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Anonymous
Posted Tue Jun 21 00:00:00 EDT 2011
I could not read "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley. My faith in humanity of people swayed. I even justify him for the criminal acts he committed.
200 out of 219 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This is a reprint of the original text. It is considerably different from other versions, and the sections that were altered in later editions are included in appendices for the reader's use or curiosity. The Oxford edition, like their other classics, offers many notes on the text, additional resources, a chronology of the author's life, and many explanatory notes that help the reader move right along in the text. I highly recommend this version for schools. I used this in a college class and made a much more efficient use of my time because the legwork that the editors have done to provide comments and notes saved me from having to discover allusions or references for myself or skip them altogether.
It's a great story. If you chose to look more closely, this book raises a lot of questions about human interests at their core. The book, although almost two centuries old, raises questions that are still relevant today - some of which still have no definite answer.
14 out of 14 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.jenmaynard
Posted Sun Sep 04 00:00:00 EDT 2011
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Often considered the first science fiction novel, Mary Shelley had the creative spark for Frankenstein at the age of 18 and first published it as a 22-year-old. A story inspired by other gothic writings, contemporary scientific theories, and by tragedies in her own life (the death of her young child, a father who had disowned her), not to mention her poet husband Percy Shelley (who would drown the following year) and the philosophies of other poets in her young and influential circle of friends, this novel is a thought-provoking and ground-breaking work that has inspired countless stories about our desire to overcome death and our search for what it means to be human. It's not your modern horror thriller or what is generally depicted in film (instead of grunts, Frankenstein's real monster is eloquently tragic), the plot is often plodding, and some current readers might not find this a good read. But for those who enjoy a more philosophically centered gothic tale, Frankenstein is immortal.
14 out of 18 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Wed Jan 31 00:00:00 EST 2007
This is a very misunderstood story that sparked a concept that took on a life of it's own. There is no scary castle, no hunchback, or villigars with pitch forks! It is a story not about a monster but about what could happen when man kind tries to play creator. You end up feeling sorry for the creature.
10 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Sun Jun 27 00:00:00 EDT 2010
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My Honors English class had to read this for school. While VERY easy to understand, admittedly, at least to me, this book was a pure travesty. I expected it to be MUCH better than it was, and just expected a whole different kind of reading experience in general. While a great concept for a story, I felt that Mary Shelley did not handle it all that well....in fact, instead of a horror story, it was more of a drama or a tragedy. Anyhow, the reasons that I hated this book are as follows: Mary Shelley repeated herself a lot, and kept using the same words, instead of using variety. The book itself was just plain boring, and no real excitement caught on until maybe, at BEST, the last few chapters. At times, the book lost direction, and once again, it was a chore to read. All in all, I found myself wanting to SLAP Frankenstein and The Creature as well, and just all in all, it made for a waste of a unit in school. I could go on in-DEPTH about why I hated this book, but then I would run out of room, and possibly be typing for years. Anyway, this may sound harsh, but to all those like me who were forced to read it: I sympathize with you. To those who bought it, excited: I pity you. And anyway, I am glad that I did not buy this book, and did not have to; I was excited to return the school's copy once we were finally done with it! Anyway, all in all, I STRONGLY disliked this book, and I am a big reader, so make of that what you will. My advice? DO NOT BUY this book BEFORE READING; either borrow it from the library or a friend and such, and THEN ONCE YOU ARE SURE of your opinion of it, THEN buy it if you love it........this book is definitely worthy of a test-read; THAT'S for sure! (Also, I do think that Mary Shelley IS worthy of fame and praise and all, but I just did not like her book/or her work....)I mean NO disrespect to her, though; that's also for sure!
Here though, are TWO books that we read for school for the SAME class that I absolutely LOVED (Night and Les Miserables, the abridged version), along with a few extra favorites of mine. ;P
7 out of 42 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.My first thought on completing Frankenstein was this: I love this book! I really didn't know what to expect when I began reading this. We've all seen Frankenstein and his "monster" portrayed through numerous media outlets and I wasn't sure how any of these compared to the original story created by Mary Shelley. From page one I was drawn in and riveted by the narrative. I was hooked on Victor Frankenstein with his ambition and his creation who showed such strong emotions. Frankenstein's creation is an infantile being born into the body of a monster. We watch as this "monster" teaches himself writing, language, geography, history. He reads from Milton's Paradise Lost and from Plutarch's Lives. Learning brought such joy to him. It was so sad to see the "monster's" attitude toward man (and especially Frankenstein in particular) go from such love and delight to dark feelings and hate. Frankenstein and his race pushed the "monster" away and shunned him because he didn't look like them. They never gave him a chance to prove his worth among them. I believe it was society that created the "monster", and not soley Victor, but it was Victor who reaped the punishment. Frankenstein, the novel, brings up some thought provoking questions dealing with science and life and what it means to be human. You'll have to read the book yourself and draw your own conclusions.<BR/><BR/>"So much has been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein-more, far more, will I achieve: treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation."
7 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Mon May 18 00:00:00 EDT 2009
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This, in my opinion has to be the most thought provoking in all of literature. I can't think of a novel more worthy of dicussing in a book club or just in general. It's authenticity still rings true in the twenty first century. It is a scientific study of whether or not we should tamper with God's creation or life, itself. This is the story of man's creation resulting in monstrous consequenses. The topic of conversation is regarding whether or not the monster really is a monster. Meaning he is not born monstrous but becomes so because he is shunned and turned away because of his frightening physical appearance. Would the monster be able to live in society with man if man had just given him a fair opportunity? Perhaps, but should he be given that opportunity under unnatural circumstances? After all, he is not human and created by God but by man. The question of who is a worse monster, him or Victor? Victor by far, for allowing the catastrophes to worsen repeatedly without properly handling the situation. The monster was his ruination from the first which goes back to should it have been attempted in the first place? Was it successful?
