Book Review: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818)

Frankenstein is a classic Gothic novel written by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, initially as a short horror story to enter in a competition between her husband and friends. Upon the suggestion and encouragement of her husband, Shelley succeeded in reforming her story into the renowned novel Frankenstein.

Victor Frankenstein, the narrator, seems to be a young man of very few wants, with a loving family and the prospect of a successful life ahead with his remarkable intelligence. However, upon the discovery of his potential to create a living human out of the bodies of the dead, which he procures in a graveyard, his life takes a dark turn. The story causes the reader to reflect upon Victor Frankenstein’s ultimate decision, borne of his arrogance and confidence in his abilities, to create the monster, that became the curse of his life and those of his loved ones. Through this science fiction novel revolutionary in its creativity, Shelley turns the tables by portraying human brilliance as a dangerous weapon, especially in the hands of a genius. The horrors that exist inside a human are uncovered, to some extent, in this richly descriptive novel.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Published through the Teen Review Board of the Hamilton Public Library

Sep 11, 2019

Link: https://hpl.bibliocommons.com/item/ugc/388387125?ugc_id=1486469711

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