What if Mary Shelley had not invented Frankenstein's monster but had met him when she was a girl of eight, sitting by her mother’s grave, and...
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Nov 13, 2009
Okay, I thought FALL by Colin McAdam was the worst book ever, but this one tops it.
It is a book about the Frankenstein "monster" meeting Mary Shelley when she was a young girl, and he still exists in modern times, and the book is 400 plus pages of his notes with a mixture of excerpts from Mary and Claire's life.
The book has so much potential. The idea is so creative and imaginative, and could have been a classic if the author had taken the time to mix her creat More...
It is a book about the Frankenstein "monster" meeting Mary Shelley when she was a young girl, and he still exists in modern times, and the book is 400 plus pages of his notes with a mixture of excerpts from Mary and Claire's life.
The book has so much potential. The idea is so creative and imaginative, and could have been a classic if the author had taken the time to mix her creat More...
Sep 14, 2009
Meredith
rated it: 
Wow. I blazed through this (twelve hours or so, from the preface to the source notes on page 521, with some down time for watching a movie). This reimagining of Mary Shelley's life and the Frankenstein story was a brilliant idea--albeit a bit clumsy in execution. What I found particularly intriguing was the emphasis upon Cao Xueqin's classic "Dream of the Red Chamber", a story that constitutes a significant section of the disjointed story. This amplifies my desire to read my [ultra-abr
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Dec 28, 2010
Sue
rated it: 
Well - that was a complete waste of time and effort. The best part of this book was the cover - which oh so seduced me with it's suggestion of 'the eye of the soul' and 'an unfinished person' and 'a piece of the whole'...and on and on. I couldn't wait to read this book. What a complete disappointment. By the time I realized that it wasn't going to get any better, I'd already invested too much reading to just quit it. Lordy - the pain to finish it. Nearly did me in.
So what was th More...
So what was th More...
Aug 16, 2009
I grabbed this from the library at the last minute because I LOVED the title and cover art, and the copy on the flap sounded fantastic! The premise is that Frankenstein's experiment actually came to life and met Mary Shelley when she was a young girl, inspiring her to write "Frankenstein" as an adult. The monster is real and kept a diary. Sounds great, right?
Had I thumbed through a few pages first, I would have discovered that this was not going to be a pleasurable read More...
Had I thumbed through a few pages first, I would have discovered that this was not going to be a pleasurable read More...
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Jul 30, 2009
Bookmarks Magazine
rated it: 
"Comprised of letters, newspaper clippings, journal entries, interviews, dreams, lists, Web pages, and essays, Sheck's demanding, erudite novel eschews a cohesive plot in favor of the monster's growing comprehension of his plight -- an outsider looking in on humanity. Despite the obscure references to long-ago philosophers, poets, and novelists that left the Washington Post ""lurching along about 50 IQ points behind,"" critics were oddly moved by the beauty of Sheck's de
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Feb 08, 2012
Leslie
rated it:
I'm undecided as to how i feel about this book. It is obviously painstakingly researched and thought out. I like the idea that it proposes Frankenstein's monster met p with mary shelley when she was a little girl, b/c that's the kind of speculative shit i can get behind. And frankly, the whole Shelley entourage is fascinating. But the fragments... The lack of a strict narrative... The excessive existential philosophy... Ugh. Too postmodern for me, i'm having flashback to that insane class i took
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Oct 03, 2010
Colin
rated it: 
On the penultimate page (p.519), Sheck writes: "Who's the reader? Who's the listener?" to which I'd add: Who knows? As a Shelleyist and Frankenstein-fanatic, I had high hopes for this postmodern, poetical take on the Shelley myth, and while the book, like the Monster, is stitched-together with epistles, notes, translations, even lame google-searches for Shelleyana, the center of this book cannot hold. It has no narrative momentum, no sense of character, only perplexing shreds and inc
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Aug 13, 2009
Stephanie
rated it:
Written from the perspective of Frankenstein, these are his notebooks. The author Laurie Sheck is also a poet and this is a very lyrical novel. You could really open the book up at any point and find a really beautiful passage. This is what I did. I would never be able to read the book all the way through though. It's way too long and very reflective and philosophical. Not that I don't like reflective and philosophical - I do - just not long ones :) It's kind of like picking up Marcel Proust - b
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May 10, 2011
Josh
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jul 29, 2009
Matthew
rated it: 
I finally finished after savoring this over the past month. So much to say, collecting my thoughts which seems the appropriate thing to do for a book where the word "mind" appears at least once on almost every page.
It's a brilliant and rewarding book for those with patience and those who like a good challenge. The writing style will take some adapting to: between the Monster's note-taking, how he juxtaposes quotes, notes and snippets of his autobiography and the epistolar More...
