Book:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Audio: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Dracula
Duke Classics (unabridged, 2010)
Written by Bram Stoker, Narrated by J.P. Guimont and Tavis Gilbert
Why did no one ever tell me to read Dracula?!
I had imagined a stuffy, boring tale (a la Dickens) with needless extra words (Tolkien) but Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a work of art.
As far as the writing goes, I think Stoker was far ahead of his time. While the language is a slightly dated, it’s easily understandable to the modern reader.
Stoker also takes on the daunting project of many alternating points of view and manages it almost flawlessly. (I do find his womens’ worship of “good brave men” a bit silly, but otherwise even the women seemed independent, brave, and well written. It is, after all, a product of its time and women were viewed as sensitive creatures.)
The story is laced with comedy, horror, friendship and tragedy but also, hope.
Our original main character has absolutely zero survival instincts, and finds he has been taken hostage in Count Dracula’s castle after going to help Dracula purchase a property in England.
The book is told through diaries, letters, and memos.
It’s creepy, but delightfully (and sometimes tragically) so.
Now, moving on to the audio recording. I thoroughly enjoyed the two narrators and their takes on the many characters that they voiced. It was clear from the accent and tone which character I was listening to, even if I missed the initial description at the beginning of the chapter.
If you haven’t read (or listened to!) Dracula, I highly recommend it.
Book: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Audio: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Midnight Review 