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Liked It4 of 4 members found this review helpful “The uber-horror novel. "Dracula" is just chock full o' chills and thrills -- as befits a book written by a man of the Victorian theatre -- and the title character ("inspired", to put it delicately, by Stoker's boss, the famed actor Sir Henry Irving) fairly drips with evil, lust, violence and all...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It2 of 2 members found this review helpful “One of the worst works of art (if you insist to call it so) I've ever read. Too long and too boring! It is true that the very fist few chapters seem to be quite interesting and full of suspense, but as you go on, you just feel bored and unwilling to continue. I read the summary of the final...” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“a creepy classic. I will always remember the three female vamps who approach Harkness the first night.”
Kassidy wrote this review yesterday. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I think this book is gonna be SCARY! I've heard the name "DRACULA" before. Planning to read this in 10 years time so that I can understand the story :)”
Siti Nurul Nadia A wrote this review yesterday. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“The tale begins with Jonathan Harker, a newly qualified English solicitor, journeying by train and carriage from England to Count Dracula's crumbling, remote castle. At first enticed by Dracula's gracious manner, Harker soon discovers that he has become a prisoner in the castle. He also begins to see disquieting facets of Dracula's nocturnal life. One night while searching for a way out of the castle, and against Dracula's strict admonition not to venture outside his room at night, Harker falls under the spell of three wanton female vampires, the Brides of Dracula. He is saved at the last second by the Count, however, who ostensibly wants to keep Harker alive just long enough to obtain needed legal advice and teachings about England and London (Dracula's planned travel destination was to be among the "teeming millions"). Harker barely escapes from the castle with his life. Soon Dracula is menacing Harker's devoted fiancée, Wilhelmina "Mina" Murray, and her vivacious friend, Lucy Westenra. Lucy begins to waste away suspiciously and later she and her mother are attacked by a wolf. Mrs Westenra, who has a heart condition, dies of fright, and Lucy apparently dies soon after. Lucy is buried, but soon afterward the newspapers report children being stalked in the night by beautiful lady. Realising Lucy is a vampire, she is tracked down by VanHelsing & co and staked. Around the same time, Jonathan Harker arrives home from recuperation in Budapest (where Mina joined and married him after his escape from the castle); he and Mina also join the coalition, who turn their attentions to dealing with Dracula.
Nisareen - So Much To Read So Little Time wrote this review 2 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
After Dracula learns of Van Helsing and the others' plot against him, he takes revenge by visiting—and biting— Mina at least three times. Dracula also feeds Mina his blood, creating a spiritual bond between them to control her. The only way to forestall this is to kill Dracula first. Mina slowly succumbs to the blood of the vampire that flows through her veins, switching back and forth from a state of consciousness to a state of semi-trance during which she is telepathically connected with Dracula. Can they save Mina in time or will Dracula claim another victim?”
“It is really good...”
Nathan S wrote this review 3 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“One of the best books i ever readed.”
Victor C wrote this review 4 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“A classic! My shelf would't be complete without it. I read it in university while taking a Gothic Literature class. I could't put it down and it had my heart racing the whole time I was reading it. It is true vampire lit!”
Miss F wrote this review 5 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“SPOILER WARNING
Thomas Johnson wrote this review 5 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
This is arguably the vampire tale by which all other vampire tales are judged, and it's definitely an enjoyable and thought-provoking yarn. Stoker adeptly creates a deliciously creepy Gothic atmosphere which pervades from beginning to end -- the danger of Dracula, and the paranormal world which he represents, is around every corner.
What gives the novel its heart, though, is the extremely likable protagonists -- Jonathan Harker, his wife Mina Harker, Dr. John Seward, Arthur Holmwood, Quincey Morris, and, of course, Dr. Van Helsing. I'm fascinated by morally ambiguous characters, but it is refreshing every now and then to encounter some unabashedly good souls in literature, and these characters are unabashedly good. Their sense of comradely and religious piety provides the novel with a moral backbone amidst the darkness.
One aspect of the novel that works both to its advantage and disadvantage is its narrative structure -- that is, Stoker's framing of the the story through the journal entries and letters of four of the main characters. The upside to this technique is that it makes it slightly easier for the reader to connect emotionally with the characters, as he or she is reading the characters' thoughts without the intermediary of the third-person narrator. The first-person accounts also helps gives the story a sense of authenticity, which it needs given its fantastic subject matter. Unfortunately, Stoker seems to sometimes forget that he is writing journal entries, which partly defeats the sense of authenticity that he creates. For example, he clearly does not want to ruin the ending by having Mina write at the beginning of her last entry that Dracula is dead. But by upholding the tension he sacrifices character believability. It makes no sense that Mina, who had been fearing Dracula for months, would not start that journal entry with "DRACULA IS FINALLY DEAD!" It's a small complaint, but I wish he could have found a way to uphold tension and character integrity both.
Ultimately, Dracula was an excellent read, and worthy of it's designation as a horror classic. Well-worth reading a discussing with others.”
“I want to read it! I LOVE vampire books and Dracula is a classic! Santa please get me Dracula!”
Laney C wrote this review 6 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“There were parts of this book that were slow, and it was not an easy read, but I really did enjoy it. It was fun to see where Dracula began, especially with all the vampire fads going on right now. There was a heavy bit of horror in it, too, which I liked. Kind of a 1900's Stephen King.”
Elise M wrote this review 7 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This is the classic story of the hunt for Count Dracula, the evil vampire who wants to expand his hunting grounds to densely populated London. Told in diary entries, newspaper articles, and letters; the story is from the point of view of a group of people who have vowed to stop Dracula from creating new undead and kill him before he could destroy their dear friend. I really enjoyed reading this classic. Although the style of the novel leaves much of Dracula himself a mystery, Stoker does a good job of building suspense. The ending was a little bit of a let down after the slow and steady build up, but I appreciated the feeling of terror and the atmosphere of doom that the author was able to maintain despite having very little on screen violence or gore.”
Cora R wrote this review 8 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
