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challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is the problem with multiple narrators! Mina, Lucy and Jonathan were great. Every time someone else narrated? My eyes glazed over! The book made me shudder and on the first night (Jonathan in the castle) I got nightmares it was so good. At points when the women spoke, I cried and even laughed. Between the women I could understand why people ship! (Jonathan and Dracula had also had a homoerotic thing going on but it didn't read as consensual, it just made Dracula even more creepy! If that was a platonic friendship between Lucy and Mina, I want a bestie to love me that much!)
But the rest? I could put it down to "it's an old book" if it was on its own or I could dislike Stoker. I'm doing neither. I'm of the belief that he did what I hate in a lot of modern authors, decided "this character is boring so when he narrates, I'll be boring" instead of "this character is boring so I'll not have him narrate and I'll have other characters admit he drones".
It's funny cos there's a lot of both benevolent sexism/chivalry from the Victorian era and more negative sexism against women in this book but my overall feeling was "wow, men who aren't Jonathan are so boring"!
Dracula was scary when he appeared but that wasn't often.
I feel a bit bad cos I grew up 1/2 an hour away from Whitby and I still vastly prefer Frankenstein!
But the rest? I could put it down to "it's an old book" if it was on its own or I could dislike Stoker. I'm doing neither. I'm of the belief that he did what I hate in a lot of modern authors, decided "this character is boring so when he narrates, I'll be boring" instead of "this character is boring so I'll not have him narrate and I'll have other characters admit he drones".
It's funny cos there's a lot of both benevolent sexism/chivalry from the Victorian era and more negative sexism against women in this book but my overall feeling was "wow, men who aren't Jonathan are so boring"!
Dracula was scary when he appeared but that wasn't often.
I feel a bit bad cos I grew up 1/2 an hour away from Whitby and I still vastly prefer Frankenstein!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Misogyny, Grief