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A review by mari_library
Dracula by Bram Stoker
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