A review by saraaaa
Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I have mixed feelings about this book. It's tense, it's gothic, it's the first work of fiction revolving around vampires, it's homoerotic. It has some beautiful images and descriptions, especially when it comes to the relationship between Carmilla and Laura. Overall, I'd say it's a story worth reading.
I think its main problem is that it didn't fit the novella format that well. Everything felt rushed, especially the ending chapters, as if Le Fanu was running out of ink. By the end, the line between the protagonist-narrator and the author blurred every few paragraphs rather noticeably. Had it been a novel, there could've been enough room for both of them, without the technical information taking up precious space from the plot, that could've been better developed. Many plot points were left unexplored in their potential, some were just plainly ignored –
At the same time, almost paradoxically, the prose was so complex, the periods so long and full of subordinate clauses, that I found the pace rather slow.
I think its main problem is that it didn't fit the novella format that well. Everything felt rushed, especially the ending chapters, as if Le Fanu was running out of ink. By the end, the line between the protagonist-narrator and the author blurred every few paragraphs rather noticeably. Had it been a novel, there could've been enough room for both of them, without the technical information taking up precious space from the plot, that could've been better developed. Many plot points were left unexplored in their potential, some were just plainly ignored –
Spoiler
Who was the older lady who accompanied Mircalla to meet her victims? Another vampire who just passed by from time to time to help spread their species? Was the voice of Laura's mother a mere hallucination, or did she really somehow comunicate with her daughter to save her? Was the fact that she was a blood relative to the Karnstein family relevant?At the same time, almost paradoxically, the prose was so complex, the periods so long and full of subordinate clauses, that I found the pace rather slow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Terminal illness