Reviews tagging 'Antisemitism'

Dracula by Bram Stoker

44 reviews

irene_addler's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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

5.0

I didn't actually know the story of Dracula before reading the book, so I went in about as uninformed as one could go into Dracula (I had read The Route of Ice and Salt by Jose Luis Zarate, translated by David Bowles first though.) I also had forgotten it is an epistolary, which was a pretty awesome surprise. 

Overall, Dracula is an amazing book, and it's no surprise the book has withstood the test of time. I was warned that maybe it would feel tropey, because it established so many tropes, but it didn't feel tropey to me at all. In fact, I was surprised to see that Dracula is not always the stereotypical vampire we might think he is.

I expected this book to be more of a product of its time, and while in some senses it is, it's very forward thinking, including giving a woman an important--vital, even--role (there aren't a lot of women, but the main cast is fairly small). Though compliments to women are things like "She has a man's brain...", you will find ample use of the term "g*psy" (which is to be expected for the time), and there is some racism--it's up for debate if those are Stoker's feelings or the characters at times. But even at its worst, I didn't find it appalling, just out-of-date. (Granted, their treatment of a patient at the asylum is pretty bad at times.)

From the get go, I was enthralled in this book. While it is slow, there is a lot of excitement and the climax really felt exciting and quick when push came to shove. 

My biggest gripe would be that Dr. Van Helsing's dialogue and writing can be tough to read since his English isn't super strong, as well as some other accents, which Stoker insists on writing out as it would be said. The accents and dialects can be tough to read, but they're all interesting characters. 

I recommend picking up either a Penguin version or another annotated version to help clear up some things less evident to modern and American readers. Plus there are all sorts of really interesting studies on the book as well as Bram Stoker.

Overall, I definitely recommend it. While it is slow-paced, the story clips along well all the same. In my opinion, a perfect balance for a slow-paced read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Mental illness, Gore, Death, Medical content, and Stalking

Minor: Antisemitism, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, and Racial slurs

waterisntreal's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Blood, Child death, Death, Grief, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Violence

knightbirds's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Death, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, Racial slurs, and Sexism

Minor: Animal death, Antisemitism, Child abuse, Child death, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Terminal illness

-Moderate Racial slurs: the word "g*psy" is used multiple times throughout the novel -Moderate Sexism: There is no sexism encountered by the characters in the universe of the story, but the narration and word choices of the author are dated and express antiquated opinions on gender roles and gendered expectations throughout the novel

aegireads's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood

Moderate: Antisemitism, Racism, Grief, Sexism, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Medical content, and Ableism