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elsabell's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.75
A boring book, famous but boring. I kept reading and finished it as an homage to the legend it created.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Blood
euhfubeuh's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
In my opinion, the format of Dracula as being told in letters and journal entries from different perspectives makes the story confusing post Harker’s entries in the beginning. Despite that, the entire exposition— for both Dracula’s and VanHellsing’s introduction— is well written and creates a good atmosphere for the story. From my understanding, the themes of Dracula set love and lust against each other in a debate over which is more dangerous. Idk I’m talking out of my butt; I don’t like the book that much, but I wish I did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Sexual content, Blood, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Animal death, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racial slurs
hazamelis's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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
3.5
For those that expect a lot of exploration of the subject matter under the subtext of this story, I recommend lowering your expectations, for the cases are few and the words for every act are scarce. This is a book that works at being reticent. The novel's strength comes from the insinuations and extrapolations we get to make of what we do not see. All this, added up with the diary form of the novel and the two experiences we live with, makes the truth behind the implications of the symbols in the story feel truly immersive, and therefore as terrifying as life matters can be, all in their banal but disgusting reality. As it has been said "The novel excels not at what it writes, but at what it does not have to write"; overall, censorship becomes this book's greatest strength.
It is true that part of the subtext comes from the Victorian era mentality of morality that some might seem stiff nowadays, but the implications of non consensual interactions the characters have to go through and the implications these have on the mind will always be scary until the end of time.
It is true that part of the subtext comes from the Victorian era mentality of morality that some might seem stiff nowadays, but the implications of non consensual interactions the characters have to go through and the implications these have on the mind will always be scary until the end of time.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
atlantisblauw's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Very enjoyable classic, glad I read it. It's not what I expected, it's more a mystery novel than a vampire story. You already know who did it, but he's difficult to catch. Most of the story is about finding a way to defeat him, and it becomes clear that Dracula is a devil, making this a very classic go(o)d vs (d)evil story.
One of the more interesting parts of the novel was that one of the main characters is a more traditional woman and the other calls herself a New Woman. She's said to have the mind of a man, so it's still pretty sexist, but she does take an active, even pivotal, role in the battle against evil.
What I didn't like as much is how all men fall in love with the traditional woman, who gets three proposals in one day, then later on keep kissing the New Woman's hand and telling her they wouldn't mind dying for her, etc. It's just too much.
I had some difficulty understanding one of the main characters, doctor Van Helsing. He's Dutch and I think that's why his grammar is bad, but as a Dutch person I can say he didn't make the mistakes Dutch people usually make. He clearly loves philosophical discussions, so that combined made it quite hard to understand him sometimes.
All in all, would recommend if you like classics, vampires, mysteries, epistolary novels, Christian fiction, or feminist literature (because Mina Harker is pretty cool).
One of the more interesting parts of the novel was that one of the main characters is a more traditional woman and the other calls herself a New Woman. She's said to have the mind of a man, so it's still pretty sexist, but she does take an active, even pivotal, role in the battle against evil.
What I didn't like as much is how all men fall in love with the traditional woman, who gets three proposals in one day, then later on keep kissing the New Woman's hand and telling her they wouldn't mind dying for her, etc. It's just too much.
I had some difficulty understanding one of the main characters, doctor Van Helsing. He's Dutch and I think that's why his grammar is bad, but as a Dutch person I can say he didn't make the mistakes Dutch people usually make. He clearly loves philosophical discussions, so that combined made it quite hard to understand him sometimes.
All in all, would recommend if you like classics, vampires, mysteries, epistolary novels, Christian fiction, or feminist literature (because Mina Harker is pretty cool).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Sexism, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Blood
mothstrand's review against another edition
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? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Forced institutionalization, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Ableism and Antisemitism
e_ski's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-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? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Racism, and Violence
cyluho's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Terminal illness, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Racism, Sexism, and Xenophobia
ckopack's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Blood
a_random_fangirl's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
toksoplazmozy's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-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
4.0
Gdyby nie seksizm, mizoginia, wychwalanie Boga (pod koniec książki wyjątkowo częste) i czystości Lucy i Miny (które nie są bohaterkami z krwi i kości a szkoda) oraz moralizatorskie wywody van Helsinga, byłoby 5 ⭐️. Przygodowa, szybka i przyjemna do czytania książka.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Blood, and Medical content
Minor: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Death of parent