Another brilliant addition to the Jeanette Winterson canon which both reimagines the story of Frankenstein through the lens of technology and gender identity and an explorations of Mary Shelley's experience of marriage, pregnancy loss, motherhood and poverty in Europe as the background to the writing of the original novel.

In the contemporary world we meet Ry, a trans man who describes himself as a "hybrid", whose body exists outside the commonly accepted gender binary. At a bizarre and deeply unsettling tech expo Ry meets Victor Stein, a man full of philosophy and introspection whose view of the world and the people in it is detached and who is dedicated to the idea of accelerating evolution. Stein sees Ry's gender presentation as part of this journey to transhumanism, a future in which people will be able to self-select their form.

Ry has a more personal and nuanced understanding of their situation, their "doubleness" which places them in a small minority of trans doctors and scientists. Their relation to Stein's ambition to transcend the human form through AI is uneasy as are their interactions with Stein's business partner Ron Lord, a sex robot magnate who spews misogynistic and transphobic opinions and has outdated views on sex and sexuality.

The two storylines present a brilliant juxtaposition past and present but also of the natural world and physicality of the Romantic tradition and the world of technology and science. Stein's creepy workshop and disembodied understanding of human life reflects the ambition and scientific amorality of his Romantic namesake. The three modern characters, Stein, Ry and Lord present an insightful understanding the forces involved in scientific advancement, progress too often tempered by the financial and moral shackles of right-wing power and wealth.

If I have one criticism it is that Ry is a little side-lined and their agency is minimised by the observer role given to them. Then again, this may be a deliberate illustration of the struggle that many trans people experience trying the live in a world (and a body) that is largely determined without their input and when conversations about them are too often conducted without them.

I think this is one of those instances where I really don't think I got it. Which?? I am currently thinking about pursuing a doctorate so you can tell what that means.

It's great to be in a position to recommend much more diverse books to our young people at school. Building the senior school library as a place where students actually come and find books that they want to read as opposed to books that teachers think they ought to read is an important responsibility and one we take really seriously.
Books like this are such a positive move as they will appeal to a broader set of readers than we are usually attracting. Dealing with modern issues in a clear and captivating way with a strong narrative voice and characters that the students can relate to is critical as we move forwards. This book is both an intelligent and compelling read that will hold even the most reluctant reader's attention and keep them turning the pages long into the night. It keeps the reader on their toes and ensures that you give it your full attention too. I found myself thinking about its characters and events even when I wasn't reading it and looking forward to snatching kore time with it and I hope that my students feel the same. An accessible, gripping and engrossing read that I can't recommend highly enough. Will absolutely be buying a copy for the library and heartily recommending it to both staff and students.

Unfortunately I just could not get into this book. It may be one for other readers, but I was unable to finish it.

I put off reading this novel for some time because I thought it was a serious treatise on feminism and sexual idenity, but in actual fact, by delaying I was only depriving myself of many, many laugh out loud moments. This was completely unexpected, and gave me even more reasons to love this book. It’s beautifully written. It made me think about what makes a person. It’s got some literary history thrown in for good measure. Best of all, this is the first book that has been longlisted for both the Booker Prize and the Comedy Women in Print Prize, so you can impress both your intellectual friends and your funny friends by recommending this book to them. This book gets a rare five stars from me; one of my favourite books I’ve read in 2020.

Entertaining, but a characterization of a trans person that swings between mildly to wildly offensive - and that's setting aside that the only person of colour in the entire book is a two-dimensional racist stereotype. Not a patch on the author's previous works.

Jeanette Winterson's prose is consistently exquisite. "Frankissstein" is one of those rare books you never want to end. It's inventive and current and beautifully bold; a clever concept perfectly executed. Then there is Ron, who's a hoot! Overall a thoroughly enjoyable, thought-provoking read.

Such an usual, provocative book - I found it hard to follow initially but once I started making connections between the sections, the characters became like old friends. Amazing how the author was able to move between the 1800s Europe and a futuristic London/America and completely change the style to reflect the protagonists, Ry and Mary.

I have been derelict in my duties in not reading Jeanette Winterson’s Frankisstein before now. I was reminded of this when I saw it is now available in paperback. Set both in modern era and in 1816 the reader is invited to join dialectic conversations about what it means to be human as scientific and mathematical discoveries (Babbage, Bletchley and Augusta Ada King are referenced) have advanced over time. It is done so with a light wit and a knowing reference to many un-answered questions and difference of opinion over the last two-hundred years by those considered enlightened and those considered luddites.

