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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
At the time this novel was written in 1897 it is assumed Count Dracula is 469 years old. And the time it took me to read this book felt about the same.
The story at it's heart is very interesting. Had this book been given to an editor, the 400 pages could easily have fit into a 280 pages book, and I would have rated it 5 ⭐s. Too many descriptions which didn't add to the storyline but certainly added to the page count, made this a tiresome read for me.
There were paragraphs which could have been a single sentence.
Anyway, not all was bad there were certain good points too. I liked all the characters, except maybe Mina's whom I found bland, I was invested in the fates of all the characters.
But again, the end felt rushed and I wasn't really scared by the book.
Overall a pretty average read.
The story at it's heart is very interesting. Had this book been given to an editor, the 400 pages could easily have fit into a 280 pages book, and I would have rated it 5 ⭐s. Too many descriptions which didn't add to the storyline but certainly added to the page count, made this a tiresome read for me.
There were paragraphs which could have been a single sentence.
Anyway, not all was bad there were certain good points too. I liked all the characters, except maybe Mina's whom I found bland, I was invested in the fates of all the characters.
But again, the end felt rushed and I wasn't really scared by the book.
Overall a pretty average read.
This was surprisingly good. I've read a few classic gothic horror novels and none of them seem to do it for me, but this one managed to be particularly low on racism and sexism, which is appreciated.
I felt it dragged on for a bit when Mina and Lucy are sending letters to each other up until Jonathan makes it back, but I can't get over how funny it is that this novel starts with a stuck up Englishman being a little racist and finding the villagers' superstitions over the top and then proceeding to get himself immediately kidnapped by the local cryptid. The dramatic irony is comedic genius. The pacing for the rest of the book isn't fast, but I was actively entertained.
The narration style is, predictably for the period, a little distant, so you never feel quite connected to the characters, but I liked that Mina wasn't utterly helpless as a person. There was a lot of "how very nice of all these strong men to be so brave and helpful", but even then, her character was as well developed as her male counterparts.
This book would have made a much bigger impression on me if I had known nothing about the story and vampires were a relatively new trope in fiction, which of course, was the case when this book came out. If you're familiar with how to repel vampires, everything that's done to foreshadow the big reveal seems really obvious, but of course, the only reason I knew about the garlic and the mirrors was because Stoker put it there in the first place. 1,000 points for that.
I felt it dragged on for a bit when Mina and Lucy are sending letters to each other up until Jonathan makes it back, but I can't get over how funny it is that this novel starts with a stuck up Englishman being a little racist and finding the villagers' superstitions over the top and then proceeding to get himself immediately kidnapped by the local cryptid. The dramatic irony is comedic genius. The pacing for the rest of the book isn't fast, but I was actively entertained.
The narration style is, predictably for the period, a little distant, so you never feel quite connected to the characters, but I liked that Mina wasn't utterly helpless as a person. There was a lot of "how very nice of all these strong men to be so brave and helpful", but even then, her character was as well developed as her male counterparts.
This book would have made a much bigger impression on me if I had known nothing about the story and vampires were a relatively new trope in fiction, which of course, was the case when this book came out. If you're familiar with how to repel vampires, everything that's done to foreshadow the big reveal seems really obvious, but of course, the only reason I knew about the garlic and the mirrors was because Stoker put it there in the first place. 1,000 points for that.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
i enjoyed this WAY more than i thought i would. i knew nothing about vampires or dracula or any of the adaptations before reading this. wild how a random airport pickup became one of my favorite books.
Increíble, me ha encantado.
No le doy 5 estrellas porque mataron al mejor personaje aka Lucy Westenra mi niña se merecía mucho más.
No le doy 5 estrellas porque mataron al mejor personaje aka Lucy Westenra mi niña se merecía mucho más.
I mostly listened to this one instead of reading it and I think that was the best choice I could have made as I did switch to reading at one point and I just couldn't do it. Like a lot of older writers, Stoker did his best to phonetically write down accents whenever someone didn't have a posh British accent and I have no idea how anyone can read these passages. It might be my dyslexia, but my brain just can't do it, so it was a massive relief to just be able to listen to them instead. If you also struggle with that type of thing, then I highly recommend going the audio route.
As for the actual story of the book, I found it wonderfully gripping! I didn't know if that would be the case because it's such a well known story now and I didn't know how much of the tension came from not knowing that Dracula was a vampire. The answer is almost none because a good part of the story's tension relies on the characters being in the dark while the audience knows all, so it really doesn't matter how much knowledge you bring to the table. It's still a good story, provided you don't mind older writing styles, which I don't.
I can see why this one stood the test of time and why it has inspired so many other stories. It's a wonderful read - or in my case, listen - that I will likely revisit when I need something entertaining to engage my brain while I do mundane tasks around the house.
A quick warning for modern readers: this book is a product of its time, so there's some very minor racism, a smattering of classism, a decent helping of sexism, and a heavily religious tone to the whole novel. If any or all of those things upset you, then this may not be the book for you.
As for the actual story of the book, I found it wonderfully gripping! I didn't know if that would be the case because it's such a well known story now and I didn't know how much of the tension came from not knowing that Dracula was a vampire. The answer is almost none because a good part of the story's tension relies on the characters being in the dark while the audience knows all, so it really doesn't matter how much knowledge you bring to the table. It's still a good story, provided you don't mind older writing styles, which I don't.
I can see why this one stood the test of time and why it has inspired so many other stories. It's a wonderful read - or in my case, listen - that I will likely revisit when I need something entertaining to engage my brain while I do mundane tasks around the house.
A quick warning for modern readers: this book is a product of its time, so there's some very minor racism, a smattering of classism, a decent helping of sexism, and a heavily religious tone to the whole novel. If any or all of those things upset you, then this may not be the book for you.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Re-reading it as an adult made the older language much easier to comprehend. There's a reason why it's a classic: it's fun. It's a bit slow in the middle, but the buildup to seeing Dracula and his castle and the ominous atmosphere back in England for the other characters make it a thrilling adventure.
slow-paced
4/7 Read-A-Thon book
FINALLY FINISHED! WOOOOO! This slayed. Rip Quincey you would've loved that one Pedro Pascal edit.
FINALLY FINISHED! WOOOOO! This slayed. Rip Quincey you would've loved that one Pedro Pascal edit.