book, but I just had different expectations.

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introvertsbookclub's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

4.5

‘Frankenstein in Baghdad’ is a blend of satire and magical realism, with intertwining plot lines and a writer trying to keep track of them all. It explores everyday experiences in an extraordinary environment of conflict and corruption, and is grounded in the emotions that are provoked in the daily lives of the novel’s cast of characters, from fear and grief to green and desire. The novel was made up of so many characters and story lines that it became a Frankenstein of sorts itself, and yet it was almost always easy to navigate and follow along.

The adaptation of the Frankenstein story is fascinating – not just because of the changes to the plot and purpose of the creature, but because of the new emotional context that fuels the creature’s creation. I loved the way that the creature became a way to debate ideas around good and bad, innocence and criminality, in the same way that Shelley’s original monster facilitated questions about science, morality and community.

I am so glad I decided to continue my spooky reading into November, and that I finally got around to reading this book.

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woweewhoa's review

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.75

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emburs9's review

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challenging dark 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? Yes

5.0

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verinvaldez's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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hoppskotch's review

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dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Honestly, one of the finest adaptations of classic literature into modern sociopolitical contexts. I highly recommend this to anyone who either enjoys the creature feature genre or just in general is looking to expand their adult fiction and horror bookshelf. So many of the characters are complex that equally measures that they are written with deep respect to each person's humanity. That being said there are quite a handful of characters who I could have lived without but were essential for the plot and overall were enriching. An incredible dive into the moral and philosophical nature of death, murder, criminality, and victimhood within the context of war and loss. This has become one of my favorite books nearly overnight.

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