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Mon Nov 14 00:00:00 EST 2011
With missing passages and characters in place of letters, this version is a ghastly abomination of Shelley's masterpiece, and more than challenging to read. There are better copies out there!
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Sun Nov 03 00:00:00 EST 2002
The writing style is dated and can be challenging. Once I let the story grab me though, I found a story I only thought I knew. Not a "horror" story by todays standards, but a thought provoking story of science for science sake.
4 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Let's be honest. This is a novella, not a novel. And if we removed some of the pages and pages of self-involved, over-dramatic, REPETITIVE personal introspection and emotional suffering (not to mention the pages and pages and pages of uninteresting scenery description), it would be a short story. Find an abridged version and read it. Or an audio version to be enjoyed in your car when you are trapped in traffic; this full-length novella would be better than listening to the other cars honking at each other...Maybe.
3 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Tue Jan 13 00:00:00 EST 2009
I had to read this novel in my Science Fiction class in college. The novel was excellent with great written language, so beautiful. If you a big fan of Frankenstein movies, I would recommend that if you read this novel, don't expect the movies and the novel to be alike. The creature is so different than most of the Hollywood Frankensteins on film. The creature is somewhat a natural philosopher, but I won't give away too much! In other words, this novel is a must read!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Sun Feb 10 00:00:00 EST 2008
This is one of the few books I have read where the movie is 10 times better than the book. This book is so predictable and tame, as far as 'Classics' go, that you are left shaking your head saying, 'Now this is what they mean by hyperbole'.
3 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sat May 05 00:00:00 EDT 2012
A great book!!! I'm not a big fan of Science Fiction novels, but this one was great!!! When reading it, you don't feel like you are reading a Science fiction novel, you feel like you are reading a very sad, disturbing book about when humans should leave nature alone! You will never see Science and progress in it the same after you read this book!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I was excited to read this book, I literally was jumping up and down when I bought it, but the excitement ends there. I understood that it being a classic that it would take me a few chapters to get into the older style of writing like with Earnest Hemmingway and Oscar Wilde, at least for me anyways. But it was like I could never get into Shelly¿s head nor did I want to. The book though short seemed to last forever, like a bad taste in your mouth that never goes away no matter how many times you brush your teeth. You don¿t get attached to any character for they all appear dry a one sided, and though the story is defiantly original you can¿t enjoy it for it¿s presented to you in such a lifeless manner. I had to force myself to finish this book just so I could say I¿ve read it. If you plan to read this book I recommend checking it out at the library and save your money. This is the one case where the movies are much better then the book.
2 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Fri Feb 22 00:00:00 EST 2008
Started out dull.... ended worse. I do not recommend this book, to anyone. I had heard alot of good about this book to. In the end it was a complete dissapointment. Emotionless and lacking much needed drama, this book fell short of my not so high expectations.
2 out of 13 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Should I review a classic? Really, what's the point? This book is historic and mandatory reading for many high schools and a true insight into the European era it was written (1818). Language, thoughts, opinions, attitudes, social classes, locations - it's all there. It's like a time machine and that aspect of the book is fasinating. Then there's the classic elements...
This is true gothic horror. It's not blood and guts and "shoot'em up" that is all too necessary to hold an audiences' attention in today's world. "Frankenstein" is psychological terror in the same vein as "what's hiding around the corner." We follow Victor's inner thoughts and paranoia as he sinks deeper and deeper into depression, fear and finally resolve that he must kill the monster he created or die trying.
As someone who was an avid reader in high school - but not the mandatory assignments, (my personal classics are more modern works) - it is quite a few years after my graduation. I picked up "Frankenstein" because it is my son's mandatory summer reader. Once I started, I couldn't put it down.
But again - reviewing a classic? Okay - some may find this a lame excuse, but I only rated it 4 out of 5 stars because of my upbringing in the modern "shoot'em up" world. The meanings were all there for me - man vs God, man vs woman, etc... But there were too many coincidences within the story that made me shake my head in disbelief. Europe is a continent and not someone's neighborhood where even then it would be difficult to find someone hiding from you. But if you can shut down your reasoning and throw disbelief to the howling wind, "Frankenstein" has the fear factor to keep you awake and wondering at night who or what could be lurking around your neighborhood.
One final note: For any high schooler thinking about skipping this mandatory reading assignment and watching the movie instead, just plan on testing for a GED after you wise up. The Boris Karloff version sticks to the book about as closely as the Abbott and Costello film. In fact, check out Gene Wilder in "Young Frankenstein" and write your report on that one. At least your teacher will have a few laughs grading your paper!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sun Jul 31 00:00:00 EDT 2011
Nothing more to say...
1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Mon Jul 11 00:00:00 EDT 2011
Don't get this copy!! There is gibberish all over the place from Google that, in my opinion, is too distracting to be overlooked. I haven't even read the book yet and just deleted my copy from my nook in search for a better version!
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Mon Jan 03 00:00:00 EST 2011
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While this specific downloadable edition of Frankenstien I do not suggest (it lacks many important things such as discernable chapters and has the Google logo sprinkled throught in the most inconvienent places). Mary Shelly's Frankenstien is one of the few "classic" novels worth such an esteemed title, telling the tale of an unloved outcast and how a lack of compassion can turn a blank slate of a person into a vengeful monster.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This book was deep and intellectually stimulated. While the writing was inconsistant, very descriptive in some parts and vague in others, you really had to pay attention or else miss something important. The plot and characters were intriguing, and I wish they were explored more. I never found it thrilling, but it was nice to read. I can see why its a classic and recommend it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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