Title: Dracula
Author:Bram Stoker
Published:1897
Rating: 8.5/10
Frankly, I have not done a book review in my life. I assume it goes along the lines of saying why you like the book, why the person reading it SHOULD buy the book followed by needlessly adding a lot of words so that the review looks impressive. I think that's about it so I'll begin.
I know I'm supposed to but in order to preserve the element of surprise and fear that is the main selling point for Dracula, I will not be providing a summary. I know that you are very disappointed, but look at it this way, if you choose to buy the book, you can enjoy it to the fullest! So, with that settled, lets talk about the unique points of this book.
First off, the entire book is written in a form of the journals, diaries, letters and newspaper clippings of the many characters that inhabit the story. For example, most of the story is written in this format:
Dr. Jones. E Williams Diary
6 September- Today I realize that I may have been eating shoes instead of food by accident.
Later- I have managed to ascertain from my medical records and Nurse Janice that my orange juice is NOT as I have long suspected purple.
Nurse Janice's Journal
6th September- It is highly possible that Dr.Jones is an alien in disguise. Tomorrow I must remember to slay him with my machete.
Letter from Nurse Janice to Mrs. Holmes
Dear Mrs.Williams,
It is with a heavy heart that I tell you this news. Dr.Jones is dead. It is of not fault of mine. I also wish to inform you of my travel to Africa for the next say 30 years, definitely not to avoid the authorities that may be searching for the murderer.
Yours Truly,
Janice
Newspaper Clipping from the New Inquirer:
8th September- Dr. Jones of the medical institution New Moon Medical has been slain just yesterday by an unknown assailant. Police are looking in ton this case and are baffled by a piece of paper stating :" Nurse Janice did it! Arrest her quickly". They suspect it may be some sort of code.
So, this is a very unique aspect of the book, because you can see the views and inner feelings of all the characters save Dracula in the book. Thus, you don't just get a one-sided view of the situation.
Another very interesting point is that because this was written in 1897, the English used is very different from our current one. It is somewhat like staying in a skyscraper all your life, and then suddenly spending a week in a cottage. The first few days will be difficult, but soon you will be able to feel comfortable with the language.
Dracula manages to keep a very dark and gloomy feel throughout, so it is not advisable to read this at night but it is not actually very scary compared to the other novels during that time.
It is because of the above facts that Dracula manages to stay as one of the classics of English Literature. However, the points below will show what went wrong for me.
Dracula is 422 pages long. It is approximately 161,774 words. It is to me, a very, very, very long read. It is really not good for your eyes. I am a fast reader; I can polish off a book within a day. Dracula took me a day and a half of reading. I had to break every few pages because the text was tiny and it was destroying my eyes. Basically, Dracula seems more like an endurance test and by the last few chapters I was delirious. Truthfully, Dracula could have been more concise and less you know, long.
The ending was abrupt. It went along the lines of this: Characters get powerful anti-vampire weapons, travel to Castle Dracula, find the coffin, kill off a bunch of gypsies with guns and then stabs Dracula in the heart. I waited 422 pages for that? There was no face off, it was just " I see you Dracula! Now you're dead." There was no witty banter, no epic battle of all battles. Arrgh.
Overall, Dracula is a really great book. It's not a light read, so a lot of determination is needed to finish the book. At one point, I even contemplated to go read the Cliff Notes. So, please. Be sure you can do it before buying this book.You have been warned.
I think that is all I can say about Dracula. I have 3 more book reviews coming in for you, so if you're on a budget, read all the other reviews before rushing out to buy Dracula.
Cya Soon,
Sean
3 comments:
That's a very detailed review of what you have read. You are able to make conclusions and inference from the story and support it with evidence. Good Job!
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Okay this book is seriously long, 422 pages and 161,774 words! That is serioussssssly LONG! i wonder how long you took to read it. I guess its quite an exciting book. Sounds thrilling to me.
I'm going to read it one of these days.
Nah!!! You got it all wrong!!! I tend to look at books as best friends that keep you company when you are lonely. So when you find that you really like them and think they are interesting you want to introduce everyone to them. That is what a book review should be, introduce someone to something you like...that's why it should be convincing.
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