Frankenstein

Written by Mary Shelley

Narrated by Daniel Philpott, Roger May and Jonathan Oliver

Frankenstein

• Language: English
• Publisher: Naxos Audiobooks
• Release date: Jul 30, 2000
• ISBN: 9789629545611

Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley (1797-1851) was an English novelist. Born the daughter of William Godwin, a novelist and anarchist philosopher, and Mary Wollstonecraft, a political philosopher and pioneering feminist, Shelley was raised and educated by Godwin following the death of Wollstonecraft shortly after her birth. In 1814, she began her relationship with Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, whom she would later marry following the death of his first wife, Harriet. In 1816, the Shelleys, joined by Mary’s stepsister Claire Clairmont, physician and writer John William Polidori, and poet Lord Byron, vacationed at the Villa Diodati near Geneva, Switzerland. They spent the unusually rainy summer writing and sharing stories and poems, and the event is now seen as a landmark moment in Romanticism. During their stay, Shelley composed her novel Frankenstein (1818), Byron continued his work on Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage (1812-1818), and Polidori wrote “The Vampyre” (1819), now recognized as the first modern vampire story to be published in English. In 1818, the Shelleys traveled to Italy, where their two young children died and Mary gave birth to Percy Florence Shelley, the only one of her children to survive into adulthood. Following Percy Bysshe Shelley’s drowning death in 1822, Mary returned to England to raise her son and establish herself as a professional writer. Over the next several decades, she wrote the historical novel Valperga (1923), the dystopian novel The Last Man (1826), and numerous other works of fiction and nonfiction. Recognized as one of the core figures of English Romanticism, Shelley is remembered as a woman whose tragic life and determined individualism enabled her to produce essential works of literature which continue to inform, shape, and inspire the horror and science fiction genres to this day.

Reviews for Frankenstein

[justagirlwithabook · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

 I had to read Frankenstein as required reading my senior year of high school and I loved it. It was just the right amount of suspense, creepiness, and some big questions of morality. Reading this one also clarified any misconceptions I had about who was who - Frankenstein is Frankenstein, not his monster, and he does some pretty insane things pushing the boundaries between life and death in his obsession to bring back the one he loves. I found this fascinating and couldn't put the book down. It, for the most part, is close to the level of my love for Dracula.

[shamille_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

OMG THIS IS A GREAT BOOK AND YOU HAVE TO READ IT RIGHT NOW. I mean it. go to your library. RIGHT NOW. Well. After you finish reading this >:3This is about Victor Frankenstein, who is so interested in science etc, that he creates a monster. and once he creates this monster, it ruins his life. The hideous being of his creation kills people, who don't accept him, and threatens Victor, leading him and following him everywhere.That's basically all this story is about. It's great though. it's suspenseful and v. deep: like the monster striving for acceptance and humanity and... like he's intelligent and he feels things but in the end he is still a horrible, ugly monster, inside and out. And Victor is battling within himself to: protect his family by being a coward and catering to the monster? or be brave and kill him, to protect everyone... it's... JUST READ IT. GO NOW.Also there's lots of nice vocab words.

[redpandabear · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book draws you in from the very beginning. It was the perfect Halloween read. I can see why it's one of the greats!

[niquetteb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Frankenstein created a hman being and was disgusted by him. He spent a long time in a state of delirium. He sought after his creature ntil his own death grasped him. Shelley is not a very talented writer.

[msf59 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It has taken me decades, but I finally read this classic horror novel. I have no excuse for the procrastination, but it turned out to be a nice surprise because it is much different from the movies, we are so familiar with. The films and vampire lore surrounding Dracula, seem to have followed closely to that novel, but Shelley's Frankenstein is a much more philosophical exploration, asking big questions about nature, mankind and our different responsibilities to each. This is even more impressive if you consider that the author was only eighteen when she wrote it. If you are still perched on a fence, over this one, reconsider, and give it a try. It also worked very well as an audiobook.

