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Dracula by Bram Stoker
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Dracula (original 1897; edition 1995)

by Bram Stoker

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations / Mentions
34,90760073 (3.96)6 / 1792
Still love this book. Gothic horror at it's finest. No matter how many times I read it I still enjoy it. ( )
  Lucifey | Jan 10, 2015 |
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Showing 1-25 of 554 (next | show all)
Este libro es una excelente manera de contar una historia. Además de asentar bases de la literatura de terror de sus días. ( )
  diegocorral | Mar 14, 2024 |
The audio production on this edition was very good. Classic horror story. Blah! ( )
  jfranzone | Feb 14, 2024 |
This novel, which I have avoided for decades, was far more engaging than I had expected. It is narrated through a series of letters, news articles, and journal entries by the various primary characters who interact with the mysterious, ancient Romanian count with red lips who corrupts the Victorian women he encounters. I am sure there are deeper meanings in the book – I sense anxiety over the rise of science over religion – but I did not dwell on any of that. The characters are rather flat and too much alike in many ways, but I did get the message about sexual corruption in Victorian society. ( )
  bschweiger | Feb 4, 2024 |
Creio que o título dispensa apresentações. O Drácula de Bram Stoker é um clássico e uma das grandes obras-primas da literatura. Esta história de horror gótico transporta-nos imediatamente para uma atmosfera arrepiante de final do século XIX. Fiquei impressionado com as descrições do castelo assombrado do Drácula e das paisagens da Transilvânia, que transmitem uma sensação de desconforto e suspense desde o início até ao fim da narrativa. Sou um leitor que costuma prestar mais atenção à narrativa do que propriamente à atmosfera, mas neste caso fiquei completamente envolvido pelo ambiente criado pelo autor. Sem dúvida, um dos pontos fortes deste livro.

Mas o que mais gostei no livro foram as personagens. O Conde Drácula faz parte do imaginário popular por algum motivo: qualquer cena em que ele apareça prende imediatamente o leitor, num misto de terror e fascínio pelo personagem muito difícil de alcançar. A sua presença maléfica é o principal fio condutor da narrativa, seja através da sua ação direta ou indireta. Só a ideia dele já chega para meter os cabelos em pé! O relato da última viagem do navio Demeter é um hino ao horror, e isto feito puramente num capítulo de relato indireto, que até deu origem a um filme.

Os heróis da história também são personagens incrivelmente bem construídas, desde o professor Van Helsing, ao Jonathan e Mina Harker, passando por Lucy, Dr. Seward, Arthur e Quincy. Este grupo acaba por se unir devido às ações de Drácula e cria uma irmandade tão unida e bonita de se ver, numa luta do bem contra o mal para travar o sinistro vilão. A relação entre eles e as distâncias que estavam dispostos a percorrer para se protegerem foi muito bem descrita e claramente um dos pontos fortes do livro.

E não poderia falar de personagens icónicas sem referir Renfield. Este personagem incrivelmente complexo e rico que foi interpretado por Tom Waits na versão do filme em 1992, vai ter agora um novo filme com título homónimo do seu nome. Basta ler um capítulo em que ele apareça para perceber o porquê: é completamente polarizante!

Outro ponto forte do livro é o seu estilo narrativo, ao qual me surpreendeu pela positiva porque não o esperava. A história é-nos apresentada através de uma coleção de entradas de diários de várias personagens, cartas, telegramas e artigos de jornais. Esta forma de relatar a história adiciona um sentido de realismo e intimidade que nos faz sentir cada vez mais parte da experiência deste mundo e dos horrores do Conde Drácula. E também devido a isso nos permite ir conhecendo e tendo uma ligação mais próxima com cada uma das nossas personagens e melhor entender as suas motivações.

O único ponto menos bom para mim foi a conclusão, um pouco abrupta demais. O que atesta que na verdade queria continuar a fazer parte do mundo deste livro, e que não se acabasse.

Os temas deste livro são subtis e seguramente não apanhei tudo, mas destaco os temas da tentação, do desejo, da eterna luta do bem contra o mal, do medo do desconhecido, do contraste entre tradição e modernidade e do papel da religião e ciência. Stoker questiona neste livro os limites da moralidade e as distâncias a que seríamos capazes de ir para proteger os nossos entes queridos.

