Book Review · Books

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley [BOOK REVIEW]

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley [BOOK REVIEW]

About The Book:

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley [BOOK REVIEW]

Pages: 260

Genre: Classic, Fiction, Horror

Format I read it in: Hardcover

Rating: ★★★★

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My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed reading “Frankenstein”, and I am glad I read it now, after so many years of wanting to. I usually wish I read a book sooner, but not this one, and for a couple of reasons. Had I read it in high-school, I would have read a translated version in Macedonian and it wouldn’t have been the same experience. Had I read it a few years back, I don’t think I’d appreciate the language and writing style. Now I feel it was the perfect timing, not only because I can appreciate the language more, but I also happened to read it for our book club at work, and it was so much more fun reading the book alongside other people, and discussing it along the way.

I honestly wish we felt this way about books in school. It wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but we kept sharing our progress and encouraging each other. We were sharing theories whilst trying, and sometimes failing to spoil it for someone else. It reminded me of a small time during high school, where we would discuss books like this with my literature professor, a woman I greatly admired then and still admire now.

“How slowly the time passes here, encompassed as I am by frost and snow!”

I was in love with the writing style. It was so vivid and mesmerising. In a world of contemporary fiction, “Frankenstein” was a breath of fresh air. There is so much about this story that can be dissected and analysed, and a lot of topics that can prompt a very good discussion. Who was the true villain and the nature versus nurture trope high on the list. But also the need to be accepted and the need to form connections in this evil world with no mercy.

When it comes to the plot, however, there were a few things that didn’t make sense to me. Please proceed with caution, because there are some spoilers further on: 

The size of the creature.

If it’s your first time creating life, why would you go for such a big creation in size? You’d probably go for something smaller. Not an 8-foot-tall giant. Frankenstein shared little to no information about the creation process itself, so I didn’t know if there was a particular reason for the need for such a size. But maybe it came from a place of arrogance and just shows another layer of Victor’s character?

Not liking your creation.

When Victor was creating this creature, and it was (I’m assuming) lying on a table, surely he could see what it looked like right before it came to life. So how come then, all of a sudden, when the creature was alive, he didn’t like it and was disgusted by him? And then on top of that, he just left. Abandoned the creature instantly. Then he comes back, realises the creature is no longer there and does – absolutely nothing. Surely you would be worried about where your new 8-foot-tall friend (THAT YOU CREATED!) has wandered off to and what he might be up to? 

The creature’s story.

This was the part I struggled with the most. I think of this creature, no matter how tall, and I see him as a toddler. For he was just created and is finding his way in this world. So, some of the parts, like where he discovered food, water, shelter and the need to be loved – I absolutely understood where they came from. But what I couldn’t get past was the way he was talking and describing his adventures. The way he was talking was the same as Robert Walton and Victor Frankenstein. It is simply not possible to have such rich vocabulary in such a short amount of time. It’s not as if he was sitting and reading academia in a library all this time.

Aside from these thoughts, where I struggled with the plot and the reasons behind certain actions, I really enjoyed this book. I read it fast, it evoked positive feelings and when I remember it in the future, I know I will remember it fondly. And that is everything I need to call it a good book!

“But I have one want which I have never been able to satisfy; and the absence of the object of which I now feel as a most severe evil. I have no friend, Margaret: when I am glowing with enthusiasm of success, there will be none to participate my joy; if I am assailed by disappointment, no one will endeavour to sustain me in dejection.”

About the Author:

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley [BOOK REVIEW]

Mary Shelley (née Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, often known as Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley) was an English novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, travel writer, and editor of the works of her husband, Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley. She was the daughter of the political philosopher William Godwin and the writer, philosopher, and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft.

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Book Review · Books

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy [BOOK REVIEW]

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy [BOOK REVIEW]

“All happy families resemble one another, but each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”

Reading Anna Karenina was a very memorable experience. This book has always been inadvertently part of my life, and I am glad I finally read it. It’s also the first Tolstoy book I’ve read, although, thinking of it now, it’s quite surprising, as Russian literature was extremely popular during my childhood and education.

About The Book:

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy [BOOK REVIEW]

Pages: 848

Genre: Classic, Fiction, Romance, Historical Fiction

Publisher: Wordsworth Editions

Format I read it in: Paperback

Rating: ★★★

My Thoughts:

Anna Karenina is a story about Anna, and her life. How one moment, meeting one man, changes her life very significantly, and how she manoeuvres through this, whilst under everyone’s scrutiny. Apart from Anna, we also have a few other characters and families. We follow their lives, their struggles and their family drama. The fact that this book is set in the late 19th century in Moscow makes such a difference. We get to see inside the four walls of some families in a very different time. Society, culture, entertainment, even the act of courting is so different to the present day.

