Frankenstein

My daughter had to read this book over the summer for a grade in her Honors English class. I liked the fact that it was cheap, but on the other hand, what I paid for shipping I could have went ahead and purchased it out of the store. I wasn't to thrilled about that!

There are a gazillion ebook editions of Frankenstein out there. Frankenstein This Penguin Classics version is a fantastic ebook -- not just of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, but I mean the ebook formatting.

First, this is a scholarly edition. It contains so much reference information, it's a history lesson in itself.

It's loaded with linked footnotes that toggle -- click to read the footnote, then click again to be immediately back at your place in the book. Fantastic.

A cheap edition of this book is a waste of your time - plus you would be robbing yourself of the very best an ebook can offer.

I don't know who formatted this edition of Frankenstein -- and just to be sure, it's ASIN: B000OIZT9A -- but they deserve an award.

The book (that was purchased) wasn't in the condition stated by the seller. I could have bought a better book with the price I paid for this book.

The language can be hard to comprehend at times, sometimes because it is truly incoherent or stilted. Even so, there are far more passages that read so well it is like smelling a fragrant flower, the descriptions so clear and detailed yet eloquently stated. However, it's hard to rate this book above three stars because near the end I really had a hard time following it. It seemed the monster had died. Frankenstein came upon a sledge and his nemesis was dead, or so it said. Following that, the plot became nebulous and the passages were so exasperating I skipped many paragraphs until the point where Dr. Frankenstein had died, not the monster. Then I had...the rest of the story. But on the plus side, the plot was not predictable. With so many pluses, and so many minuses, I rate this story three stars.

Perhaps one day we will be able to use DNA material to recreate a Neanderthal, creating a true to life Frankenstenian monster.

My edition was close to the original, if not the original text, the cover differing from that depicted here.

This haunting masterpiece still reaches new readers every day. I won't go into the details of Shelly's masterpiece in this review, but deal in what I think makes this a timeless classic that hangs on to readers today.

The character of Victor Frankenstein, a man obsessed with making a difference in the studies of life and death. It is his blind devotion to his studies over life and death, that leads to tragedy for his family and friends later in the story. Shelly takes us on a journey that shows us the frailty of our lives and the motives that drive us to achieve no matter the cost. Victor, even though he is a character, is within everyone. He is the blind ambition that throws away love for the sake of fame and immortality, and the utter lack of responsibility for his actions once the deed is done. This character is versatile, because it lingers in people, perhaps even someone you know.

Just as haunting is Victor's creation, the Monster. Racked with questions about his identity and guilt for a life unwanted, the Monster is just as much a part of our lives as Victor. Forget about the rheumatoid Karloff of the Universal Classics, this Monster is so much more. Memories implanted by the mind or the parts of the whole, surprise Victor's creation and lead him on his journey for answers. A Monster that can speak and play music, a humbling yet violent creation asking for justification from his creator, an answer to the question: Why?

This is a human tale.

Yes there is drama and horror, but the human message is one that should be remembered and savored because it is a cautionary tale that tells how expendable life really is when one embarks on gaining knowledge and the frailty of the human soul when confronted by the deeds they have committed. To lose one's soul chasing after an obsession and then to seek redemption all too late.

I know this does not cover the wealth that is Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, or Modern Prometheus, but as I have stated this review is what I think makes it a timeless classic that should be embraced by readers of all ages today.