Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - Dracula

I liked it very, very much, and it's definitely one of my favourite classics now. It was really cool to finally get to know the source material for so many Dracula stories out there, and I have to admit there were a lot of things I didn't expect and that surprised me.

Loved that the story only consists of letters, diary entries and newspaper articles. Loved all the atmospheric settings and the characters. And loved how all the different parts of the story came together.

I just don't know if I chose the right method to consume it for the first time. I read it through Dracula Daily (while listening to the audiobook along the way, which was a good decision btw) and although it was a great motivator to finally start the book, and it was fun to experience the story on the same days of the year it took place, I had a few issues with it.

First of all, I didn't know that the letters etc. were not always presented in chronological order in the book. So I missed the original intention of the author who chose to withhold things and present them later (for example, letters that were delayed or articles that were read later than their publication date). This didn't happen often, but I feel, some scenes would have had a different impact on me if I had read the material at the intended point in the book. They still had an impact the way I read them, knowing more than the characters sometimes. But again, for the first read I probably would have chosen otherwise if I had known this.

Then there are several weeks in between where nothing happens. And so I was forced to take these breaks before continuing with the story. Towards the end, this worked really well for me because I really wanted to know what happens next and the anticipation kept me excited. But at the beginning, especially with so much repetition (Lucy's part basically), the story was dragging. It felt like the first half of the book took forever and the pacing was off, when in reality it would probably have been much quicker if I had just continued reading without waiting for the next appropriate date. I guess we'll never know. :D

Content Warnings

ijustreallyliketrees's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

Read Frankenstein a few years back so it seemed fitting to finally read Dracula. Found the first part of the book, Jonathan's journal, to be the most interesting. Slow in the middle with lots of info dumping so by the time the end came it seemed a bit anti-climactic. I am glad I read it though.

Content Warnings

melancholymegs's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Content Warnings

thomasdj's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Content Warnings

elisamorvena's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Content Warnings

aardwyrm's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

It's. The one with Dracula.

Content Warnings

vezreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

An absolutely epic tale. I'm glad I've finally read it, it's clear why its a classic. I struggled with the misogyny and the infantilization of the women. I know, I know, "it was a different time" I get that, but I was still reading it in 2022 and I can't just turn off the part of my brain that recognises these things. But that, and the occasional use of racial slurs, were the only things I didn't like. It was a marvellous book and I understand so many other pieces of media better now that I have finally read the source material.

Content Warnings

emmalouisereads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

This book is written as a series of letters and diary entries, which I wasn’t sure I’d enjoy. However it was a lot of fun!

There’s a lot of different abilities that Dracula has compared to what I thought. The book is also much slower paced than I expected.

Negatives: There’s a few old fashioned views and expressions about those with mental health difficulties, women in general and foreign people. Also, occasionally there is a long-winded speech I don’t think is entirely necessary.

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