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mari_library's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
3.5
I didn't enjoy this book as much as I would've liked and it's the lowest gothic classic I've read.
Reading it alongside the audiobook definitely helped getting through it and added to my enjoyment. But I do think this was too long. There are about 100 pages that could've been cut, mostly after the situation with Lucy (which was my favorite). I also will never forgive Bram Stoker for having only two female characters and both of them spend 90% of the sections talking about how brave the men were and how fragile women were and how much women needed men. Mina Harker has an entire journal entry where all she talks about is how brave the men are and how frail she is. Like girl, huh??? I also want to erase "man-brain" out of my head or how the Doctor said that Mina was so smart that she had the same brain as a man - implying heavily that it is an uncommon thing for women to have thoughts and opinions.
Obviously, I am aware of the time that this book was written. This type of narrative - and the Christian fiction that was present on the last 70 pages - is a given. What makes his book iconic is the re-introduction of vampires in pop culture and how it became a catalyst for the vampire stories we have today. Bram Stoker brought vampires back to the mainstream basically. And he delivered in creating a villain. Dracula is appalling and without morals. The heroes felt flat for me for the most part but I still enjoyed their arc.
Overall, it delivered on what it promised but took time to do so.
Reading it alongside the audiobook definitely helped getting through it and added to my enjoyment. But I do think this was too long. There are about 100 pages that could've been cut, mostly after the situation with Lucy (which was my favorite). I also will never forgive Bram Stoker for having only two female characters and both of them spend 90% of the sections talking about how brave the men were and how fragile women were and how much women needed men. Mina Harker has an entire journal entry where all she talks about is how brave the men are and how frail she is. Like girl, huh??? I also want to erase "man-brain" out of my head or how the Doctor said that Mina was so smart that she had the same brain as a man - implying heavily that it is an uncommon thing for women to have thoughts and opinions.
Obviously, I am aware of the time that this book was written. This type of narrative - and the Christian fiction that was present on the last 70 pages - is a given. What makes his book iconic is the re-introduction of vampires in pop culture and how it became a catalyst for the vampire stories we have today. Bram Stoker brought vampires back to the mainstream basically. And he delivered in creating a villain. Dracula is appalling and without morals. The heroes felt flat for me for the most part but I still enjoyed their arc.
Overall, it delivered on what it promised but took time to do so.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Blood
Moderate: Animal cruelty
marsco's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Medical content
elliebasta's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, and Sexism
leann0330's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Gore, Mental illness, Blood, Medical content, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, and Suicidal thoughts
Note: Since this is a gothic horror novel, I tried to add content warnings but may have missed some. I finally read this and went into it, not really knowing what the “original” vampire folklore is because our society has been so saturated with undead fantasy. It was great to read this (and I knew that Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla was one of Stoker’s inspirations for this) going in fairly blindly. The story was suspenseful and I loved that it was told strictly from journal entries, so quite a few different POVs. Poor old Van Helsing droned on and on. I think that’s probably the only complaint I have other than the way women were still thought to not be as smart as men (but that was a product of the time). Because, let’s be honest—Mina was the real MVP. I wasn’t sure if the good guys would win in the end, so it was suspenseful for me until the last page.sarabookshelf's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
3.25
It's a classic and it stands the test of time. However, the characters were a bit one dimensional for me, I didn't enjoy all the religious and conservative aspects, and the ending was a bit rushed and underwhelming in my opinion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Violence and Forced institutionalization
yolanda_h's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-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
Graphic: Body horror, Misogyny, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Xenophobia, and Grief
angelo_vossen's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
What month could be better to read this book in than October? Bram Stoker’s „Dracula“, published in 1897, is a classic piece of literature that has had a lasting impact on how vampires are portrayed, but it has both strengths and weaknesses.
The novel’s greatest strength is its ability to mix modern life with old superstitions. Dracula, a creature from ancient folklore, invades the logical and scientific world of Victorian England. Stoker cleverly builds suspense using different narrative forms — diaries, letters, and newspaper articles — making the reader slowly uncover the threat Dracula poses. This structure creates a sense of growing dread that keeps the reader engaged.
However, the book struggles with pacing. The first part, set in Dracula’s castle in Transylvania, is full of tension and mystery, but once the story moves to England, it slows down. The middle sections, where the main characters try to defeat Dracula, can feel repetitive and drawn out, losing some of the initial suspense.
The characters also feel uneven. Dracula himself is a fascinating villain — mysterious and terrifying — but his human opponents are less memorable. Jonathan Harker and Mina Murray, for example, are presented as good, moral people, but they lack depth. Mina, in particular, represents the ideal Victorian woman — pure and nurturing — while Lucy Westenra’s tragic fate as the victim of Dracula reflects the era’s fears around female sexuality.
Additionally, the novel reflects 19th-century fears of foreign invasion. Dracula’s move to England can be seen as a metaphor for anxieties about foreign influences corrupting Western society. This idea, along with the novel’s conservative views on gender roles, has led to debate over whether „Dracula“ supports or critiques Victorian values.
In the end, „Dracula“ is a groundbreaking work that created an iconic figure of horror, though it’s not without its flaws. Its slow pacing, underdeveloped characters, and outdated moral views hold it back, but the novel’s dark atmosphere and exploration of deep societal fears still make it an important piece of literature. I have not read to many classic books yet, but „Dracula“ is definitely one of the better ones so far.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Blood
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Alcohol
martyrbat's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Ableism, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Terminal illness, Blood, and Stalking
idesofmarch's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Blood
Moderate: Body horror and Sexism
dawntin's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
4.0
This book had really interesting themes regarding gender, colonization, and even energy for the time period. Mina was a Victorian girlboss. However, the text was a slog to get through at times with the descriptions and changing POVs. Van Helsing’s sections were especially repetitive. The ending itself seemed like it happened very quickly, even though there was so much buildup to it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder