Heartbreaking and sublime and terrific! I forgot just how good this story is, and I think everyone should read it at least once in their life. ( )

Technically I didn´t read the entire Norton Critical edition, but I read the intro and the footnotes in it. The notes were very helpful, since I was reading it for the first time (for a college class). I really enjoyed the Romantic-era language, but it definitely was not what I was expecting. It is not a super scary 1800s horror novel, but it does ask some interesting questions about identity, perception, and human nature. ( )

org 1818

I didn't love this the way I was hoping to. It was okay. I'm not going to run out and get the leather bound version of this. Once was enough. ( )

This book is incredible. It has instantly joined the list of my favorite books of all time. Some of the philosophical and psychological perspectives in this book are so incredibly insightful, I can't believe it was written by a 19 year old. I know she had some help, but still. Some of the psychological degradation, remorse, anguish, anxiety, and depression the characters deal with remind me of Crime and Punishment, only to remember this book predates C&P by decades!

I also really love the prose. Mary Shelley writes with such an intense, feminine, and emotional perspective. Honestly it's really refreshing. ( )