[daniellnic · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I have read Frankenstein twice now and it just doesn't do it for me. Very imaginative ideas but the story just doesn't go deep enough for me.

[ms7claudia · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Reading online on my Wattpad app on Iphone. Already read it once before but I am re-reading it. Great fluid language.

[drt_4 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Frankenstein by Mary ShelleyWhy I picked this book up: I picked it up because I wanted to read it to see if it was appropriate for my oldest son (age 11) to read. Why I finished this book: I quickly saw that my son was not ready for this book. The words are too big for him and he would not understand but I wanted to finish it because I was drawn in by the whole story. I really felt sorry for the monster with his anguish and loneliness, how he observed people and really had a heart for them and his compassion and helpfulness and then on the other hand his anger about being created, the desire to have a partner and Victor’s vacillating. Overall it was ok in my opinion. Rating: I’d give this book a 3 star rating out of 5 stars. I’m glad I check it out. My son might like it when he’s a little older.

[moriquen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

must say that this book can really still stand its ground as a classic. Todays horror stories focus too much on blood and gore, the classical ones are far more subtle. The horror lies in what mankind can put himself through. The prison he builds for himself.

[dukefan86 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Okay, so it's taken me almost six months to finish this one, and part of the motivation to wrap it up is that it's due at the public library this week, and the online system wouldn't let me renew it again!! I'm glad I read it, but I'm glad I'm done with it. It was okay, but I didn't like it as much as I'd hoped.

[bruneau_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Thanks to a string of Hollywood’s idiotic executives focused on cheap thrills, decades of bonehead movies have used Frankenstein in their title, but have kept nothing of the original story. As a result, readers that grab this title seeking a horror story (gory or not) stand to be disappointed. Mary Shelley’s story, which must be read in full appreciation of the style and sensibilities of the 19th century, is actually the sad story of a creature rejected by its creator. Love and love denied, revenge and forgiveness, rejection and acceptance, right and wrong – and how human judgment is tainted by appearances. In a century where image is all and beauty is mistaken for intelligence, Frankenstein’s story is all too contemporary.

[murraymint11 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Maybe 19th century gothic horror is not for me, but I found this tedious to the extreme. One more "horror", "anguish", "despair" or "agony" word and I would have gone mad! The storyline had too many unbelievable coincidences and inconsistencies for this 21st century reader.

[zsms_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent book. Not at all like the common image of frankenstein's monster. Getting literary, frankenstein and the monster represent the transition into modernity fabulously. The writing is beautiful.

[ansate · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

probably a 3 for pure enjoyment, but the meta fascination of how it has fit into our culture and shaped our storytelling is a huge bonus.plus she was like 18 when she wrote things because they were bored at a house party.

[rosenstern · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I did not agree with most of Shelley's philosophical points... But that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy her story. Synopsis- everyone pretty much knows this but- Dr. Frankenstein creates a monster man who is obviously misunderstood and hunted. Not one of my favorites though.

[amilofinn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I didn't know what to expect from this book, although I did suspect it would be quite unlike the Hollywood and Hammer film versions of it. It is different and surprisingly easy to read, considering its age. I think this is because of the variety of first person narratives and the cleverness of Mary Shelley and her story. I find the basic idea about a proud man creating a monster he can't control still brilliant, shocking and as relevant today as it must have been when it was first written.

[stveggy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good - but a little over rated

[jcgirl-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Brilliant and timeless for generations.

[schmerguls · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

On Nov 17, 1946, I read this and said: "This is a good book, well-written, even though it sounded 1816'ish, which it is."

[jimmaclachlan · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The story is excellent, a real must-read, & entirely different than most of the movies, but the writing bores me to tears. Nothing is ever said with one word when a paragraph will do. I liked an edited for kids copy that I read with mine much better, although that changed a lot of the story as well.