O Drácula de Bram Stoker, aos dias de hoje, continua a inspirar inúmeras adaptações, quer seja em filmes, televisão ou literatura. É uma obra-prima não só de horror, mas também de mistério, romance ou aventura. É uma narrativa intemporal, com personagens inesquecíveis e marcantes que te vão deixar preso num mundo onde reina a escuridão. O Drácula de Bram Stoker já não é mais um livro ou uma personagem, mas uma lenda que vive no nosso imaginário coletivo, imortal por direito. ( )
  Jcpinto91 | Jan 25, 2024 |
This is quite long for what it is, but I enjoyed the pacing and steady atmosphere building throughout. The beginning is great, with so many inexplicable eerie happenings, and I love that we meet Count Dracula right off the bat. This shows its age with frequent sexism, and could have been a little less repetitive, but it's a classic for a good reason. ( )
  KallieGrace | Jan 3, 2024 |
a fantastic full-cast reading of Dracula. beautiful! ( )
  ParenthesisEnjoyer | Dec 11, 2023 |
I was very happy to go back to one of the original vampire stories that all our modern ones derive from. This was very impressive for the time frame, lots of detail, plenty of character development, and various story lines that intersect as you move through the book. I wouldn't call this a thriller by today's standards, but more of a slow burn. Classic ( )
  neanderthal88 | Nov 25, 2023 |
Goed verhaal maar wat langdradig ( )
  wendy.verbiest | Nov 25, 2023 |
I read Dracula some years ago but remember enjoying it and finding it a 'modern' book despite when it was published. On the cusp of the 20th century I think, but the use of diaries, newspapers etc is a technique that Steven King used in his first published novel, Carrie. And Stoker uses cutting edge stuff of the time - shorthand and typewriters for example and I liked it that Mina is much more capable than most female characters in fiction of that era, at least written by men. ( )
  kitsune_reader | Nov 23, 2023 |
I quite enjoyed Dracula. Jonathan Harker's journal, particularly at the beginning of the novel, was my favorite part. The story as a whole spends a lot of time exploring the environment and their surroundings, as well as looking into how the characters related to each other while these events were happening. While it wasn't as creepy or vampire-filled as I was expecting, it was a really interesting read in regard to the culture of the time and how people related to others. It has more gothic vibes than horror vibes. ( )
  Griffin_Reads | Sep 6, 2023 |
Month of October 2022 - Spooky Classics”

“Dracula (complete and unabridged)” by Bram Stoker (1897; 1988 edition) 368 pages.

Setting: Romania, Europe (Castle Dracula was located extreme east of the country in district surrounded by Transylvania, Moldavia and Bukovina..in midst of Carpathian mountains AND in London.

It’s interesting to note also that when God mentions the “east” in the Bible, it always references where “evil” goes, and where evil comes from. Bram Stoker uses the same reference with Count Dracula’s home and other places he purchases in and around London, even those places were in the most eastern of the cities.

Jonathan Harker (Keanu Reaves ❤️) works for a law firm, and he is one who travels from London to Dracula’s castle high up in the Carpathian mountains in Romania. He is to deliver the final paperwork to a newly purchased vacated castle on the far eastern side of London.

Great beginning! The mood is set.

Strange things begin happening to Jonathan, meanwhile, back in London, strange things are happening to their friends.

Of course, I don’t need to tell what Dracula does, that should be obvious, but once this little group of friends and doctors figured out what is going on, they made a pact to chase down and end this evil.

Now, here my husband said Dracula is a “love” story. But, Dracula has no love. It’s all about survival. He uses Mina in a way he has not used other vampireses because he is angry at her and the group for stifling his plans to establish himself and grow the UN-dead in London. His revenge will be to turn Mina against her own husband and the people she loves by bringing them to her new master, Dracula.

And why is this not a love story? Because when she is not needed, Dracula easily, without a second thought, disconnects with her mentally to save himself from destruction.

This story reads more like a suspenseful crime novel. My interest was up and down throughout the novel. The hunt for Count Dracula went on and on towards the end. In fact, on page 328, the characters involved started referring to him as a criminal and started scheming on how to corner him. They go over the whole account up until the current situation, just as if they were trying to solve your everyday crime. This became quite tedious to read.

But, I will say that the ending was well played.

Books-to-movie

“Dracula” (1992), starring Gary Oldman as Dracula, Keanu Reaves as Jonathan Harker and Winona Ryder as Mina Harker. Lots of great actors and actresses.

***UPDATE***

10/14/2022 - Watched movie tonight. There’s a big difference between the novel and the movie, which portrayed Dracula as in love with Mina because she resembled his wife. Lots of sexual stuff in the movie…none at all in the book. Bram Stoker portrayed Dracula as the demon that he was. ( )
  MissysBookshelf | Aug 27, 2023 |
I have not been so incredibly bored by a book since I read George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series. This book drags with so much melodrama and idiocy and is just outright uninteresting and even offensive.

