Customer Reviews

Penguin Classics Frankenstein

5 star:		(114)
4 star:		(72)
3 star:		(29)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

"Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley is a fascinating book. I was prejudiced by the film adaptations of this novel. To start with I had no idea that Frankenstein is actually Victor Frankenstein, the creator of a monster. The monster that was created is not called Frankenstein; it is his creator's name.

The monster is the creation of Victor Frankenstein and the monster is lithe, strong, fast and intelligent; this again differs greatly from any film version of the book.

In reading the book I sympathized with the monster that is spurned by his master and by all who gaze upon his repugnant form. The monster flees from society and lives in a hovel, while secretly observing a family which consists of a blind father, a daughter and a son. In observing the family the monster learns their language and learns about love and acceptance and thus learns about the wretchedness of his own existence; how he longs to be part of the family. He attempts to join the family, but one glance at his hideous frame and the family rejects him with great horror.

The monster then seeks out his maker and is rejected once again and this turns his soul to malevolence and revenge.

Victor Frankenstein loses his brother, friend and wife to the monsters murdering hands and indirectly the monster is responsible for the death of Victor's father and a friend of Victor's family. Victor pursues his creation to the ends of earth to rid mankind of the fiend. The story ends up in the North Pole and the ending is tragic. Victor loses his life in his journey and once his creator is dead the monster decides there is no reason for his own existence.

"Frankenstein" is a fabulous read, a read that has you sympathizing with the monster. His creator rejected him when all he wanted was acceptance. Mankind rejected him due to his hideous appearance. He was kind and giving, but turned to hatred and evil due to society's rejection of his physical being. "Frankenstein" is a thought provoking read.

It's definitely a classic. It maybe takes a few pages to get into because of the language, but this is a great story. How the monster is intelligent and learns was a surprise considering the Frankenstein creature of today's culture. The tale of Doctor Frankenstein's battle with scientific ethics makes this book remain relevent today.

Shelley's novel is so much more than a story about a monster. The whole mood of her novel is electrifying and startling. The sensation is similar to arriving at the very edge of a mountain precipice, gazing down, and feeling the enormity of life rush over you. This sense of vertigo is one of Shelley's gifts. She has the wild writer's mind and she can deliver the chills. One could argue her shocking sense of life was very similar to the later wildly popular french philosopher Jean Paul Sarte, and the theme of his sudden realization of the horror of existence. Shelley's gothic novel written in the age of romance has elements of both styles. But, it's her wild mind that makes this novel eerie, extraordinary and amazing. (Read intently and thoughtfully for best results.)

Don't expect a mad scientist, angry mobs with pitch-forks, or a grumbling monster. Mary Shelly created a beautifully written masterpiece that inspires deep thought. The monster in this book is enourmous, ugly, intelligent, and in the beginning, loving. But both the monster, and its creator - Victor Frankenstein - live out a life of misery soon after the creation. Each with its own torture - and each caused by the other.

The story is dark and cold - the emotions in the characters are deep. The most amazing part of the book is the monster that thinks, feels, and talks. After reading the book, you are left with much to think about; the dangers of playing God, why do we seek revenge, the source of evil, and much more. Read it because it is beautiful, because it is a classic, or because despite the age of the book and all of the movie versions out there it is still a fresh and exciting story.

I think that "Frankenstein" is worthy reading material at nearly any level. Besides a short portion in the middle of the story, this book stays rather interesting throughout. I especially enjoyed the character Victor. His emotions, thoughts, and reactions to his creation are convincingly real. Also, I liked the fact this book did tend to keep the reader a little chilled and anxious. I feel that this book is appropriate for high school or college courses and is surely a great leisurely read.

Mary was a truely great woman, braving heavy literary snobbery, her own tradgic personal life, social and moral opression to write not only a classic work of literature, but also the first ever science fiction story. A revolutionary of her time and a genius writer with a full and budding imagination.

Frankenstein is a horror classic that no matter how many times you read the story...it's still good!

Yeah, I don't have to say anything about this book because it has already been said. But I will say that I love it. So much so that I had an entire dream in Shelley's prose. All of the characters were speaking so eloquently that I knew it had to be a dream. Oh, Frankenstein is not the monster, he is the creator. The monster is not an oaf either. He picked up an entire language in a year or something. Sharp dude...or dudes. Another recommendation.

Hoo-ah!

Frankenstein exceeded my expectations that were based on movies I have seen by the same title. This book is a literary masterpiece that sets a bar for terror that is yet to be surpassed.

I was very impressed by the writing skill of Shelley. She does a terrific job telling this story, using three narrators that offer different points of view and voices.

The monster is a character that elicited sympathy, respect, anger and hatred. He is intelligent and articulate in a way I did not expect. His ability to convey emotions and thoughts creates mixed emotions about him. Yet, because his hatred and anger prevail, these emotions prevailed in me too in my regards of him.

Shelley shows the danger of allowing one's ambitions to overtake balance and reason. We see the character of Dr. Frankenstein forsake all to see this dream of creating life realized. We see the consequences of his actions that are a warning to us to tread more cautiously regarding our ambitions.

All of the characters are developed comprehensively.

I enjoyed reading this but had to set it aside at times because of the tragedy it entails. You know where the story is headed but still hold out some hope that it will turn out more positively--like watching Titanic, you know it is going to sink but still hope maybe it won't.

I think this is a timeless classic you should read.

I was surprised by the literary beauty of this book and by its intriguing horror. It was not at all what I had expected based on my exposure to Frankenstein movies and tales. This story is quite different in many ways that make it more appealing to the reader.

The tale involves a monster that is truly hideous in form but reveals a conflicted mind and heart. Shelley effectively causes the reader to have mixed feelings about this creature that wields destruction while confessing its own misery and affection for humanity.

She also conveys the dangers of a person pursuing his or her ambition at the cost of other values such as relationships and peace.

The novel is told in an innovative fashion. Shelley uses three different narrators to tell the story. This creates some variety in the point of view and in the voice of the narrator.

This book is very compelling, but at times I had to put it down due to the tragedy of it. The whole time you know where its events are leading and a part of you wants to go there and another part wants to avoid it--like watching Titanic, you know it is going to sink but you still hold out some hope it won't and you try to avoid its definitive demise.

I think this is a horror story that has yet to be surpassed in literature. I really felt for the characters, including the monster. I was completely entertained by the skillful writing.