Having not read Mary Shelley's classic "Frankenstein", I can't comment on the accuracy of this retelling, however that is the joy of retellings - they get to take an existing story and twist it in new ways.
I did struggle to read this, but not so much due to the writing or story, rather I literally, physically struggled as some of the pages the text was just a few shades different to the background colour, and i think that tarred my overall enjoyment as I had to work to try and read what was on the page. I'd recommend this to anyone who was interested in it, but it's not one I'll be going out of my way to talk about.

👻Scary stories are not just for Halloween, this is a great little retelling that can be read any time of year!👻📚

I really enjoyed this retelling of Dr Frankenstein and his monstrous creation. I feel that this modernised version allowed it to be a more accessible read especially to the young adult readerswho may be put off or intimidated by the classics. I myself found the writing style easier to follow, though I may have been helped with my background knowledge of the Mary Shelley original. At just over 100 pages long is a relatively quick and easy read that can be devoured in one sitting.

The cover design is also beautiful and would look great centre staged on any bookshelf.

Thank you to NetGalley and Barrington Stoke Publishers for allowing me to receive an advanced reading copy in exchange for a honest review.

I really enjoyed this retelling….. A thrilling gothic tale of hubris gone badly wrong.

A young man’s search for the secret of the spark of life leads him to a horrific experiment in which he creates a gigantic creature from dismembered body parts.

Rejected by his creator, the initially gentle creature turns monstrous when his desire to find companionship and love are thwarted.

FRANKENSTEIN is a rare classic I've read. It's the first sci-fi novel, and it's written by a woman - as someone who loves speculative fiction, it felt like something I ought to read.

The original novel has a very strange structure, of narrators relating stories within another narrator's tale and so on like nesting dolls. That happens here too, as the point of these books is to be as close as possible to the originals while making them more accessible. However, I found this a little easier to follow. I am sure knowing what to expect helped, but so too did the fact that the narrator's name was in the chapter title any time the story switched perspective, which was really useful.

The pared back nature of the telling - cutting back the long-winded prose of the original to be plain and clear - really helps the story (particularly its length of time) come through. This is a book that happens over many years and follows a man who is overcome with cleverness then revulsion, and is always obsessed by perfection and obsessive, possessive love (this retelling makes the possessive toxicity of his love of Elizabeth clear in a way that nicely compliments how THE DARK DESCENT OF ELIZABETH FRANKENSTEIN highlights it.) The book is so clear about the wave of emotions, particularly hatred and loathing, that prompt the events.

It also highlights the sort of unfinished nature of the book. The original book just ends, and so does this, drawing a big black full stop at the evil and hatred within men. It's certainly effective.

Barrington Stoke do an amazing job of making well-loved classics accessible to reluctant readers and those with dyslexia. I’ve read their version of Pride and Prejudice as well as a few other newer titles in their catalogue and they’re brilliant at getting across the essence of a story in a easily digestible fashion.

Often considered to be the first sci-fi novel, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein tells the story of a young man whose quest to find what life really is unleashes a creature into the world. Rejected by every human he meets because of his appearance, the creature changes from a gentle soul, who is curious about love and the world, into a murderous monster.

Victor’s ambition and passion for his work is very much retained in Landman’s version of the story. There is no doubt that he is a devout scholar and obsessed with finding the key to resurrection. Even if this isn’t a story that you’re familiar with, I think we can see his downfall coming a long time before it happens.

Victor is afraid of how other people will react to his claims that there is a strange non-human creature roaming the mountains. Despite the danger that the monster poses to the general public, Victor would prefer for everyone to think highly of him. This decision will later prove to have tragic consequences but it’s a mistake that Victor makes again and again. Frankenstein is truly a cautionary tale of hubris and this version of the story delivers that message to a wider audience.