The most irritating part is how sexist this novel is throughout. I am highly aware of the time this was written, but here's the thing: you can use the times to explain why it is so sexist, but that does not mean I have to appreciate it despite the sexism. In case anyone reads this novel and thinks that being called 'nearly as good as a man' is some sort of compliment you are very, very wrong. And if you write a female character into your book who spends the majority of the story being transported from place to place and guarded like a pretty rock and who serves as some sort of mascot to boost the morale of the male cast, then you are also wrong and should stop writing. But hey, if you like various sexist tropes like magical seductresses, fainting damsels, sexual assault as a plot device and others, this might be your shtick.

The only relevance this novel has for me now are the various name drops it makes. Various names in this novel besides Dracula himself have been adopted throughout fiction as a result of this book's influence, and it is nice to finally know their source. There's also some interesting implied homosexual relationships between some of the men. Dracula's fascination with Jonathan and his relationship with Renfield is intriguing. Other than that, I would suggest you get this on audiobook and find something else to do while listening to it because gods above will you be very bored if you actually choose to waste your life on this novel.

If you want a story that is around this time period and about vampires, try reading Sheridan le Fanu's "Carmilla". It's a short story, an eighth (or less) the length of, predates and was used as source material for "Dracula". It is also far, far better written and more enjoyable and almost as often adapted as the more well-known "Dracula" (for instance, in the latest "Castlevania" video game series, while the character who becomes Dracula is the primary protagonist, Carmilla is an important villain). It's also far more original: "Carmilla" focuses on a lesbian vampire and her current female victim, the latter of which is the primary protagonist who is very active in her own story, unlike Mina Harker. Like "Dracula", it's also easy to find, since it's public domain. You can find it for free various places online, including Kindle. The story has more female characters than male characters and isn't even close to being as comparatively sexist as the later "Dracula", so you can excuse me for being less than forgiving to Stoker in this instance.

Heck, go read "Frankenstein" (which also predates this AND "Carmilla") before you pick this novel up. It's a much better piece of Gothic horror with better prose, a more fascinating storyline and is also a far shorter read. ( )
  AnonR | Aug 5, 2023 |
Dracula stava nella mia libreria da un po' di anni, avevo anche iniziato a leggerlo, ma la sua forma: romanzo epistolare/resoconto diaristico, mi aveva fatta desistere dopo poche pagine.
Ho realizzato che purtroppo se non posso dedicare un po' di tempo alla lettura, leggere poche pagine alla volta mi ammazza le letture, così ho cercato di ritagliarmi delle sessioni di circa un'ora e mezza e sono riuscita ad entrare nel romanzo.
La voglia di scoprire questo grande classico mi è venuta perché avevo appena finito Così per sempre di Chiara Valerio, tra l'altro l'avevo vista presentare il romanzo e ne ero rimasta folgorata, è stato inevitabile voler scoprire la storia che ha dato il là a numerosissime interpretazioni, quella che di sicuro più mi ha colpita e più ha colpito la Valerio, era questa interpretazione di Francis Ford Coppola di rendere Mina l'incarnazione dell'amata del conte. In effetti, avendo il ricordo di Gary Oldman, era una pugnalata al cuore ogni volta leggere la descrizione del conte e di quanto fosse brutto e mostruoso.
Per quanto non trovi Dracula, o per lo meno, penso non mi abbia toccato tanto quanto Frankenstein di Mary Shelley, è veramente un classico che val la pena di essere letto, anche solo per riflettere su vizi e virtù della società vittoriana, la condizione della donna e il timor di Dio; oltre ovviamente alla lotta tra bene e male, l'antichità e le radici del male, l'illuminismo e la scienza, la questione del sangue...
Credo sia bello leggerlo da giovani, ma anche da adulti... inoltre in effetti l'ultima parte dell'inseguimento e la caccia al conte sono veramente molto carichi di colpi scena e tensione e il romanzo si rivela nel complesso molto avvincente.
Bello poi che in questa edizione ci sia alla fine anche un elenco con tutta la filmografia sui vampiri (almeno fino ai primissimi 2000)

