Rating: 
Summary: The best way to absorb the Dracula myth...
Review: Bram Stoker had absolutely no idea just what sort of monster he was creating. I refer not to his title character, but to the book itself. It is highbrow enough that scholars and literary types feel the need to include it (if, perhaps, toward the bottom) on their lists of exemplary 19th-century popular literature, yet lowbrow enough to interest the common reader. This is not a slight to the "common reader"; I'm one, too, and I tire of dense, obnoxiously self-important prose. Stoker's goal was not to write "important" books. He knew exactly who his readers were - real people, not literary critics. That he managed to rise somewhat above even his own expectations with Dracula is a testament to his often latent skill. Stephen King has benefited from the seriousness with which some critics have taken Dracula, by often being taken more seriously than he perhaps deserves. King knows this, too; he has often described himself, tongue in cheek, as the McDonald's or General Motors of horror fiction. Stoker, while never as consistently successful as King, might have applied a similar description to himself.Dracula, though written at the end of the 19th century, seems a fairly modern book, at it moves swiftly and employs suspense techniques often associated with more recent books and films (i.e., the shifting point-of-view, "cross-cutting", if you will, between different first-person narratives to build tension). It works exceedingly well, providing a model and formula followed by many successors - though often with less impressive results. The central villain - Count Dracula himself - is quite rightly absent from the stage a good deal of the time, so that he may grow in the imagination of the reader as his invisible presence permeates nearly every page. He is always just on the other of the window, door, or wall, or just across the street - his nefarious intentions influencing events as the book draws inexorably toward confrontation with the monster. Dracula's flaw is also, in a way, its virtue: there are no evil human characters. Almost everyone is quite heroic and selfless in a sort of two-dimensional way. It is not that the characters are underdeveloped (as many complain), but that they tend to be representative of human beings' more enviable qualities, and therefor seem less realistic to the modern reader. But, then, one has to realize that the entire book is composed of diaries, letters, and faux-news clippings. I get a sense of subtle humor, of the "unreliable narrator" sort, from some passages of Dracula, as characters make themselves out to be more chivalrous, loving, and trusting than, perhaps, they actually were during the "real" events they describe. For example, one can only infer Dr. Seward's actual response to Van Helsing's request for autopsy knives so he can decapitate his beloved Lucy's corpse and take out her heart before burial! Reading between the lines, Seward's description of the event in his diary becomes darkly funny as he struggles to maintain a sense of 19th-century British decorum while relating the scene. His description of Van Helsing's anguish gives us a clue: Seward seems to suspect his mentor may be going off the deep end, and his expressions of blind trust in the old man may be a way of placating him. Dracula's greatest virtue, though, is its well-oiled plot. It's an impressive machine that still functions marvelously more than a century after its making. It is a mean, sharp skeleton fleshed out with numerous horrific digressions (the episodes with Dracula's "brides", the log of the Demeter, the "bloofer lady", etc.) that serve as tiles in a mosaic gradually completing the rather lean narrative that develops from them. Compare it with, say, Peter Straub's rather bloated attempt at the same technique in Floating Dragon, a rather messy and unsatisfying novel with isolated moments of brilliance, and you start to realize what a taut, precise engine Stoker really fashioned. What keeps me from giving Dracula five stars is that it's necessarily limited by its own goals. Truly great popular novels somehow manage to tell exciting stories while also reaching more deeply than they pretend. They reverberate on levels well above (and below) their apparent target. While many have read exotic psychosexual interpretations into Dracula, I find it shallows out rather quickly once it has served up its scares and menace. Yes, there is a genuine (and intended) erotic subtext, but it fails to be profoundly illuminating, since it was never intended to be. It serves its disquieting purpose, and then departs, rather than lingering. That's how Stoker designed his effects, and they work perfectly. He set out to write a good four-star novel, and he did. A hundred years later, it's still good four-star novel, popular as ever, as well it deserves. Excellent work, and worth a place in your library.
Rating: 
Summary: Uber-cool
Review: Now, I haven't read all of the books in the world. But I do know that out of all the ones that I have, I would say that Dracula has to be in my top ten. There is no one cooler than this guy, he can fly like a bat, run like a wolf, crawl like a gecko, and he never dies if supplied. The guy is just a beast. In addition to the coolness factor that this guy has, the book is suspenseful, contains fleshed out characters with a kickin' storyline. How can you just not feel like you are running scared like Harker through the Dracula mansion? Outstanding in every way. This is definitely reccommended. Hoo-ah!
Rating: 
Summary: Milestone of the genre
Review: A milestone of the genre, Dracula was more enjoyable than I feared. Many classics just don't translate well in the modern world. Dracula does have some of those weepy emotional moments, so common to 19th century literature. Also I am usually leery of stories told by the device of letters and diaries. However Dracula starts off very compellingly with Jonathan Harker's visit to Transylvania. The story drags a bit when the Count reaches London, but picks up after the death of Lucy. Unfortunately, the story never regains the creepy feeling of the beginning; mainly because the count remains a vague menace off page for almost the whole last two thirds of the book.
Rating:
Summary: Seductive
Review: This book is filled with sublime seduction, mingled with pure horror! Dracula is not just evil, but enticing which is what makes this book work so well, making it the classic that it is. The novel approach to telling the story draws the reader in, playing on the emotions and psyche of the reader on many different levels. There's a repulsive appeal to Dracula that gives the story its real punch, something that Anne Rice seems to have grasped and embodied in Lestat! Forget all those B Movies - go to the source! It will be an experience that only Stoker could evoke!
