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Frankenstein
Frankenstein
Frankenstein
Audiobook9 hours

Frankenstein

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

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About this audiobook

On the deck of his ice-imprisoned ship, explorer Robert Walton watches from a great distance as an enormous apparition travels with much haste across the frozen shore. The next day, Walton fishes from the sea a melancholy scientist named Frankenstein, who shares with Walton the horrifying account of his life and of the "hideous progeny" he set loose upon the world. Frankenstein was written while 19-year-old Mary Shelley vacationed in Geneva with poets Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron. An incessantly rainy summer prompted Byron to challenge the members of the party to write a tale of the supernatural. While listening to a discussion concerning the theory of electrical reanimation, Mary Shelley was struck, almost to terror, with the idea for Frankenstein: "The idea so possessed my mind that a thrill of fear ran through me, and I wished to exchange the ghastly image of my fancy for the realities around ." A universal classic, Mary Shelley's romantic tale of an ambitious doctor who places himself in the dangerous role of God was first published anonymously in 1818. Master narrator George Guidall skillfully brings to life the doctor and his unhappy creation.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateDec 16, 1999
ISBN9781449800734
Author

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin was born in 1797, the daughter of two of the leading radical writers of the age. Her mother died just days after her birth and she was educated at home by her father and encouraged in literary pursuits. She eloped with and subsequently married the Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, but their life together was full of hardship. The couple were ruined by disapproving parents and Mary lost three of her four children. Although its subject matter was extremely dark, her first novel Frankenstein (1818) was an instant sensation. Subsequent works such as Mathilda (1819), Valperga (1823) and The Last Man (1826) were less successful but are now finally receiving the critical acclaim that they deserve.

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Reviews for Frankenstein

Rating: 4.302040816326531 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

245 ratings6 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What makes this book as great as it is is its atmosphere, subtlety, and imagination. Mary Shelley was truly ahead of her time, and should continue being celebrated among the truly great authors of all time, let alone female authors.

    2 people found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Mary Shelley, literary pioneer. RIP you brilliant creation. A must-read!

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    First time reading (listening). The book is a classic for a reason! Fantastic language and thoughtful narrative.
    Very well read!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The audio narration was great. It deserved a 5 for that reason.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    As many do, I only knew about Dr. Frankenstein and his monster from popular, contemporary depictions. None of that is in here. What is here is a dark tale of the pursuit for companionship and acceptance. It struck me as remarkably relevant to our days as a social commentary. Beautifully written, this chilling, at times heartwrenching classic proved to be far more intriguing and profound than I anticipated.

    4 people found this helpful

  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A surprisingly bad plot with verbose and redundant prose. This whole novel could have been half as long

    1 person found this helpful