Father of the Bride of Frankenstein

De: Daniel M Kimmel

Narrado por: Benjamin Fife

In 1818, Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein, creating the iconic concept, and incidentally creating modern science fiction.

In 1935, Elsa Lanchester married the monster.

And now, Daniel M. Kimmel updates the myth, and tells us the tale from the point of view of the most important character: the Father of the Bride of Frankenstein.

This is not Ms. Shelley's monster, but (dare we say it?) a dazzling urbanite, literate and thoughtful....and Jewish?

Science has always outrun the guidelines of ethics. It's not unthinkable that interspecies relationships will be the next big question. And with those relationships will come a father's love for his daughter, and that father's fears for his bankbook when his doting daughter plans the most outrageous of weddings.

Making your daughter happy can be a wild ride when her fiancé is being called subhuman, sued because of his very existence, and trying to keep a good Jewish home.

Film critic and award-winning author Daniel M. Kimmel is the author of the Hugo-finalist non-fiction volume Jar Jar Binks Must Die... and Other Observations about Science Fiction Movies, and the novels Shh! It's a Secret: a novel about Aliens, Hollywood, and the Bartender's Guide, and Time On My Hands: My Misadventures In Time Travel. He is the winner of the 2018 Skylark Award (formally known as the Edward E. Smith Memorial Award for Imaginative Fiction), which is given by the New England Science Fiction Association for lifetime contributions to science fiction.

©2019 Daniel M Kimmel (P)2019 Daniel M Kimmel

Understandable and entertaining for a non-Jew

Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this to review. I am also what is called a goy, aka a non-Jew. My analysis of this work may miss some of the nuances a Jewish person would pick up on.

I've been a fan of Frankenstein since high school, so when I saw this book I had to check it out. It has no relation to the book or movies, though. The plot kicks off when scientists re-animate a corpse and the media nicknames the resulting being "Frank" for Frankenstein. (It was here that I wished Herbert West was a little more well known, since he would have been an even more fitting if obsurer reference to make than Frankenstein).

Technically, we open in media res on the day of the wedding and backtrack to explain how everyone got there, including the above-mentioned backstory. And it's quite engaging. It starts off humorous, but the story develops some serious depths as it continues, even as it remains mostly light-hearted and optimistic. I loved seeing Frank grow to become part of the family and the trials everyone faced because some deemed Frank less than human.

The Jewish practice and traditions were mostly understandable to me, a non-Jew. Part of the narrative delves into Frank's choice to convert to Judaism, which allows for natural-sounding explanations when needed.

Fife continues to be an amazing narrator. I've loved his work on Jane Austen's Dragons and I love him here. Especially impressed by his pronunciation of Jewish phrases. I tried to properly pronounce challah after the narration explained how to, but couldn't quite manage it. I'm sorry.

The book ends with about 17 minutes left—the rest is an afterward, a bonus short story, and acknowledgements.

Father of the.....

Definitely better than I expected.
And definitely not what you expect!


***I received a free copy of this audiobook via Story Origin and am voluntarily leaving a review.***

Fun, funny, and more.

I don’t often listen to humorous fiction, but this book may have changed my mind. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, the characters, and the humor. Underlying all that, Dan Kimmel conveys a sense that despite various crazy and bad things that happen, the world and life are essentially good. That’s a welcome perspective theses days!

Stunning

Loved this story! So hilarious, I love Frank's sense of humor even when he was facing possible death.

Laugh your sox off!

situational-humor, verbal-humor, angst, discrimination, reanimation

Laugh your sox off hilarious! The dad relates the story of all the weirdness related to their grad student and only child loving and wanting to marry a nearly normal looking man with no memories of anything before his reanimation by an unscrupulous group of scientists other than a reasonable command of English. Fortunately, although he has no sort of religious affiliation he has made a decision based on logic and conviction to become a Jew, and not just because his love and her family are also Jewish. Can you see Mel Brooks here? I highly recommend it!
Benjamin Fife is a fantastic choice to be the voice actor! He manages to make it even funnier!
I won the audiobook in a giveaway! I really win!