And this is only one of the reasons I enjoyed the book. The other reason is Tolstoy’s writing. When he is writing about a character, I can understand why they are doing a certain thing, but I can also get a very close inspection inside their mind, thoughts and feelings. And when he is writing about a place, object, or even a political view, I am so intrigued and can continue reading forever.

“In all likelihood he would have been considered quite a suitable match. But Levin was in love, and therefore Kitty seemed to him so perfect in every respect, so transcending everything earthly, and he seemed to himself so very earthly and insignificant a creature, that the possibility of his being considered worthy of her by others or by herself was to him unimaginable.”

Diving into the book, I had a lot of mixed feelings. And I will be honest from the start, I could never warm up to Anna. I could understand her initial unhappiness and her love for her son, but very short after her first visit, she couldn’t evoke any emotions out of me. I felt for Kitty, and the experience that was stolen from her. And then I thought it actually turned out for the best and that is what was meant to happen. Honestly, I felt for Vronsky in the end, although, I did not like him at all at the beginning. I always liked Levin, but that man knows how to hold a grudge.

“A few more steps brought him to the skating lake, and among all the skaters he at once recognized her. He knew she was there by the joy and terror that took possession of his heart.”

I can’t say this book is action-packed.

“There is nothing for me to grieve for or seek comfort about. I have enough pride never to let myself love a man who does not love me.”

If it was a modern story, I think I would find it boring. The difference in society made me appreciate for the historical value it has, but it didn’t blow my mind. The things that happened in the book to create the whole drama would be shrugged off in today’s world as normal. Although, I would never think it normal, when I remember how much such decisions affect people in the family. Especially innocent children who can’t understand what is going on.

“I always loved you, and if one loves, one loves the whole person as he or she is, and not as one might wish them to be.”

Regardless, in that time, what Anna did was considered a big scandal, and a huge reputation hit. I hoped we had a scene where she understands the pain she is causing to others, instead of focusing on her own pain. But this is what made the book intriguing. And I am very glad I can now add Anna Karenina to my list of completed classics. It was definitely worth the read.

About The Author:

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy [BOOK REVIEW]

Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (Russian: Лев Николаевич Толстой; most appropriately used Liev Tolstoy; commonly Leo Tolstoy in Anglophone countries) was a Russian writer who primarily wrote novels and short stories. Later in life, he also wrote plays and essays. His two most famous works, the novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are acknowledged as two of the greatest novels of all time and a pinnacle of realist fiction. Many consider Tolstoy to have been one of the world’s greatest novelists.

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Book Review · Books

The Yellow Wallpaper – Charlotte Perkins Gilman [BOOK REVIEW]

The Yellow Wallpaper Charlotte Perkins Gilman book review diary of difference books classic novel short story goodreads

★★★★

I haven’t read much classic reads this year, and a few days before the end of 2018, I decided to go for a classic short story, and I chose The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

This classic has been written by a woman in the 19th century. A time when women weren’t treated the same way as today. A difficult time, where women couldn’t express their opinion as they wished, but they were suppressed by the male authority in the family.

When The Yellow Wallpaper came out, it was considered a Gothic Horror Tale. It is hard to believe for me, knowing the world we live in today, and how we, as women can express our opinions openly. But back in the days, this is how it was. It wasn’t easy for the woman, and I am glad we have a lot of brave women from that time, that gathered the courage to tell stories for the next generations.

This is a story about a woman, who seems to suffer of post-partum depression (a type of mood disorder associated with childbirth). She has been forced by her husband and doctor to stay in her room until she is ”mentally capable” again to take care of her baby. I am not a mother, but I can imagine the pain and suffering of not being allowed to see and hold your unborn child. And people thought this was okay?

The woman is constantly staring at the yellow wallpaper and the window, constantly reassuring herself that this is all happening for her own good, and that the husband and doctor know best, until a point where we are not actually sure if she is in her right mind anymore.

She starts to see a woman inside the wallpaper, and believes the woman is struggling to break free. I loved the metaphor used, as her subconscious knows she is trapped, and the end is so painful to read, but oh, so powerful.

Even though such a short read, The Yellow Wallpaper is an impressive view on cultural traditions, and the position of women in the family. A classic and a must-have for every woman!

Do you know any stories similar to this? I would love to explore them?

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