( )
  Mav_Danto | Jul 28, 2023 |
I love this book. The imagery relayed through the articles, letters and diaries of the main characters lets you experience the times and the horror of the circumstances that each is put in. Most notably, Mina and Jonathan Harker along with Dr. Seward all keep detailed recordings of their day to day excursions through happiness and terror. And though Professor Van Helsing bungles at times, they wouldn't have had a chance without his leadership and advanced knowledge of the arcane and paranormal. Meanwhile Lord Godalming and Quincey Morris complete the team like courageous and true gentlemen of the day. Dracula does move about during the day at times and he has a moustache which is a bit odd, but the maniacal lure of his beautifully vampiric victims and his dreadful scenes with Jonathan and Mina leave you rejoicing that you're not, as of yet, one of the Un-Dead.
Victorian Gothic at it's best. ( )
  EntreNous | Jul 22, 2023 |
Though not the first vampire story, Dracula is the novel that defined the vampire myth. Garlic, bats, crucifixes, animal magnetism, all of the things we think of when we think of vampires are because of this book. (Except for burning in daylight. In Dracula, they can walk around in daylight, but they just lose all their powers.)

It also was one of the first "found footage" horror stories, a now very common horror trope, in that the story unfolds through diary entries, letters, and newspaper clippings. This is especially effective because, while almost every reader knows the story, it builds tension and suspense since the reader knows what is happening and is waiting for the moment when the characters all tie everything together.

Dracula is a classic for a reason and is still quite readable in the 21st century. This was my third time reading it, and I had forgotten how gory and horrific it can be at times, and how suffused it is with Christian themes, particularly the Christianity of Victorian England. ( )
  rumbledethumps | Jun 26, 2023 |
In all my years of reading I have never read Dracula, so by borrowing the book from the library I knew I would read it. There is no introduction to this classic tale of the mysterious vampire Count from Transylvania.

There was so much I enjoyed in this book. The first being the descriptions especially of Whitby. I've been to Whitby and it is one of my favourite places here in the UK. Bram Stoker stayed in Whitby and got a lot of his inspiration for the book there. The places he mentions he has very accurately described especially around the steps and the graveyard.

The story is full of gothic atmosphere, especially I felt the beginning of the book when Jonathan Harker is at Castle Dracula. I also really enjoyed the graveyard scenes when Van Helsing and others were after the vampire Lucy. I found this very creepy and what a vampire book should be like.

Being a classic I did find the book easier to read than some others such as the Bronte novels. I did however find the book very wordy. This was the case I felt when Van Helsing was talking, gosh he could go on and on. The first half of the story I really enjoyed and this held my interest for a long time. The second part of the book I did feel dragged and went quite slowly up until the end of Dracula was close.

As for Dracula himself he doesn't feature in the story much. He is one famous character in horror fiction and the genre of all things spooky, but appears more of a presence in the background.