Of course, we get the monster’s perspective too. He cannot understand humans or their emotions until he spends a year watching a small family. It’s through them that he learns about love and hardship. This lesson is amplified as he embarks on his journey to find his creator and rejection is waiting for him at every turn. The monster has such a sad, pensive tone to his voice and his loneliness and hopelessness comes through so well.

Frankenstein is a masterpiece of literature and it has so many lessons to teach. Unfortunately, some of these lessons still haven’t been learned by many humans of today but hopefully, this adapted version of a fantastic classic will reach some of the people who need to read it and absorb its messages.

This was an incredible retelling of a classic. It was engaging and atmospheric. The writing and descriptions were stunning and cleverly put together to create an eerie and mysterious world. I love that this retelling will give younger readers an opportunity to discover the original story. Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and author, for a chance to read and review this book.

So I completely got the wrong end of this. I thought this would be a retelling. In reality, this is a more simplified version of Frankenstein. It contains the same topics and events as the original.

Whilst this book isn't really someone for me, as the original Frankstein is my favourite book, it would be great for someone who is intimated by classics but really wants to give them a go.

It's been well written for the intended audience, and would recommend this to someone wanting to tip their toes into reading classics.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

This is a straight forward and clear retelling of Frankenstein, without a lot of the difficult language found in the original. I read this in one sitting and found it easy to read. I think for people who want to read classics and might struggle, this is absolutely perfect.

Frankenstein

As a big lover of the classic Frankenstein I was excited to read this re telling and I was not disappointed this is a perfect choice not just for younger readers but for anyone who maybe struggles with classics or would just like a quick easy read. Would definitely recommend and will be passing this to my son to read next.

Thank you to Netgalley, Barrington Stoke and Tanya Landman for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest Review

Frankestin A retelling by Tanya Landman
Earc:NetGalley
Publisher:Barrington Stoke, Barrington Stoke Teen
Publication Date: 5 January 2023
Genre:Horror | Sci Fi & Fantasy | Teens & YA

This is a really great way to introduce the younger generation to this classic. It's a simpler read than the original and Tanya Landman so a brilliant way of this been represented.
Barrington Stoke Does brilliant in making this context easily readable for This is an excellent synopsis of Mary Shelley's classic novel Frankenstein, capturing the raw emotion and horror at the heart of this timeless cautionary tale. Young readers will be fascinated by the story of the ill-fated scientific creation of Victor Frankenstein's "monster" and his subsequent abandonment of his creation. Turns into a vengeance machine that kills Viktor's closest and dearest and destroys Viktor's life. However, this is more than just a horror story. In the reader's mind, a great pity subtly wells up in the heart of the "monster", which was innocent at first, but has become cruel due to the unfair treatment of society. It is my hope that this wonderful adaptation encourages children to read Shelley's original masterpieces when they are ready to appreciate more complex works. Romance - Shelley magically weaves it into this heartbreaking tale of humanity.
#FrankensteinARetelling #NetGalley

Simplified adaptation for younger readers, brought back memories.

I read Frankenstein in Sixth Form, nearly 25 years ago. Only reading it once, I was surprised how much of the language and scenes came back to me when reading this version.

The story is still here: the curious young man whose interest in science grows to become the passion that leads to him experimenting with creating new life. The creature coming to life. The creator rejects him. The implications of not taking responsibility, of ignoring moral duty and the revenge that results.

It felt like the key scenes, speech and messages were all present, bar the glossed-over explanation for how Frankenstein pieces together the body and finds a suitable (or otherwise) brain for it. Curious teens will surely question where the 'parts' came from.

I enjoyed the two strands, that of the creator and the creature both telling their sides of the story. As before, I remain unconvinced with Frankenstein's version, reasoning and rightness - he freely admits to us that he is horrified by his creation and rejects it outright and instantly, abdicating all responsibilities and almost resigning himself to its wrath and vengeance.

Quite a task to condense a great classic to 100 pages, keeping the heart of it intact and giving the reader a feeling they've read the book in its entirety. It still feels like Shelley. You could read this and discuss it with a decent understanding of most of the original.

