Ratings934
Average rating3.9
Used the Dracula daily and it was even better in many ways to reading it as originally written because it was sent on the day. Could feel passage of time.
Contains spoilers
1860onwards challenge - Book 1 - Dracula (1897)
Atmospheric and haunting beginning - the castle, the crawl down the wall, being kept prisoner. Enthralling moments such as the arrival of the boat in Whitby. Interesting characters such as Van Helsing, Renfield and his conversations with Dr Seward. Tense ending, never sure how it was going to end. Overall a clever structure and a fun read throughout. Perhaps needed some more detailed character development.
Characters ***
Atmosphere *****
Plot ****
Emotion ***
Style ****
3.8
The parts concerning Dracula were interesting, specially the beginning, but they amount to maybe 8% of the book. The way the story is told, read from the diaries of the involved people, felt like a detailed account of an actual events, not the work of literature I find enthralling to read. So, too much useless details, not enough mystery, horror, fantasy, character development or whatever.
By the way, Van Helsing is a completely asshole. In multiple occasions he possess the facts of the situation and chooses to withhold them from everybody for days, leading them on and asking them to trust him utterly, without asking any questions. Then he acts all sanctimonious when he reveals what he knows.
This remains a wonderful story. The opening is the strongest - super creepy journey through the Carpathian mountains and subsequent guest visit (which morphs into imprisonment in a very unsettling way) at Castle Dracula.
After that the story can drag at times, due to far too much phonetic dialect, too many iterations of Lucy coming back from the brink of death, and rising action toward the climax that sometimes feels like reading the time tables for trains & ships. Still, even in audio form when one can't skim these passages, the investment is well worth it.
The full cast Audible recording is delightful, and it's nice to get an extra helping of Tim Curry towards the end, as Van Helsing writes a lengthy account of his journey with Mina. Alan Cumming is great as well, and the actor reading Harker is also really strong.
Interesting read. Stoker's decision to tell the story in letters and journal entries allowed you to get into the head of many different characters, but I feel like that took away a lot of the suspense. Not one of my favorites but it was cool to see the origin of the iconic characters.
OK this is the second time I've tried to read this book and I just cannot get into it. I really want to be a person who loves Victorian suspense. So someday I will make an attempt at Wilkie Collins and the like, but Dracula just doesn't appeal to me. As vamps go, I'll take Angel, Spike, or even Edward Cullen any day over the original.
When I first read this, many years ago, I loved the story and had few complaints. I still love the story, but this time around I found myself cheering for Dracula because the rest of the characters are so irritating. Okay, yes, I know, it was the late 1800s and things were very different, but I'm still irritated to be reminded of that. To think that saying a woman had the mind of a man was the highest of compliments! GAH! Because normally they're just fragile, hysterical creatures! Okay, so maybe less irritated and more apoplectic...
The first third of this novel with Harker in Transylvania was very engaging. Once the plot took a right turn and got bogged down with all the Lucy Westernra “who should I marry” drama I checked out big time. It rebounded a bit but I'd still lost interest. I felt like this book had too many characters. Like all the suitors, I don't even know why all of them were relevant. Just have one dude. You need Van Helsing, absolutely. You need Mina Harker, sure. But all those other random dudes, I feel like they muddled the plot. The zookeeper's cockney accent annoyed me.
I'm the worst book reviewer.
Seriously, a classic that never gets old! Dracula is one of my top favorite books of all times, so reading it again was a treat!
Jonathan Harker sets off on a voyage, to deal with a client, and a long-distance transaction - but things are weird when he arrives. People look at him when he says where he is going, and many warn him off. Paying them no mind, he forges ahead, and soon, things start unfolding in England - where there is not much that he can do about it.
This gothic horror is the stone setting book of its day. This masterpiece cannot be outdone.
While the illustrations were a nice touch throughout this book, the introduction put me off a bit (seriously, we are all tired of hearing about politics, we just want good books to read). Ignore the introduction, and enjoy this classic as it was meant to be.
Thank you to Restless Books, Ingram Publishers, and Edelweiss for an advanced copy of this classic. This new version is coming 3 October 2023.
The story is much grimmer than I remember. I think memory easily becomes tainted by what Hollywood does to books and they have romanticized this one properly.
Rating:
4.5 ⭐
Rounded up to 5
Summary:
Jonathan Harker travels to a mysterious castle to meet with one Count Dracula. He discovers the reality that Dracula is a vampire who possesses supernatural powers. As Jonathan joins together with his love, Mina, and others–Professor Van Helsing, Dr. John Seward, and Arthur Holmwood–they take on the formidable Count Dracula and his minions.