I'm glad that I have now read Dracula, enjoyed the story, myth, folklore but found the book slow at times but full of gothic creepiness. ( )
  tina1969 | Apr 13, 2023 |
It was good but dragged on a bit in some places. Still worth a read. ( )
  ilsevr1977 | Mar 4, 2023 |
This book is one of my favourite books of all time. It kickstarted by obsession with literary vampires, and it’s remained in one of my top spots for books that I love since I first read it at nineteen years old. I went as far as writing a university assignment about the novel at one point. I do have to say, however, that my opinions on the book have changed since I last read it and watched any adaptations of it.
(Speaking of adaptations, my recommendations are the movie Bram Stoker’s Dracula starring Keanu Reeve, Winona Ryder and Gary Oldman; and, NBC’s Dracula which aired in 2016.)
If you don’t know what this book is about, you’re probably not the only one. Not many people know the story of the novel but are very familiar with the name. It is, after all, the first mainstream popular vampire novel although a lot of people mistake it for the first ever, which it definitely isn’t (see: Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan le Fanu, and The Vampyre by John Polidori). A very interesting TED-Ed video actually covers why Dracula is so popular in the public consciousness. But we’re here to talk about the book.
The novel is told through five different narrators, four of whom appear through most of the story, while one tragically doesn’t make it past the second act of the novel. The five narrators are all involved with a mysterious Count Dracula, a man who has decided to buy property and move to England from his native Romania. This mysterious count brings with him sickness, death, and demonic creatures that terrorize London and Whitby, and the male narrators take it upon themselves to destroy him and bring him to justice once and for all, believing that he is a spirit that needs to be put to rest and they can only do that by destroying his sinful demonic self.
The book, for its time, is heavily steeped in religious sentiment, being that vampires are considered (as most Un-Dead are) to be godless creatures who are full of sin and demonic energy and must be purified in the name of the Lord. But my favourite thing about the book isn’t that it’s about vampires. The thing that strikes me about his book is its narration style.
The book is told through a series of letters and journal entries that all five of the narrators contribute, creating a wonderful web of story telling where narration goes from one person to the other very naturally. Each character obviously experiences the vampire in their own way, and so the narration comes from the person who it would be most fitting to see at that moment, considering the circumstances. It switches point of view very smoothly, with the book never forgetting that it is, at the end of the day, a compilation of journals and letters (and one or two newspaper clippings). The book never tries to turn away from the fact that it is the story of a bunch of people who are experiencing something supernatural together, and while they are trying to be brave, even the honourable Doctor Van Helsing, a man we all know in popular culture as a brave demon hunter, shows fear. The characters are amazingly human, except for one of them.
If you had asked me at twenty years old who my least favourite character in Dracula was, I would have said Jonathan Harker. I would have told you about how annoying he is, and all he does is whine and do nothing and just cry.
But reading the book now, I see that Jonathan is just very emotionally and mentally scarred after what he witnesses and is just exhibiting post-traumatic stress. He isn’t the annoying one in the book. The annoying one is Mina Murray.
Mina is, honestly, too good to be true. And not in a good way. Mina’s character completely revolves around her being this woman who is completely pure, innocent, and loving. So much so, that every single person who meets her in the book is completely enveloped with love for her and wants to protect her. All the men in this book do is talk about how amazing and beautiful she is and how they will protect her to no end and it makes me want to vomit. She is so boring and plain, and nothing about her screams ‘brave warrior’ like the adaptations have made her out to be. Mina Murray is not the feminist hero people want you to believe she is, because in all truth Mina does…nothing. Mina is just there to be sad and worried for the men around her and try to convince them to let her help and all the men do is pat her on the head and kiss her cheek and tell her she’s amazingly gorgeous and sweet and an angel on earth and that they will protect her at all costs.
Reading this book as a twenty-six year old, I wish the book was just about a bunch of vampire hunters led by Van Helsing, and not a book about a bunch of men protecting a woman because they thought that just maybe the vampire might target her next (I mean, he does, but that’s beside the point).
My final rating of this book is a 4/5, because I still love this book a lot and it will always be one of my favourites, though.
( )
  viiemzee | Feb 20, 2023 |
I mostly wanted to read Dracula because I wanted to know what were the "true" facts about Dracula vs what had modern pop culture created. I did learn a few things (like the fact that Dracula crawls down the walls like a lizard). The book itself was a little difficult and boring to read at times. There were certain parts that I wondered why they were included. On the bright side, why they were included was usually explained in a later section. Still, it made it tough to want to finish the book. ( )
  BarnesBookshelf | Jan 29, 2023 |
Just finished the San Diego Library's read-aloud for Halloween. With all the modern re-interpretations of vampire lore, it's interesting to read the one that started it all (nod to Nosferatu). It shows its age but holds up well with many truly creepy passages that have never been surpassed. ( )
  JudyGibson | Jan 26, 2023 |
I'm not sure which book was worse, Frankenstein or Dracula but all I can say is I'm glad this journey is over. There was so much useless information throughout this novel and the repitition just about killed me! I didn't like how the story was told through a series of journal entries and I really didn't like that every character kept a journal.....ugh! Oh well, it's done, Dracula is dead and I never have to think of this novel again. At least I can say that I read it. ( )
  mtngrl85 | Jan 22, 2023 |
I liked it but not nearly as much as I thought I would. There were some parts that were very intense and I'm certainly happy that I picked it up and read it. ( )
  amcheri | Jan 5, 2023 |
Told through letters and journal entries, young lawyer Jonathan Harker goes to visit a new client in very remote eastern Europe and things get weird. When he finally returns home to England, things get weird there, too. 19th century travel takes a long time.

I did it! I read Dracula! I’m glad I’ve read it, but I didn’t love it. I enjoyed Mina a lot but the rest of the characters were just okay. I read the sections in chronological order, instead of in the order they appear in the book, which makes a big difference in the first part but no difference for the rest. ( )
  norabelle414 | Dec 30, 2022 |
Good horror story. I remember being scared in my bedroom while I read it. ( )
  kslade | Dec 8, 2022 |
I read this one after reading [book:Frankenstein], as a sort of classic SF/F/H kick. Oh, so awesome. There's not a single movie that does it justice. ( )
  villyard | Dec 6, 2022 |
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