Frankenstein

By: Mary Shelley

Narrated by: Kenneth Branagh

Length: 3 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, is Mary Shelley's passionate and Gothic tale of terror, in which a man's desire to know the unknowable sweeps him into a living nightmare. Victor Frankenstein's experiments with life itself give birth to an extraordinary force with the potential for either good or evil.

Public Domain (P)1997 Hodder & Stoughton Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"This tale...has been regarded as the origin of modern science fiction." (The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature")

Marvelous

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is brilliant, and this audio edition is superbly narrated by Kenneth Branagh.

A great story and excellent narrator

Kenneth Branagh bring this classic tale to life! (slight Frankenstein pun...) Excellent. If you like this also try Branagh's version of Conrad's Heart of Darkness.

Brilliant!

Would you listen to Frankenstein again? Why?

Absolutely! To me, it is a not about the classic tale of terror but its underlying story of both the beauty and tenderness of the human heart and the consequence of mankind's tendency towards prejudice and fear of the unknown.

What other book might you compare Frankenstein to and why?

Not sure. In my mind, Frankenstein stands in a category of its own. However, I did appreciate the literary thoughtfulness with which this tale was written. To me, the story and language is both poetic and eloquent.

What does Kenneth Branagh bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

As soon as I found out there was a version of one of my favourite novels (Frankenstein) that was read by my favourite Shakespeare actor of all time, I immediately downloaded it--no need to preview! As usual, Branagh did NOT disappoint :). Although I admit I may be somewhat biased (he's one of my favourite actors of all time), I think you'll agree, Branagh can tell a tale like few others!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I just closed my eyes and let Branagh tell this classic tale.

Any additional comments?

Buy it.

What a performance!!

What a story! Branagh’s performance is such a
treat!I loved everything about it. I have never read Frankenstein and I’m so glad i listened to Branagh read it to me. Fantastic!

Frankenstein is a classic...

Of the classics, the monster stories are my favorite so this story is a shoe-in for best listens of the year.

However, something about the combination of the accent and tenseness of the voice made this version just a tad more difficult to ‘hang onto’ as I was listening; my mind kept wandering after a few minutes of listening. Kenneth Branagh’s performance is wonderfully spot-on, but there was something about it that I can’t quite put my finger on, that made the whole story sound like a long drawn out soliloquy. Yes, we can argue that the whole story is a first person narrative, but the thing about soliloquies is that if they go on too long they tend to get monotonous. Because of this I felt that I needed to give this a four star somewhere in the ratings, but it was difficult to determine what aspect to short a star. Technically the story is a 5, the performance was very believable and also a 5, and those combined should equal and overall of 5. But because I don’t feel as though I could listen to the whole performance straight through, I took a star away in that area.

Excellent Narration

Branagh manages to bring a life and warmth and richness to Victor that -due to the antiquated prose and radically different world we now inhabit- would be sadly lacking from a simple read through an din so doing brings it immediately and rawly to the listener's attention. We sympathize with the creature and Victor while being torn by Victor's inability to take responsibility for, or feel pity or empathy towards the creature while simultaneously being repulsed and frustrated by the creature's interactions with humanity and the violence and horror he wreaks in response. For anyone facing the daunting task of wading through this comparatively short book in written form I would urge and encourage taking the audio route instead, particularly this version. Note, that this *is* the abridged version.

Who Is The Real Monster?

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Why even read the book? I assumed I knew the story after it being barfed up into multiple movies over the course of a hundred years. You know what they say about assumptions. This was a true delight for me to discover the story behind the monster. It was beautifully narrated and at times extremely chilling. But even better than that, it was very thought provoking. A must listen for all classic and horror fans alike.

What did you like best about this story?

Even though most of the medical elements of the story have actually become reality it was so exciting to think about what it must have felt like to be able to have that kind of power at your hands. To know that you can bring life to something that has been dead. It's exciting at first, but then is it really our place to decide who lives and who dies?

Which scene was your favorite?

I will always hold on to the scene where Frankenstein runs out on his creation. It was a moment of clarity for him. He was full of fear and disgust at what he had done and, in that moment, I felt for him.

Any additional comments?

Kenneth Branagh's narration is fantastic (I think I could listen to him give lectures on the most boring subjects and I would be fully interested) and the story was more exciting than I thought it would be. It's refreshing to listen to a story that will scare you without all the gore and porn that some newer stories feel the need to add. While not a white-knuckled thriller, it will certainly give you something to haunt you.

Abridged

What disappointed you about Frankenstein?

I didn't realize this was an abridged version. The heart of the story, nearly all of the monster's narration, is missing.

What was most disappointing about Mary Shelley’s story?

Couldn't even differentiate between Branagh's "monster" and Frankenstein.

Any additional comments?

If you are a fan of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, don't bother.

Frankenstein

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was great. I preferred the Narrator, Kenneth Branaugh's voice more than other narrated voices reviewed. This is a great book and an enjoyable audio experience.
This was my first experience with Audible.com. It was quick and easy. I downloaded onto CD, and I'll definately use this resource in the future.

Branagh is fabulous!

Somehow I didn’t realize this was Kenneth Branagh until more than halfway through, but wow I’ll definitely be seeking out other things read by him. I mean he’s fantastic by reputation, obviously, but also legitimately a great reader / voice performer.

I’ve read Frankenstein before and it was much less sensational than I’d remembered. I docked the story a star because for a general audience this might not be very exciting. It’s flashback wrapped in epistolary writing, so much of the action is described rather than “lived.” But for anyone interested in the period / period science, materiality, dualism, revenge plots, gothic, or horror, this is a must-read.