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A review by readthesparrow
Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.0
I am of two minds about this edition of Carmilla!
On one hand, it's Carmilla. I loved it the first time I read it years ago and loved it just as much the second time. The illustrations are gorgeous, and I especially loved the ones that featured Carmilla and Laura together. I also love Carmen Maria Machado--she's one of my favorite authors--and the way she used her role as an editor to create metafiction was genuis (though, of course, somewhat problematic, considering many readers--especially those new to Carmilla--took it as fact).
On the other hand, while I did love the metafiction aspect of this edition, I feel it was almost a missed opportunity. The introduction is, of course, itself a piece of fiction, and there are a few footnotes throughout the text which are essentially flash fiction pieces. However, I left this edition feeling like there wasn't enough of that metafiction. I can see the potential for an ambitious metafictional project which sets the original Carmilla text alongside the fictional "real" letters between Veronika and Marcia (as imagined by Machado in her introduction).
On one hand, it's Carmilla. I loved it the first time I read it years ago and loved it just as much the second time. The illustrations are gorgeous, and I especially loved the ones that featured Carmilla and Laura together. I also love Carmen Maria Machado--she's one of my favorite authors--and the way she used her role as an editor to create metafiction was genuis (though, of course, somewhat problematic, considering many readers--especially those new to Carmilla--took it as fact).
On the other hand, while I did love the metafiction aspect of this edition, I feel it was almost a missed opportunity. The introduction is, of course, itself a piece of fiction, and there are a few footnotes throughout the text which are essentially flash fiction pieces. However, I left this edition feeling like there wasn't enough of that metafiction. I can see the potential for an ambitious metafictional project which sets the original Carmilla text alongside the fictional "real" letters between Veronika and Marcia (as imagined by Machado in her introduction).