Dracula by Bram Stoker

Finally I finished Dracula! I started rereading this back in October for Halloween, but this year has been crazy and I’ve been way behind on my reading. Which usually means I’ve found more books to read that I’ve enjoyed more 🙂 Or had little time for whatever reason. I read the ebook because at the time I started reading my paperback was still in moving boxes.

 

 

 

My thoughts

I couldn’t really remember everything that happens in the book because it’d been a while since I’d read it. I’d forgotten how this is a perfect example of a gothic horror novel, in the beginning when Jonathan Harker is on his way to Castle Dracula, the atmosphere is great and so is the foreshadowing. I enjoyed the story and released how much has actually been changed in the movie, the movie romanticises Dracula I feel but in this book he is a monster! A proper vampire! (sorry, Lestat).

The movie gets the vampire protections wrong too, (and so does Buffy!) They use garlic flowers not the bulbs! 

Due to the age of the book it can be overly dramatic sometimes. And Bram Stoker wrote dialogue as they speak which can be a bit awkward to understand. Van Helsing’s part of the narrative was also written as he spoke, this was annoying. I didn’t like the talk of a “man’s brain” and a woman’s brain but you have to allow for the difference in times. There was one glaring mistake that me and my friend noticed, wonder if you can find it too?

I enjoyed this book but sometimes it was a bit of a trudge to get through, there’s a lot of dialogue and it can get slow and dull. I think it might have been down to the pacing, a lot of scenes could have been reduced down.

The ending was disappointing, most of the scenes had been overlong up until then and when they finally reach that all important moment it is over too quickly. I had no memory of how the book ended. It’s a let down.

That said, I think this is a book people should read. There is some great writing and great moments in this book. But be warned there are parts that can be a bit dull, it’s for the avid classic reader, or the person who has to finish the book! 

I finished it! I’m glad I reread it but also glad my next classic is shorter: A Christmas Carol. My motivation for finishing this book was that I could read that next, it also helped that I was reading it with a few other people and knowing they had finished it made me push on. I sat there for over an hr until late-ish to finish it.

Have you read Dracula? What did you think?