Goodreads Challenge 40/85: Frankenstein

As I'm knocking out the classic reads, Frankenstein of course was high on the list. I was miserable for the first third of the book. Why? Told in the voice of Victor Frankenstein, it was dry and blathering. The narrator Frankenstein has a tendency to "tell, not show"--so instead of describing actions of other characters, or himself, he is merely telling about his thoughts and feelings. This is okay once in a while for clarification, but it got really old. I understand that 19th century fiction has more description than action compared to modern day fiction, but the first part of the book is really wanting for the characters to do something.

The other thing that bothered me about the first part of the book is the lack of detail in describing the creation of the monster. This scientific creation was one of the things I was looking forward to in the book--yet Shelley merely glosses over it. In that subtle 19th century way of writing, she hints at the fact that the monster is made out of body parts. But there is no real description of how it's done. Again she drops the ball later in the story when Frankenstein attempts to make a lady companion for our monster. No details, just innuendo. 

Having said that--this is not what the book is about, and thankfully when the monster comes onto the scene, the book picks up--way way up. The monster is "persuasive and eloquent," tells a great story, and is far more sympathetic than Frankenstein himself. I love this guy! While the monster is skulking in the shadows, as a reader I hoped he would reappear to take over the narration from Frankenstein. The creature teaches us about the human condition, what love and pain and agony are all about, and what it means to be alive and/or human. I loved every scene with the monster. Unfortunately, part of the greatness of this book is the suspense--you wonder every minute when that monster is going to show up and kill another loved one of Frankenstein. Consequently the monster only shows up every so often. I'd love to see a book titled Frankenstein's Monster.

After the creature takes a major role in the story, the novel is totally engrossing. I would have given it 5 stars if it wasn't for the rambling musings of Victor Frankenstein.