Frankenstein in Retro Chapter Chicks

Dec 16, 2018 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics

Thank you to my friend Matthew for this wonderful book & my Deadpool for our partner gift giving!

A great book and wonderful cover!

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾 ...more

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Aug 08, 2017 Candi rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics-shelf, horror-creepy, dogdaysofsummer2017

3.5 stars rounded down

"His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful!—Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion, and straight black lips."

I was 3.5 stars rounded down

"His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful!—Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion, and straight black lips."

I was more than just a little excited to pick up this enduring and quite popular classic, gothic horror novel for the second time. I was convinced that this would go straight to my favorite books of all-time shelf. After all, my lukewarm reception to it more than twenty-five years ago was probably a bit unsound, lacking the appreciation it so deserved. Well, I am not here to say that I disliked the book. Not at all. But I feel somewhat sorry to say that I can’t honestly give it a place on my cherished books list. I also feel a bit isolated by the fact that nearly all of my Goodreads friends have rated this at least a star or two higher than my own 3.5 rounded down to 3 star rating!

Okay, now that I have that guilty feeling expressed and out of the way, I will just try to ‘quickly’ mention my thoughts on the book. I think just about everyone here knows the gist of the story. Remember, this is not my first reading so I absolutely didn’t go into it with the expectation that it would match the feel of the film or television adaptations! In fact, when I began reading, I was immediately mesmerized. The beginning portion of the book, with the bleak and desolate description of the arctic landscape and the first glimpse of the gigantic creature by Captain Walton, revealed Mary Shelley’s exquisite writing skills. I loved the way we are introduced to the monster’s creator, Victor Frankenstein. We learn of his story as told by him to Walton. His narrative and that of the monster are woven cleverly together so that we fully comprehend the feelings of both the creator and his creation. Like their fellow humans, Frankenstein sought knowledge while Walton additionally sought adventure. At what point does mankind’s challenge of nature and power cause destruction and ruin? Frankenstein thirsted to push the limits of man’s wisdom by daring not only to learn but to create – a power perhaps reserved for some being or entity outside the realm of our own jurisdiction. "A new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me. No father could claim the gratitude of his child so completely as I should deserve theirs."

His arrogance must have consequences, of course. He ultimately rejects that which he has created. His creation is then cast aside by others as he is judged by his ghastly appearance rather than his character. He is left alone and isolated from any kind of companionship or love. The essence of the creature suffers and he takes on those inner characteristics which humanity has carelessly bestowed him with – he becomes a monster. Both creator and monster suffer as a result of their individual actions and consciences. Victor Frankenstein laments: "Anguish and despair had penetrated into the core of my heart; I bore a hell within me, which nothing could extinguish." The monster bemoans: "Remember, that I am thy creature: I ought to be thy Adam; but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed. Every where I see bliss, from which I alone am irrevocably excluded. I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend."

Undeniably, there is a strong message within this book, and it is delivered quite clearly by Shelley’s powerful writing. This aspect of the novel definitely appeals to me. As do the descriptions of the scenery – the majestic Alps, the serenity of the Rhine river valley, and the stark and relentless ice of the arctic. What caused my rating to dip further than I had hoped was the endless wailing of Victor Frankenstein. Much of the narrative became rather repetitive, resulting in my wish to hurry along to the end. So I suppose it is fair to say that while the moral of the story and the brilliance of Mary Shelley are to be commended, especially given the time in which this was written, my ultimate enjoyment was a tad diminished. Of course, her ideas have relevance even today, as mankind still seeks that which is just beyond its grasp. ...more

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Dec 11, 2022 Celia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle-list, classics, 2022-class-challenge, 2022-read, ten-year-challenge, 2022-kindle-counted, wholesale, 52-2022, 2022-a-rcc

Victor Frankenstein, wanting to further the progress of science, decides that he will build a human from old body parts and strange chemicals.

We all know how that plays out!! He creates a monster instead.

At first, the monster is gentle and wishes to befriend a family he has been studying from afar. He presents himself to them, and they are so upset by his grotesque appearance, they beat him and flee. The monster is now filled with rage and kills his creator's youngest brother.

