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mariekejee 's review for:
Carmilla
by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I think knowing the subject of this novel does kind of ruin the suspense - or perhaps being more familiar with the concept of vampires is the bigger problem. When you hear about Laura's "nightmares", you know exactly what is happening. For a book that is supposedly classified as horror, I never felt scared or uncomfortable - the fact that the story is told in retrospect by the main character makes it so that I never really did worry about her life, as she is supposed to be alive at the end of it all.
Nevertheless, I really liked the book. I listened to it via an audiobook from Librivox (read by Elizabeth Klett, highly recommended!), and that did help - I sometimes struggle with getting into classics due to the language, and audiobooks seem to help; it's hard to get stuck on sentences when the narrator just continues.
The story mainly concerns the relationship between the two women, Laura and Carmilla, and I quite liked that focus. For a book about a sapphic vampire in the late 19th century, it is surprisingly casual about its homoeroticism. Laura is uncomfortable by the more overt displays of romance and affection but is also otherwise drawn to Carmilla, which is an interesting dynamic. Also, for a work of fiction about two women written by a man more than 100 years ago, it holds up really well. There are some annoying moments,such as the men refusing to tell their daughters about the fact they might be getting visited by a vampire or the fact that after the general's whole story, Laura still doesn't connect the dots that Carmilla is a vampire (seriously, how obvious can it be?!) , but all in all it was a great read.
Nevertheless, I really liked the book. I listened to it via an audiobook from Librivox (read by Elizabeth Klett, highly recommended!), and that did help - I sometimes struggle with getting into classics due to the language, and audiobooks seem to help; it's hard to get stuck on sentences when the narrator just continues.
The story mainly concerns the relationship between the two women, Laura and Carmilla, and I quite liked that focus. For a book about a sapphic vampire in the late 19th century, it is surprisingly casual about its homoeroticism. Laura is uncomfortable by the more overt displays of romance and affection but is also otherwise drawn to Carmilla, which is an interesting dynamic. Also, for a work of fiction about two women written by a man more than 100 years ago, it holds up really well. There are some annoying moments,
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Blood