Dracula: A Review

Dracula is a gothic horror novel written by Bram Stoker in 1897. It is set in the late 1800s in Romania and England. The main characters are Jonathan Harker, a lawyer; Count Dracula; Mina Murray, Harker’s fiancée; and Lucy Westenra, Mina’s best friend. The story begins as Jonathan Harker is traveling to Castle Dracula in Transylvania to close a real estate deal with a nobleman named Count Dracula. While traveling through the stunning countryside, he learns from the local peasants that his destination is haunted; these peasants urge him to flee while he can, giving him enchantments and charms against evil and uttering unusual words that Harker eventually finds out mean “vampire.” Once he arrives at the castle, he meets Count Dracula, a kind and hospitable host; however, the longer he stays, the clearer it gets that Count Dracula isn’t a normal human being. Harker is doomed.

In terms of pop culture, Dracula set the trend for vampire books and vampires in general. Dracula wasn’t the first vampire novel, but it set the standard for books in this genre and has influenced plots, characters, and settings in numerous novels, plays, and movies. It appears often on lists of “Best Books” and “Books To Read Before You Die” all across the Internet. Many readers regard it as one of the best books ever written.

Personally, Dracula wasn’t the right book for me. For chapters on end, the story slowed down, making it hard for me to keep going. I also didn’t like the way the author made each chapter a letter or a diary entry. For one, when there was action in the story, I wanted to feel the adrenaline running through my veins, but I couldn't--because the story is told from such a distance that the action feels like a summary and not an action sequence. It also felt like the author put too much emphasis on making the diary entries and letters seem real, and less emphasis on making the book engaging to read. I will give Stoker credit for writing the story in this format because it was unconventional and ahead of its time.

Nevertheless, I still appreciated parts of Dracula. My favorite part is when Mina used her connection with Dracula to track him wherever he goes and find evidence suggesting that Dracula is a vampire. I enjoyed these parts because it was compelling. I also found it interesting and cool that Stoker made two women, Mina Murray and Lucy Westenra, important and do lots of work to contribute, because at the time, women weren’t regarded as equal to men, as they were told to step aside. Even in books, at the time, women were mostly put in as minor characters, while men were almost always the important characters in the story.

In the end, I would recommend Dracula for certain people, as I think you need a certain mindset going into the book if you are to enjoy it. Personally, if I looked at the book as a step forward in writing, like a piece of history, I would have enjoyed it more. As the book is over a century old, it caters to entertainment standards from back then and not now, when we expect a laugh or a thrill every minute. One should keep in mind that certain portions won’t be interesting. It will be tougher to grasp the storyline, as you may have to read parts of the book again to get the full picture. If you want a book with tons of suspense or thrill, this is not the one for you. But, if you want to read a classic and have some fun with it, then you should read Dracula and hopefully you will enjoy it. See you next time!

-Sri