The Monsters We Deserve
Buy Now
By using these links, you support READO. We receive an affiliate commission without any additional costs to you.
Description
The Villa Diodati, on the shore of Lake Geneva, 1816: the Year without Summer. As Byron, Polidori, and Mr and Mrs Shelley shelter from the unexpected weather, old ghost stories are read and new ghost stories imagined. Born by the twin brains of the Shelleys is Frankenstein, one of the most influential tales of horror of all time.
In a remote mountain house, high in the French Alps, an author broods on Shelley's creation. Reality and perception merge, fuelled by poisoned thoughts. Humankind makes monsters; but who really creates who? This is a book about reason, the imagination, and the creative act of reading and writing. Marcus Sedgwick's ghostly, menacing novel celebrates the legacy of Mary Shelley's literary debut in its bicentenary year.
Book Information
Posts
I received a free ebook over NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book was not what I expected and that in the best way possible. The Monsters We Deserve is a very meta story, it deals with the struggles of writing and having your written words out in the world while also telling the story of an author out in the mountains trying to fins inspiration for a new book. The writing has a very stream of consciousness feel. I could relate to it very well, maybe because I'm a writer myself, but also, because it was just very easy to dive into the story-telling and feel with the protagonist. At times this type of writing got a bit too much or boring and I had to skim-read some passages, but overall I liked it a lot and actually marked many different quotes. The book has something autobiographical while also feeling very mystical and scary at times. The protagonist hides in an old house, where he studies Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and writes his own work. He then is visited by Mary Shelley's ghost and she asks him for help. This part felt a bit weird to me and I know many people felt that way. Just that Shelley, who is such an important female figure in the writing world would need the help of a man to make her biggest success actually good is a bit wrong in my eyes. It's also weird how this book at times feels like it's a analytical piece about Frankenstein. It goes through all the supposed short comings of the novel and the protagonist never stops saying how much he hates it and how much it lacks. This a bit unfortunate for a book that seems like it's targeted towards people who actually enjoyed the book and don't need a man to explain what the real meaning of it was. Overall I read this book in one sitting and really enjoyed the different way it was written and was pulled into the story effortlessly. It was the criticism of Frankenstein and Shelley herself and her supposed lack of ability that didn't sit well with me and stopped me from giving this very special read a full five star rating.
Description
The Villa Diodati, on the shore of Lake Geneva, 1816: the Year without Summer. As Byron, Polidori, and Mr and Mrs Shelley shelter from the unexpected weather, old ghost stories are read and new ghost stories imagined. Born by the twin brains of the Shelleys is Frankenstein, one of the most influential tales of horror of all time.
In a remote mountain house, high in the French Alps, an author broods on Shelley's creation. Reality and perception merge, fuelled by poisoned thoughts. Humankind makes monsters; but who really creates who? This is a book about reason, the imagination, and the creative act of reading and writing. Marcus Sedgwick's ghostly, menacing novel celebrates the legacy of Mary Shelley's literary debut in its bicentenary year.
Book Information
Posts
I received a free ebook over NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book was not what I expected and that in the best way possible. The Monsters We Deserve is a very meta story, it deals with the struggles of writing and having your written words out in the world while also telling the story of an author out in the mountains trying to fins inspiration for a new book. The writing has a very stream of consciousness feel. I could relate to it very well, maybe because I'm a writer myself, but also, because it was just very easy to dive into the story-telling and feel with the protagonist. At times this type of writing got a bit too much or boring and I had to skim-read some passages, but overall I liked it a lot and actually marked many different quotes. The book has something autobiographical while also feeling very mystical and scary at times. The protagonist hides in an old house, where he studies Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and writes his own work. He then is visited by Mary Shelley's ghost and she asks him for help. This part felt a bit weird to me and I know many people felt that way. Just that Shelley, who is such an important female figure in the writing world would need the help of a man to make her biggest success actually good is a bit wrong in my eyes. It's also weird how this book at times feels like it's a analytical piece about Frankenstein. It goes through all the supposed short comings of the novel and the protagonist never stops saying how much he hates it and how much it lacks. This a bit unfortunate for a book that seems like it's targeted towards people who actually enjoyed the book and don't need a man to explain what the real meaning of it was. Overall I read this book in one sitting and really enjoyed the different way it was written and was pulled into the story effortlessly. It was the criticism of Frankenstein and Shelley herself and her supposed lack of ability that didn't sit well with me and stopped me from giving this very special read a full five star rating.