Scan barcode
A review by natundertrees
Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
“You are mine, you shall be mine, you and I are one for ever.”
As a lover of vampires, I loved the premise of this, but after reaching the introduction from Machado that included recently discovered snippets from Veronika's letters, I can't help but feel disappointed by the way that Le Fanu distorted this story and excluded--and dare I say, ruined--so much of Laura and Carmilla's relationship. I will say, I do enjoy that this edition was edited in hopes of shaming Le Fanu (and it worked, considering I have absolutely zero respect for him after reading this lol) and because Machado wished to remain true to his original work out of a pettiness that I appreciate endlessly. I'm in the same realm as her though: I hope that one day, Veronika's uncensored letters to Marcia inspire a work of fiction that doesn't aim to twist them so.
I gave this particular edition of Carmilla four stars purely because of Carmen Maria Machado's introduction and the way it encouraged me to interact and read this novella. Also, because it felt like the perfect October read and is one of the more engaging and interesting classics that I've read in my life.
As a lover of vampires, I loved the premise of this, but after reaching the introduction from Machado that included recently discovered snippets from Veronika's letters, I can't help but feel disappointed by the way that Le Fanu distorted this story and excluded--and dare I say, ruined--so much of Laura and Carmilla's relationship. I will say, I do enjoy that this edition was edited in hopes of shaming Le Fanu (and it worked, considering I have absolutely zero respect for him after reading this lol) and because Machado wished to remain true to his original work out of a pettiness that I appreciate endlessly. I'm in the same realm as her though: I hope that one day, Veronika's uncensored letters to Marcia inspire a work of fiction that doesn't aim to twist them so.
I gave this particular edition of Carmilla four stars purely because of Carmen Maria Machado's introduction and the way it encouraged me to interact and read this novella. Also, because it felt like the perfect October read and is one of the more engaging and interesting classics that I've read in my life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Murder