In the present day the famous events in Switzerland (when Mary Shelley created Frankenstein and Polidori wrote ‘The Vampyre’) are re-created and developed by the five main characters Ma(Ry) Shelley; Victor Stein (Shelley); (By)Ron Lord; Polly D (Polidori); and Claire. The author describes this story as ‘an invention within another invention’ and it is set within the dual backgrounds of the industrial revolution and the new fourth industrial/digital revolution. For instance there are many suggested uses for robots in the book, and as they are created by the new Lord Byron, most are sexual. However, the reader can be reassured that the creation of a machine to write poetry or the ‘Patent Novel Writer’ has not yet materialised...yet.

With thanks to Random House UK, Vintage publishing and Netgalley.

I expect nothing less from Jeanette Winterson, but this is a sharp and stunning and engrossing take on the Frankenstein story.

This book, based on Mary Shelley’s, Frankenstein, has two narrative streams. One follows the circumstances around Mary Shelley’s creation of the book Frankenstein and the second focusses upon the narrative of a transgender doctor, called Rye, and their relationship with the AI specialist Victor Stein. It poses two questions. What will a future, dominated by AI look like? And, will that future hold a place for women? Along the way, it looks at; bodily autonomy, gender, sexuality and performance.

At times the book was very quotable and at others it felt clunky with points of view that felt more like Winterson’s rather than her characters.

I think this is a necessary book, one that makes you look critically at your own perceptions of the world and everyone in it, but all in all this was not my cup of tea.

I absolutely love Jeanette Winterson's writing - smart, erudite, warm and thought-provoking, she never fails to make me think.

And I found this to be the case with Frankisstein. I am really enjoying this series of rewritten classics (if you haven't, you must read Atwood's HagSeed, a retelling of The Tempest). It is obvious that not only does Winterson know Mary Shelley's text exceptionally well but has an abiding respect and admiration for Shelley and her creation.

Winterson has reinterpreted Shelley's questions about what makes us human, in a very 21st century - AI, sex dolls, transgender and cryogenics are all worked into this love story.

I really enjoyed this novel and would recommend to anyone, not just fans of Jeanette Winterson.

What a weird little story this is, with the witty and acerbic prose you would expect from Winterson. It tells the intertwining stories of Mary Shelley as she writes Frankenstein in the past coupled with the adventures of Ry Shelley, a trans doctor wrapped up in the antics of Victor Stein, who is trying to master AI to the point of bringing people back from the dead and Ron Lord, the obnoxious creator of sexbots. Firstly, the writing is just fantastic here and there were lines that genuinely made me laugh out loud - I particularly liked the author's notes that comment on a character's thoughts. The narrative moves quickly and my interest was maintained throughout, although I did prefer the modern day parts of the story over those told in the past. In all honesty, I'm not sure what the narrative was trying to do, other than comment on the arrogance of humans, but this is definitely the kind of book that can be enjoyed for the quality of the writing. I loved Ry and I really enjoyed Ron Lord too, but I did find Victor a little one-dimensional. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who isn't too concerned with plot and loves writing that smacks you in the face!
I received a free copy of this book from the publishers in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This had some good moments that were really well written and explored the themes in detail but the overall feeling I had of this book was one that it was not enough of anything to be what I wanted. It felt weak and a bit all over the place. I liked the premise and how Winterson explored it but it wasn't enough for me.

Finished Frankisstein - I really liked this one. Will come back and add a review.
I thought this was such a clever book, I never quite knew what to expect with her playing with modern AI plans, Mary Shelley's story and ideas of what it means to be human. What would happen if everyone never died? How are the ideas of Shelley and the fears of Frankenstein's monster linked to our worries today? I can't say I am knowledgeable about AI, but I loved the way she brought together Turing's Manchester with high tech advances in the US. Maybe some of the advances she mentions are not here yet, but how far off?
"We are lucky, even the worst of us, because daylight comes."

Love this book. Apart from the ingenious reworking of the Frankenstein storyline, the construction of the sentences and the choice of vocabulary are such a pleasure to read. I am a pretty speedy reader but it has taken me a lot longer to read this than many other books. The reason? Because I’ve re-read sections to bask in the beauty of the writing!

Only in the living of it does life seem ordinary. In the telling of it we find ourselves strangers among the strange.

Brilliant and thought provoking.

I can think of few classic novels that have had such a widespread influence on both popular culture and literature as Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein; Or, the Modern Prometheus”. Even if people haven’t read Shelley’s novel they have a sense of Doctor Frankenstein’s creation from the many films which have (mistakenly) portrayed him as a senseless monster. I even went to a show recently called Frankenstein: How to Make a Monster where talented young musicians from the BAC Beatbox Academy re-created the body of the monster in song as a way of describing terrifying issues and people they experience in everyday life. But Shelley’s characters, ideas and powerful story have also permeated the imaginations of so many novelists since the book’s initial publication in 1818. Most recently it’s been directly referenced and reimagined in the novels “Frankenstein in Baghdad” by Ahmed Saadawi and Jeanette Winterson’s latest novel “Frankissstein”. Winterson’s novels have always had strong ties to the work of past writers (most notably Virginia Woolf) but her recent novels more strongly incorporate this influence such as her remix of The Winter’s Tale in her novel “The Gap of Time”.