Review:
Thrilling and fun. Dracula is such an iconic character and I understand why the book continues to be read and the character continues to be adapted and brought to the screen and in other works.
I actually really enjoyed the fact that the book is written as if it's a collection of gathered documents and journals, which tell the story and give insights into the relationships of these people.
Classic, beautifully written, can be a bit slow/sloggish sometimes, but good. One that I would gladly reread.
Après deux tentatives infructueuses ces dernières années, l'une dans la version originale en anglais, l'autre dans sa traduction française, j'ai enfin réussi à terminer ce classique de la littérature fantastique, le fameux Dracula de Bram Stoker. J'avais choisi la version originale pour profiter directement et pleinement du texte de l'auteur britannique.
Si je n'avais pas réussi à le terminer les deux premières fois, c'est parce qu'après une première partie captivante, qui nous plonge dans l'ambiance étrange puis terrifiante du château de Dracula en Transylvanie, la suite est moins prenante, plus lente. J'ai eu le même ressenti cette fois encore, mais j'ai tenu bon pour aller jusqu'au bout.
Je l'ai dit, la première partie se déroule en Transylvanie, où le jeune avocat anglais Jonathan Harker a été convié par le mystérieux comte Dracula dans son château isolé pour finaliser l'achat d'une maison en Angleterre. Le jeune britannique y découvre un lieu étrange, hors du temps, et un comte Dracula excentrique et inquiétant.
La deuxième partie s'intéresse au destin de Lucy Westenra, l'amie d'enfance de la fiancée de Jonathan, Mina Murray, courtisée par trois hommes différents : le psychiatre John Seward, l'américain Quincey Morris, et l'aristocrate Arthur Holmwood dont elle accepte la demande en mariage.
La troisième partie raconte la lutte entre Dracula, désormais en Angleterre, et le groupe formé par Jonathan, Mina et les amis de Lucy, menés par le professeur hollandais Van Helsing.
Je l'ai dit : la première partie nous plonge dans une atmosphère sombre et glaçante, on reconnait bien la patte de l'horreur victorienne. La suite est moins réussie à mes yeux : les chapitres s'enchainent, parfois répétitifs, souvent ennuyants, et la fin m'a semblé arriver abruptement au vu du rythme du reste de l'ouvrage.
Nous avons donc affaire à une classique de la littérature fantastique, un livre-culte qui a engendré le mythe toujours vivant (sans jeu de mot) du vampire Dracula, mais c'est aussi un livre qui n'a pas forcément très bien vieilli. Certains classiques sont indémodables, tant par le récit que par le style ; ce n'est pas, à mes yeux, le cas de celui-ci, au-delà de sa place indéniable dans l'histoire de la littérature fantastique.
I enjoyed the beginning of the story so so much! It was great, had a bit of tension and some funny parts, but the ending bored the crap out of me
mina and jonathan's deeply profound love for each other is so ... <3
also the cowboy was my favourite
Solid read. A must of the gothic horror genre and of literature in general. The depiction of Dracula's castle and its overall surroundings were very realistic and the different terms used to express nationalities or romanian cities were very realistic. The book, as Overly Sarcastic Productions states, is a slow burn, and we gradually get to unveil the mistery of Dracula. The end seemed a bit rushed and if came too fast, in just the last 10 pages everything comes down to an end. Van Helsing's decision to bring Mina with him to kill the three vampiresses back at the Count's castle seems pretty stupid. “You are a weak woman and I'm an old man, we shouldn't go with the others to approach and kill the Count, instead, let us go deep into his layer to hunt and kill not one, not two, but three layers. What a great idea!”
Apart from this, the book was fairly enjoyable, given the fact that, you know, ‘tis the season after all. Van Helsing as lovely and as goofy as always.
Luego de leer algunas reseñas pensaba que el libro me iba a disgustar pero no, una historia llena de detalles que hacen que sientas los que los personajes están sintiendo. Hasta el último momento captó mi atención el relato de uno de los personajes más interesantes de la historia. Algunas partes de hacían fastidiosas al presentar el machismo de la época, pero mi lectura pasó por algo esos problemas para disfrutar el clásico.
3.5 stars. It's a classic but it does kind of go on for a while with not much suspense. Definitely worth reading, but I just found it kind of hard to finish.
The early part is some of the best horror literature I've ever read. Afterwards the book drowns a bit in dialogue; everyone speaks in full paragraphs. Overall still I enjoyed the experience