Book Review: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Isabela Chieffi
Nov 3, 2024
3 min read

Book cover of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, featured in my Frankenstein book review.

Information

Book Title: Frankenstein

Author: Mary Shelley

Publisher: (originally) Henry Colburn & Richard Bentley

Publish Date: January 1, 1818

Genres: fiction, classics, horror, literary, science fiction

Moods: dark, mysterious, reflective

Pace: medium-paced

Synopsis

Victor Frankenstein is a super smart student who gets a little too obsessed with his science experiments. He wants to figure out how to bring things back to life, but once he finally does it, he freaks out. He creates this creature and then basically runs away because he is so scared of what he made.

The rest of the book is about the mess that happens because Victor abandoned his creation. The creature is all alone and everyone treats him like a monster, which makes him really sad and eventually angry. It really shows how being lonely can change a person and how Victor’s big goals ended up ruining his life and hurting the people around him.

Personal Thoughts

This was a hard read. I think if it was any longer I would’ve probably quit.

Other than that, I feel like this book was my first classic. It was a bit boring. I had to force myself to read, many times. This made my experience, a bit unenjoyable. Something else that made my experience a bit unenjoyable was the language, it was hard to read, and there were so many words I didn’t know (I still have a hard time remembering what the word "benevolence" means).

Mary Shelley is a really good writer. She is clearly very talented. She clearly illustrates all her themes: consequences of isolation, effect of your action others, and how ambition blinds us. I think this was a good first classic, but I don’t think this means it was easy (which is what i thought it meant)

Book Rating

★★★★☆ (4.25/5) stars

This was a really good classic, but it was really hard to read for me. Therefore, I had to take off 3/4 of a star. If it was easier to read, this would have probably been a five-star read. However, because it was so hard, with many difficult words and a sometimes uninteresting plot, I had to take off a couple of points. I think this is a really good classic if you're interested in reading classics. That being said, I wouldn't recommend this classic to everyone. If someone were thinking about reading Frankenstein, I would encourage them to read it. However, if they don't want to read it, I wouldn't try to convince them because I get why they might not want to read Frankenstein.

Frankenstein is for certain people, and if you're not one of those people, then that's okay. this book will not change the way you think about it before you started reading it. It's not like you're going to suddenly think, "Oh my God, I was wrong; I absolutely love this book." I feel like that's very rare with this book, especially because it's a classic.

Reader’s Vibe Check

The Vibe: A heavy, dark, and deeply philosophical atmosphere that requires a lot of mental energy.
The Language: Expect a challenging read with older vocabulary (like the word "benevolence") that might slow you down.
The Pace: Medium paced, but it can feel boring or uninteresting if you aren't a fan of the classic "slow burn" style.
Best Read When: You are feeling patient and want to dive into themes like isolation and the consequences of ambition.
Final Note: This is a classic for certain people. If you have to force yourself to read it, you are definitely not alone.

Favorite Quotes

Of what a strange nature is knowledge! It clings to the mind, when it has one seized on it, like a lichen on rock.

Book quote from Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, highlighted in my Frankenstein book review.

I can hardly describe to you the effects of these books. They produce to me an infinity of the new images and feels, that sometimes race needs to ecstasy, but more frequently sent me into the lowest dejection.