Creator and creatu ...more

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May 13, 2010 Book Concierge rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: book-club, audio, england, movie, 19th-century, concierge, library, literature, horror, science-fiction

A classic "ghost" story. Victor Frankenstein pursues science to its logical extreme to create life, and he is immediately horrified at his own success. The monster, however, is intelligent and resourceful and comes to understand his own loneliness and therefore seeks revenge on his creator. There are many unexplained occurences (How'd the monster find the ship? or get Henry Clerval's body onto the very shore that Frankenstein would wind up on?) especially for today's more savvy reader, but it's ...more

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Nov 09, 2012 Tasha rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I thoroughly enjoyed this one! Probably even more so because it turned out to be a surprise. A surprise in that it was completely not what I expected. I expected a story focused exclusively from Frankenstein's POV and the havoc he would leave in his wake. Well, I got the story mainly from Frankenstein's POV but Frankenstein was the doctor, not the monster! I have always thought that the monster was named Frankenstein however, he remained nameless.

Another surprise was that the story was told fro ...more

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Feb 10, 2015 Kris (My Novelesque Life) rated it really liked it

4 STARS

"Mary Shelley began writing Frankenstein when she was only eighteen. At once a Gothic thriller, a passionate romance, and a cautionary tale about the dangers of science, Frankenstein tells the story of committed science student Victor Frankenstein. Obsessed with discovering the cause of generation and life and bestowing animation upon lifeless matter, Frankenstein assembles a human being from stolen body parts but; upon bringing it to life, he recoils in horror at the creature's hideousne ...more

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Oct 29, 2021 Theresa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: feminerdy, classics-and-classic-redos, z-pop-sugar-2021-reading-challenge, scifi

There is no surprise or mystery to the story itself: Dr. Victor Frankenstein, who has a bit of an obsessive and uncontrolled mind, sets out to build a man from spare body parts and bring him to life using alchemy, natural science and maybe a touch of electricity. When he succeeds, he unleashes a 'monster' on the world. Or does he? It's a dramatic story, often slipping into melodrama, but one that also poses many questions that are not necessarily answered:
-who really is the 'monster'
-what makes There is no surprise or mystery to the story itself: Dr. Victor Frankenstein, who has a bit of an obsessive and uncontrolled mind, sets out to build a man from spare body parts and bring him to life using alchemy, natural science and maybe a touch of electricity. When he succeeds, he unleashes a 'monster' on the world. Or does he? It's a dramatic story, often slipping into melodrama, but one that also poses many questions that are not necessarily answered:
-who really is the 'monster'
-what makes one a criminal or a monster.
-judgment by appearance vs. soul/heart/mind
-responsibility of the scientist for what creates or causes

I really enjoyed reading this again. Yes, it was a re-read for me but I truly did not remember much from that read 40 years ago - more a general idea of how the book differs from all the adaptions. The original novel written in 1818 should be required reading somewhere during one's education. It reads surprisingly modern in language and concepts.

There are some problems with the book for the modern reader - the structure is clunky, the characters swing between extreme emotional highs and lows, the women are all saintly and beautiful, Victor becomes ill whenever he might have to take action or take responsibility. Oh, and you do have to suspend disbelief a lot. Most of that are hallmarks of the Romantic Era style of writing, but also of the works no doubt the author had read up to that time, such as gothic novels, classics like Dante, Plutarch and the Greek myths (the subtitle of the original text is 'the Modern Prometheus') and even Goethe, especially The Sorrows of Young Werther (all referenced in some way in the novel).

But those do not detract from the timelessness of the themes or that this is just a really good story that just happens to have been written in 1818. Now to read some of the essays that have been written over the years -- is it a feminist novel? is it a gothic novel? What happened to Ernest?
But first, I must read the essay about how a 17 year old came to write a horror story that started a entire genre called Science Fiction -- it's a soap opera melodrama if ever there was one. ...more

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Jul 19, 2014 Elsbeth rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: short-sweet-treats

It is a nice book, but when Frankensteins creation started telling his adventures, I found it not very trustworthy. How can someone talk so eloquently and know all those details when he only exists for 2 years and hardly has had any human contact? Like how does he know he is in the forests near Ingolstadt and hears a blackbird and a sparrow, when he doesn't even know what fire is?
Maybe an 'all knowing narrator' would have been better... ...more

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