“Frankissstein” goes a step further creating a dual narrative which switches back and forth between a historical section where we see Mary Shelley writing her famous novel and a near future where a non-binary individual named Ry Shelley engages in a complicated romantic relationship with a secretive scientist named Professor Stein. The historical sections have a more philosophical feel as Mary engages in meaningful discussions with her husband, the poet Byron and other interesting figures from the time period. The modern section is much more playful as it initially begins at a convention where a madcap capitalist named Ron promotes the use of his advanced range of sexbots designed to suit everyone’s emotional and physical needs. There’s even a Germaine Greer sex doll! Meanwhile, Professor Stein gives a lecture about the future of humans in a post-human world and engages in some edgy scientific experimentation. While the tone of these two narrative threads sound totally at odds with each other they feel strangely cohesive – especially as the novel increasingly becomes concerned with questions about the advancement of our species, the meaning of consciousness and the complicated dynamics of love: “Love is not a pristine planet before contaminants and pollutants, before the arrival of Man. Love is a disturbance among the disturbed.” The novel also has a political edge engaging with issues to do with feminism, gender identity, ethics and Brexit.

One of Winterson’s greatest talents is mixing an ardent seriousness in her writing with a richly playful sensibility to form stories that are both engaging and deeply poignant. Initially I felt more emotionally engaged by Mary’s 19th century tale and her struggles with marriage, friendship, money and nationality. But as the story progressed I became more attached to the character of Ry (whose shortened name could be a part of the names Mary or Ryan.) Ry encounters prejudice because of their gender identity and also develops a strong sexual connection and relationship with Professor Stein who is frustrated because falling for Ry wasn’t a part of his plan. Both Mary and Ry find themselves oddly positioned in relation to men whose grandiose ideas about mankind’s advancement don’t encompass matters to do with the human heart. In a sense, Mary and Ry are a continuation of the same person who has changed through the centuries like Woolf’s “Orlando”. In this way Winterson brilliantly messes with the perceived linear nature of time and the way certain issues emerge continuously amidst society’s progression: “Our lives are ordered by the straight line of time, yet arrows fly in all directions. We move towards death, while things we have scarcely understood return and return wounding us for our own good.”

The novel also considers ideas about storytelling itself - both in forming fictional narratives and the narrative of history. Mary Shelley was in the unusual position of producing a brilliant novel so early in her life and its themes go on to haunt her as Winterson shows how her life plays out in subsequent years. I like how Winterson considers how oddly abstract experience becomes when it’s formed into a story: “Only in the living of it does life seem ordinary. In the telling of it we find ourselves strangers among the strange.” But I also appreciate how she confronts popular notions of nationalism and that the idea of Britishness is just another story we’re telling ourselves: “The timeless serenity of the past that we British do so well is an implanted memory – you could call it a fake memory. What seems so solid and certain is really part of the ceaseless pull-it-down-build-it-again pattern of history, where the turbulence of the past is recast as landmark, as icon, as tradition, as what we defend, what we uphold – until it’s time to call in the wrecking ball.” I think this notion is good to keep in mind when any politician cites historical references to support their own ideological campaigns.

While I like to linger on many lines in Winterson’s novels (she’s a very quotable author) because she can poignantly encapsulate powerful ideas in few words, sometimes these grand statements pull me out of the flow of the story. The point of view can at times feel more like Winterson’s rather than her characters. There’s also occasional clunky lines such as a discussion about feminism where Mary self-consciously names her mother in a way that’s more for the reader’s benefit rather than for the characters she’s conversing with: “My mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, would not agree with you, I said.” Yet, these are minor quibbles I had with a novel I so thoroughly admire and enjoyed. I like reading novels which aren’t afraid to converse so self-consciously with stories that have come before. I think “Frankissstein” does this artfully while making a tale that is entirely new and immensely fun to read.

I just could not get into this book, and it's my first Jeanette Winterson and everyone raves about her so I tried so hard and persevered until almost half way.... but I don't hate myself enough to carry on. And I don't mean that in a 'it's so terrible, I can't possible read one more word', I just mean I'm not enjoying it, it's not clicking with me, why push myself to read it just because other people might enjoy it? I found the threads of storyline fascinating - the sex dolls and the futuristic talk of AI. But the chapters of Mary Shelley confused me with their relevance and I absolutely despite books which don't use speech marks. Like, you're just making it more difficult for me to read and follow and enjoy? And with the notably dodgy layout of ARCs where paragraph and sentence spacing are all off... I couldn't.