Suitable for KS3 onwards, a great way to access one of the most famous and interesting books ever written.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing an advance reading copy.

Frankenstein - A Retelling
By Tanya Landman

What's it about ⚡
A thrilling gothic tale of hubris gone badly wrong.

A young man’s search for the secret of the spark of life leads him to a horrific experiment in which he creates a gigantic creature from dismembered body parts.

Rejected by his creator, the initially gentle creature turns monstrous when his desire to find companionship and love are thwarted.

My thoughts

This is a quick easy read. With multiple povs, I enjoyed reading Frankenstein - a retelling it captures the raw emotions but I feel it simplified Mary Shelley novel, but like I said it was a nice easy read. I would recommend this for younger readers, with its short sentences and minimal description, I feel younger read will get a lot out of this book.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Nice quick easy read. I enjoyed the multiple povs, I liked the fact that it made me feel empathy towards the creation as well as a better understanding of everything that transpired. I’ve not read the classic as I couldn’t get into it but this was a nice short, simplified read that I enjoyed.

I really enjoyed this retelling, its so long since I read Shelley's novel that It was lovely to be reminded of it so vividly. I now want to reread and rewatch the De Niro film. Thank you.

This is an excellent abridgement of Mary Shelley's classic novel Frankenstein, capturing the raw emotions and horror at the heart of this timeless cautionary tale. Young readers will be captivated by the story of Victor Frankenstein's ill-fated scientific creation of a "monster" and his subsequent abandonment of his creation. The "monster", spurned and cast out by all he meets, turns into a revenge machine, killing Victor's nearest and dearest people and destroying Victor's life. This is, however, so much more than a horror story. Great pity is subtly invoked in the reader's heart towards the "monster", who is innocent to begin with but becomes cruel due to the unjust treatment he receives at the hands of society. I do hope this wonderful adaptation will encourage children to read Shelley's original masterpiece at an older age when they can appreciate more complex works, since this abridged version omits the extensive, breathtakingly beautiful descriptions of nature and various landscapes -- the highlight of Romantic period literature -- that Shelley magically wove into this heart-wrenching tale about human nature.

This was very rushed and simplified, but it was a nice easy read. Suitable for younger readers, I feel, which maybe I missed in the description. Very short sentences at times, minimal description

Very recently I had the urge to re-read Frankenstein, but the complexity and density of the original text put me off. This retelling by Tanya Landman was the perfect antidote for that.

On the surface Frankenstein is a horror story. But look beneath that and its themes are much deeper. In this retelling, Landman does justice to the original novel while making it accessible for all. Through the simple, clear writing style we still get a sense of Frankenstein’s hubris, as well as the despair and rage felt by his creation.

Whether you’re a seasoned reader looking for a quick, engaging read or a young person who wants to immerse themselves in a classic, this book is for everyone. Landsman’s retelling is simple and to the point. Throughout the twists and turns of the story it is clear to understand what is going on, as well as pick up on the nuances that make the original story so great.

Thanks so much for Barrington Stoke, the author and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC to review. I will certainly be reading more of these retellings in the future!

This retelling is beautifully done, harnessing the emotive power of Dr Frankenstein’s horror and guilt along with the desperation and misery of the monster. Having studied the original Frankenstein by Shelley, and having taught Pullman’s playscript version to Year 8, I was somewhat doubtful about what Landman could add -- but this Barrington Stoke book is not only accessible but well-crafted; indeed the simplicity of the language makes the story even more devastating. Highly recommended.

I adore everything Barrington Stoke does and in these Classic retellings - they have hit the jackpot! Making the most well known stories accessible for everyone no matter their age should be hugely applauded!!

I have to read a lot of classics for University and I sometimes have a really hard time with them due to the wordy writing style and the way they are written. For that reason I think that book slike this are such an amazing way for people to be able to access classic literature in a more accessible form.
The writing is simple and engaging and will definitely appeal to young and old audiences alike