Alas, my next attempt at a classic. I have had a continuous misfortune when it comes to classics. Every single one I have tried, I have disliked for one reason or another. I knew that the next one to try had to be Frankenstein. I love horror, and already knowing the overall synopsis, I thought this would be beneficial to follow the storyline.
Obsessed with creating life itself, Victor Frankenstein plunders graveyards for the material to fashion a new being, which he shocks into life with electricity. But his botched creature, rejected by Frankenstein and denied human companionship, sets out to destroy his maker and all that he holds dear.
Knowing the storyline of Frankenstein, I've always thought it sounded more like a sad story than a scary one. It's a moving concept that by no fault of his own, the monster now has to be alone in the world when his creator refuses him a companion, and the world hates him for being different. For me, the writing style brought down the emotional capabilities of the storyline. Any emotional moments, and even scary moments were entirely flattened by the language used being so formal. It made the characters much harder to connect and sympathise with, when they are written in language so far from my own. This is generally not an issue - but specifically - the formality made any heartfelt interaction seem far fetched and unlikely. Ultimately, this was not an impactful read for me. I always find it hard to review classics as I am aware of how highly acclaimed and respected they are. But I should probably give up on reading them as I never enjoy the writing style.
Initial Prediction: 3.5 stars
Final Rating: 2 stars
Publication Date: 1818 (my edition: 3 October 2013)
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Genres: Classics, Horror
# of Pages: 273