Rating:
Summary: Never Watch a Movie Based on A Novel
Review: Dracula is a book tucked into the library of our culture's soul. It brought light to darker worlds and different lifestyles. Abraham Stoker, an advocate of censorship in his time, would have been shocked at today's perception of sexuality in his novel. Dracula was Stoker's masterpiece, but the work itself is somewhat flawed. The flow is meandering and the characters are static. It is best to read this book as a means of better understanding the modern mind and the affect the myth of vampires has had on it. No film portrayal has capture the true feel of this book. At his best, Stoker presents everyday people thrust into bizarre and harrowing circumstances that touch on a tapestry of dark beauty that causes the spine to ache as much as throb.
Rating:
Summary: A Creature of the Night
Review: I read Dracula by Bram Stoker. I thought this was a very good book. I think I enjoyed it so much because of the mysteriousness and horror of the book. I also enjoy reading classics. The way that Bram Stoker wrote this book was just very original and kept me intrigued.
Jonathon Harker travels to Transylvania to meet Count Dracula. There he finds that Dracula is no ordinary man, but a vampire. He discovers that he is a prisoner in Dracula's castle, " But I am not in heart to describe beauty, for when I had seen the view I had explored further doors, doors, doors, everywhere and all locked and bolted. The castle is a veritable prison, and I am its prisoner!" Harker then decides to try to escape. Meanwhile, in England, his fiancé Mina Harker and friend Lucy begin to have encounters with Dracula not knowing what or who he is. Lucy is attacked by Dracula and later dies. Jonathon Harker returns and him and friends begin to discover more about Dracula. Dracula then possesses Mina. The men find that Dracula has come to England with boxes of soil from his homeland, and sleeping in them is the only way he can survive. They destroy the boxes, making Dracula return to Transylvania and they track him there. They then kill him and save all the people that were possessed by him. I thought that this story was extremely compelling and it kept my attention very well.In this book, I got to know each character very well. Each character has there own unique personality and characteristics. One of the reasons I think this book is so good is because each character is so unique from the others and they are so believable. The character that I liked the most and that I found most memorable Professor Van Helsing. He is one of the only characters that understands what they are fighting against and knows Vampire folklore so that he can defeat Dracula, "to rid the earth of this terrible monster we must have all the knowledge and all of the help we can get." Because of this knowledge he becomes the leader of the group and is one of the main characters towards the end of the book. The author really makes you care about the characters because of the way he wrote this book. He presents the book in the form of diaries and letters. Therefore the reader really understands how the character is feeling and the experiences they are going through.
Rating:
Summary: Imagine the oriiginal horror...
Review: ...of those first Victorian readers who were unacquainted with all the modern monsters and special effects. The idea of the eternal vampire is an old one from Eastern Europe (originally from Egypt) and the joining of an actual person (Vlad the Impaler) with the legend set the stage for all that was to follow. This book is in the form of a diary, surely one of the best mechanisms available when handled adroitly. The slow seduction of Mina by the Count can be interpreted in a number of ways but the best way is left to the imagination. There is always that ageless quandry - does one become a Vampire, lose one's soul, yet gain immortality? Get the book - better than any of the current crop.
Rating:
Summary: ForAwsome
Review: This was one of the best books i have ever read. I found that even though it was an older book it was still forAwsome
Rating:
Summary: Dracula by Bram Stoker
Review: This is an adult book about a supernatural persona in the
spirit and misty form of Dracula. The vocabulary is superior.
Many of the words describe horrendous phenomena of a night
fiend who preys on victims for their blood. There are many
scenes depicting nature in the vicinity of Transylvania.
Here is a sample of Stoker's writing: " As we wound on our endless way and the sun sank lower and
lower behind us, the shadows of the evening began to creep
round us. This was emphasized by the fact that the snowy
mountaintop held the sunset and seemed to glow out with a
delicate cook..." AND THERE IS MORE "By the roadside were many crosses and as we swept by, my
companions all crossed themselves." My purpose here is to whet the literary appetite . You must
read this book on a stormy - cool night in order to create
the spooky mood required to enjoy the work thoroughly.
Stoker is a master of the English language. His vocabulary
and sentence structure are superb. This book is not for the
faint-hearted or for people who shiver at the first sight
of blood. The castle and long trip up the mountain add
important drama to the chain of events to come.
Dracula's smooth aristocratic style is enough to engendre
a certain degree of trust and comfort until he strikes-
usually with little notice and the speed of a lizard's tongue.
Ultimately, the just result prevails. I won't tell you
when or how. For those details, you must read this book.
It would be interesting to compare and contrast Stoker's
writing style to Mary Shelley. Without question,
Stoker is a master of the macabre - perhaps he is the master
for all time.
Rating:
Summary: A classic...
Review: With so many reviews ALREADY out there, I'll keep it short and sweet. This is not the oldest vampire novel, but it became the most well known and the standard for all stories, novels and movies to follow. With a very interesting foreward by Leonard Wolf, this copy is straight-foreward, without any extras, it is for the 'Dracula' fan who needs no help with understanding the age the story is set in. No matter how many times I read and reread the novel, I never get bored and, in fact, it seems to get better and better as I come to really savor it, like a wine that only gets better with time. Read during the night - best time to delight in it.
|
