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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Whatever Became of Frankenstein's Creature?, August 27, 2010
This review is from: Frankenstein's Monster: A Novel (Paperback)
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I always wondered what happened to the monster at the end of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein." The book's ending almost invites a sequel, since the monster is alone in the Arctic. Does he die there? Is he hunted down by Capt. Walton after Victor Frankenstein's death? Susan Heyboer O'Keefe's novel begins with a log entry written in the Arctic in 1818. It chronicles the events that led to Victor's demise, Walton's discovery of Frankenstein's man-made monster, and some bloody happenings on board ship. The novel borrows from "Les Miserables" as it describes Walton's Javert-like, relentless pursuit of the monster. He has become obsessed with fulfilling Victor Frankenstein's deathbed wish to destroy the abomination. O'Keefe's style is reminiscent of Shelley's, and she takes great care to emphasize the human qualities of the creature even though it is capable of and undertakes heinous deeds. This balance is what makes the book so interesting. The creature isn't painted in broad strokes, but with nuance and care. We shudder one moment, we are touched the next. This is good writing. I've always loved "Frankenstein" and have read and re-read it often. "Frankenstein's Monster" is a respectable follow-up to that classic, one that satisfies our interest in the original novel and answers some fascinating "What if...?" questions. The narrative moves briskly and the author's interspersing of prose, dialogue, and journal entries provides the book with welcome variety.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hope They Make This Into A Movie, September 2, 2010
This review is from: Frankenstein's Monster: A Novel (Paperback)
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Of course, I read the original story Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. I've also watched movies like Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and "spin-offs" such as The Bride. I couldn't pass up a chance to read a sequel, which picks up where the first story left off, and tells readers the story of what happened after Frankenstein died on the ship. Frankenstein's Monster: A Novel, written by Susan Heyboer O'Keefe, begins with a detailed journal entry by Captain Robert Walton. He addresses this particular entry to "Margaret," who is later revealed to be Walton's sister. He describes the friendship & brotherly feelings he had for Victor Frankenstein, and explains why he feels obligated to hunt down the monster that Frankenstein failed to kill. Walton had found the monster standing over Frankenstein's body, and realized that he had not been listening to the ramblings of a madman after all. Walton immediately gives chase across the ice, planning to kill the monster, so the Captain may return to his quest to reach the North Pole. Instead, he loses a finger to the monster, and barely survives the encounter himself. The story then switches to the POV of the monster, also written in journal format, with location and date at the start of each entry. Walton has tracked him down to Rome, so the monster flees to Venice, where he finds companionship with a beggar, Lucio, and a mute woman, Mirabella. O'Keefe did an excellent job of evoking sympathy for the monster, sharing his most intimate thoughts in his journal, with bits of poetry and quotations from the many books that he reads. Despite his acts of violence, I am reluctant to refer to him as "the monster," but he doesn't take a name for himself until later in the story. Eventually, he takes the name of Victor Hartmann, which I will continue to use as well. Walton soon becomes the obvious villain in this novel, when he destroys Victor's meager life in Venice. Victor blames himself for putting his friends in harm's way; having been hunted down repeatedly by Walton over the past ten years, Victor feels he should have realized Walton would never give up his obsession. Victor finds out that Walton has family in northern England, and plots his revenge, not unlike what he did to Frankenstein's family in the first book. After finding Walton's family, Victor also finds his journal, which reveals Walton's twisted view of the events over the past ten years. While Victor writes his own entries, he includes passages from Walton's journal as well. Walton's own words highlight his madness; Walton's sister, Margaret, and her daughter, Lily, contrast sharply with Victor's ideals of what it is to be human, and their characters hint at a sickness that runs in their family. I was crying by the end of the novel; the epilogue (a personal letter from one of the characters) was a superb finish to a tragic tale of a life that wasn't wanted. A reader's guide is also included at the back of the book.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A sequel worthy of the original, January 9, 2011
This review is from: Frankenstein's Monster: A Novel (Paperback)
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It's been probably 25 years since I read the original Frankenstein novel. I was a little hesitant to invest time in reading yet another sequel to a great classic, especially by a children's book author (she wrote one of my son's favorite books, One Hungry Monster : A Counting Book in Rhyme Board Book). This is Susan O'Keefe's first book written for adults, and wow, has she found her calling! This novel starts in the Arctic, where a ship captain named Robert Walton is searching for the North Pole. He finds a man dying on the ice and takes him aboard his ship. This man is Victor Frankenstein, who tells Walton a fantastic tale about a creature he created that is evil and must be stopped. Just before he dies, Frankenstein makes Walton promise to track down and kill his creature. Walton, not believing the creature exists, makes the promise. Not long after, Frankenstein passes and Walton sees the creature who has come aboard to say goodbye to his father. Walton attacks the creature, and is bested. Licking his wounds, he turns around, vowing to kill the creature whatever it takes. Fast forward 10 years. From this point in the book, we are reading journal entries from the creature himself. This is a tale of his attempt to figure out who he is, where he belongs, and whether he can exist in a world of men. Throughout the book, he is hunted by Walton, who continues his descent into madness. This story is about the creature (who takes on the name of his creator and becomes Victor) and his life. He finds himself constantly on the move, never allowed to make a home, since he is relentlessly pursued by Walton. This book moves at a fast pace, and you find yourself feeling for Victor even though he does some pretty awful things. I don't want to give you too much of the plot (and I would advise not reading the back of the book, because it does give away some of the plot), because I don't want to spoil this story for you. One thing I really commend the author on is that the violence (of which there is a good amount) is not overly graphic or gory. It adds to the story, as opposed to taking you out of the story. I did find the journal entries at the beginning a little distracting and choppy, but I soon got involved in the story. It even made me cry a few times! That is the mark of a great author. I didn't want the book to end. Another thing I really loved is that I had no idea where the book was going, or what was going to happen. That's a refreshing change from most novels I read!
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