[tjsjohanna_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

For all its faults, the introduction reminds me that this is one of the few Gothic novels that is still read today. There is much that a modern reader would find difficult to believe - primarily the idea that a created being with no instruction, could become not only literate but positively academic in his mode of expression. Not to mention being able to develop the skills to keep himself alive with the assistance of not a single person. But putting that aside, there is a true theme of horror in this novel - not of the creature, but of the cavalier way in which Frankenstein creates life and then abandons his responsibility. Not only abandons, but rejects, again and again, the moral imperative he has to care for his creation. This is a cautionary tale against pursuing knowledge beyond the ability to take responsibility for that knowledge.

[amydross · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

There are great pleasures to be found in this novel, but overall I am not surprised that it lends itself so well to adaptation in various forms... the concept is outstanding, but the execution is, well, uneven. And overlong. Still, worth the read.

[benmartin79 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A highly overrated gothic horror story which has all too often been interpreted as a deep philosophical work. Despite that belief, and the catchy subtitle, it isn't. The characters are not developed and their motivations, especially Victor Frankenstein's, rarely make sense - other than to advance the plot. This book is all about plot, even though the ingredients necessary to move the plot are so often lacking. Which doesn't make for bad gothic horror. It's actually somewhat entertaining if you don't try to think too hard about it, and probably better than a lot of the contemporary horror fiction, though E. A. Poe it is not. But it isn't good philosophy. Read it for the thrills, but don't expect too much else.

[delphimo_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have seen the horror movies concerning Frankenstein, but Mary Shelley's book, Frankenstein, surpasses every Frankenstein movie. The language and grammar are superb, and the discussion of Frankenstein creating the creature generate wonder at Shelley's scope of science, literature, and multitudes of topics. Mary Shelley started the story at 18 and completed this descriptive story two years later. Shelley brings into the narrative many allusions to other writers both past and present. I listened to an audiobook which presented an excellent reading of this journey. The story follows the narrative of Captain Robert Walton and then of Victor Frankenstein, both men present interesting views on life and death. After hearing this excellent book, I loathe reading a merely average book

[mlyons1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you haven't taken the time to read this book, do yourself a favor: take time to read this book.

[thelorelei_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" rightly has a place in the pantheon of classic literature. Equally horrifying and profoundly saddening, the story of Victor Frankenstein and the creature whom he abandons has stood (and will continue to stand) as a grim indictment of society's creation of its own monsters. "Frankenstein" is a wonderful, strange, and thought-provoking read.

[benuathanasia · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While the story was great, I don't think the epistolary format did it any favors.

[elenaestrada_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This classical story of a mad scientist illustrates the tragedies that can happen when science or technology go too far. The basic story line is that a bright but demented scientist uses his talent to create another human being, but in the process he creates a monster. Ironically the monster is child-like, innocent, and full of wisdom and kindness. Yet, he is feared and hated by humanity because of the way he looks. The themes are deep since they beg the question, “When has science gone too far?” and “Why is humanity so shallow and quick to judge another human being when they are different?” I think this book can be used for excellent class discussion.

[icemaiden786 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have still not seen any film that does this book justice, and I doubt I ever will.

What makes this book is not just its thrilling, spine-tingling, dramatic storyline, but the way it is written.

You feel for both Doctor Frankenstein AND the monster, though maybe sometimes one more than the other and your feelings about them change -going up and down like a rollercoster- at different stages of the book.

A very terrifying novel that has stood the test of time and I'm sure will for many more years to come.

[katy89williams · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm sorry, but I don't understand how on earth this book could be considered boring. I had to read it in school and I finished it before the rest of my class and then I went and bought my own copy. She clearly shows the character's pain that he felt with playing God. It tore him apart the fact that he created this poor creature and he didn't consider how it would survive, if it needed companionship, and especially how society would accept him. Frankenstein's ambition for knowledge ruined his life when he created the monster, and he was made to suffer when he lost his cousin. For me, these elements cannot be considered boring or a let down.