It's a brilliant and rewarding book for those with patience and those who like a good challenge. The writing style will take some adapting to: between the Monster's note-taking, how he juxtaposes quotes, notes and snippets of his autobiography and the epistolar More...
Aug 03, 2009
Nicole
rated it:
I loved the concept of this book but simply couldn't get into it. I wanted more of the backstory. How did Mary and the monster meet, why did she write him as she did, why is he obsessed with Claire? Obviously, some of these questions would have been answered if I could force myself to continue turning the page, but...I couldn't.
Fascinating musings and notes taken in small doses but a bit much in novel format. Write a more traditional fiction narrative and I'd be all over it! (Oh More...
Fascinating musings and notes taken in small doses but a bit much in novel format. Write a more traditional fiction narrative and I'd be all over it! (Oh More...
Jun 13, 2010
Rachel
rated it:
I think people don't realize that this book is actually closer to poetry than just a straightforward novel is. When you open it, don't expect to get some cute-sy lovelorn story about a beautiful girl and a monster. I almost think the dust-jacket description leads you in the wrong direction. This is a slow-moving, detail-filled, encyclopedia of a story. It can impress you, bore you, or engage you, but just be aware of what it is before you jump in.
Jun 17, 2010
Americanogig
rated it:
Barely even started before I had to turn it into the library, probably because it seems a little daunting, Frankenstein’s monster…in his own words. Think more Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein existential crisis than the bolt-necked horror classic of yore. Another book that required too much of a commitment at that time, but it wasn’t the book’s fault! I lay the blame at my own doorstep.
Jul 21, 2009
Liza
rated it:
This book was not to my tastes. The story of Frankenstein's monster, as revealed through the monster's own collection of notes, is a little too abstractly conceptual for me. Sheck seems want to stress the social responsibility that comes with creating a monster. To me, this is something better read in an ethics class than just for the sheer enjoyment of it.
Sep 11, 2009
As seen in the New Yorker.
Maybe this book will help me get Frankenstein, which I currently most emphatically do not.
Maybe this book will help me get Frankenstein, which I currently most emphatically do not.
Aug 24, 2009
Wendy
rated it:
This book was written by a woman who usually publishes as a poet. You will like it if you like rambling sentences and broken-off thoughts. There is no true story line or plot, just a bunch of thoughts interspersed with confusing, rambling letters. I didn't hate it and I read the entire thing but it was a relief to finally be done.
Oct 29, 2009
Susan
rated it:
Great concept, but the format and follow-through left much to be desired. I should have a category for "abandoned" since I don't think I'll be making it all the way through this beast of a book. That's what I get for trying to jump on the Halloween train with my reading choices!
Jun 30, 2009
Jennie
rated it:
Just a matter of personal preference, couldn't get into it and didn't finish it. (The writing was actually quite good, but just not what I feel like reading right now. Perhaps I found it a little slow moving because of the experimental writing style? I got about 75 pages into it.)
Jun 14, 2010
Gina
rated it:
Almost done!
This book deeply explores the idea of being an outcast and being shunned by the world through the story of the fictional nameless creature created by Frankenstein and story of the real Mary Shelley. Sometimes the cerebral approach of writing this book in "notes" or inner monologues and the lack of dialogue can make the subject matter overwhelming. However the themes of desperation, loneliness and desire are deftly explored, giving real pause to the reader about More...
This book deeply explores the idea of being an outcast and being shunned by the world through the story of the fictional nameless creature created by Frankenstein and story of the real Mary Shelley. Sometimes the cerebral approach of writing this book in "notes" or inner monologues and the lack of dialogue can make the subject matter overwhelming. However the themes of desperation, loneliness and desire are deftly explored, giving real pause to the reader about More...
Oct 25, 2010
I have been reading this book forever. I loved the first half, but just do not get the second half. I would love an explanation from someone who has finished to help get me through it!
Feb 10, 2010
Angela
rated it:
Very interesting. Written from Frankenstein's perspective. Slow (and melancholy) at times, especially during reminisces of Mary Shelley and her sister, Clare.
Oct 26, 2009
Brooke
rated it:
I did want to like this book. I tried in vain to find a redeeming quality, but it ended up being as impenetrable as a Pynchon novel. This book felt like a piece of performance art, which is not a compliment.
Feb 24, 2010
Andrea
rated it:
Didn't finish this one. I rarely give up on a book (well, if it's fiction). I'm intrigued by Frankenstein and by Mary Shelley and her circle, but I just couldn't get into this one. Guess I need a more conventional, linear story to follow.
Jan 08, 2011
I think this book is a little interesting but i am starting to find it boring. so i am gonna move on to the next book.
Mar 13, 2010
At times, I was in the right mood to read this, but I didn't find enough free time when I was in those moods within the nine weeks I had this book checked out from the library to finish it.
