Ariel's 2015 Reading Challenge: 115 Books

[Ariel]

№ 111 of 115
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Rating:

I had high expectations for this book going into it and was happy that it was a buddy read in one of my GR groups. The novel is much more character study-esque than things that go bump in the night. I enjoyed the (view spoiler)[creator/created parallels between characters as well as the juxtaposition of god/man, god/adam, good/evil, a soul struggling versus the happiness of the guiltless (Frankenstein and Clerval), the love of a mother and Frankenstein's love of his Elizabeth, and practical knowledge vs. both morality and forethought of consequences. (hide spoiler)]

However... dun dun dun!

However, though Frankenstein poses a theory that all should be aware of and I found the aforementioned parallels very interesting, there were certain things I didn't like. I didn't like the repetitive yet unsatisfying description of "the fiend." Though describing his features as clumsy and grotesque fit in with the response of interacting characters, I didn't find it very moving. Yes, his face it ugly... okay. He's lumbering and coarse and doesn't look the part of regulation humanoid. There's just only so many times I can read the same deal. I want to know what it actually is that slickens the skin and jolts the nerves upon a glance, an encounter. What stays in the mind, what makes his creation's features strike such an imprint besides the bitter yellow eyes and a murderer's smirking taunt within Frankenstein's being - and all that experience his presence for that matter.

I also sighed inwardly a bit once I realized that (view spoiler)[ the reader was to receive Frankenstein's narrative secondhand. Though Shelley made the effort to add in, later in the novel, that Frankenstein perused Walton's writings and corrected errors, it felt clumsy as secondhand accounts often do. While I tend to appreciate Victorian writer's usage of the omnipresent third person or narrative annexes as a literary tool (Bronte, Dickens, etc.), a word-for-word narrative delivered in letter form by a listener created a bit too much of a disconnect for me. I didn't feel enough personal emphasis from Walton in his own regard. I mean, you sit by someone as they tell you that they not only figured out how to spark life into being but that they did so and are now pursuing same being out into the frigid depths because the fiend retaliated by going on a murderous spree concerning his closest friends and family members... you kind of expect more than, "I see by your eagerness, and the wonder and hope which your eyes express, my friend, that you expect to be informed of the secret with which I am acquainted; that cannot be... I will not lead you... to your destruction...learn from me." From Frankenstein... and Walton's sitting in the corner with crickets.

Where is Walton's character arc? Yes, Walton is embarking on a dangerous and foolish voyage because his ego parallels that of the budding Frankenstein's future folly. He has a close female relative (ie Frankenstein's Elizabeth) that he discloses some reaction to Frankenstein's tale to. For the most part we simply see him enraptured by Frankenstein's carriage and intellect. He seemed incidental and forgettable and I wanted more from his corner- I wanted to read of a reaction other than awe in the face of Frankenstein's idée fixe.

Not to mention... HOW did our boy Franky not realize that his fiend would take Elizabeth from him when he explicitly states that he'll be with him on his wedding night?! Of course he's going to kill what you've denied him, the happiness that lies in the nature of a union of equals, an empathetic party to his plight. Can we be a little more naive? Oh wait, we created a monster and then took to our bed hoping the boogie man would go away. Point taken. (hide spoiler)]

Primary disappointments aside, the parallels and the theory posed mentioned above were enjoyed. The subject inspires the moral debates so prevalent in Victorian lit and it's something that has repeatedly drawn me to the novels of the era. We must decide who the monster is, who should prevail (if anyone), and the consequences of man both in his actions and inactions. Prose that can inspire thought is always worth it.

[Ariel]

№ 111 of 115
Joyland by Stephen King
Rating:

This was my first time reading a King novel and I think I bumped it up to three stars simply because it is a King novel and I fell for Mike and enjoyed what his mother and him as characters did for the plot. The plot being, otherwise, more of a 2 - 2.5er for me.

It certainly wasn't a flop. I think I was kind of waiting for a twist or at least (view spoiler)[the reveal of the scene pictured on the cover. The "Hollywood Girl" redhead scream scene as the camera smashes to the ground amidst the popcorn-heavy carnival detritus marring the floor of the 70's funhouse. No camera smashing scream queens here. Just a messed up carny/murderer, some ghosties, and the reminiscing of our main character all grown up.

That being said - as alluded to above - I really liked Annie and Mike coming into the picture. I enjoyed Annie saving the day at the behest of Eddie via Mike. I enjoyed Mike's day at Joyland and the dynamic between Annie and Jonesy. In fact, I would have loved to see more of the supporting characters instead of Jonesy. The whole my ex didn't deserve me because she broke up with me without letting me do "it" because she wanted to get with another dude who she's probably doing "it" with right now for all I know mopey-shtick was sigh-inducing. I could get on board with character immaturity like that if the narrator had been a present day 21 year old getting over the initial break up/dump hump. But him being an older man saying a girl didn't deserve him because she didn't choose to screw him before she'd moved on? Meh... boring. Boring enough to make me disconnect a lot with his character in general. However, him being good in the fur and sincerely awesome with Mike opened up a reconnect and made the rest of the book interesting. (hide spoiler)]

All in all, this didn't put me off King. I did enjoy his style and the majority of the book. I've got plenty of his work lying in wait in the shade of my ever-growing TBR piles and it was interesting to finally take the plunge and get into one of his books.

[Jackie B. -]

Ariel (mot_avant) wrote: "№ 109 of 115
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry"

First of all, your reviews are just brilliant. I love them. ...and now I'm following them. :)

Second, a question. Did you read this book in it's original French? I don't have the luxury of knowing how to read/speak French (other than the little I need to survive as an American in Paris), so I wonder how the translation affects the tone or content of the novel.