Dracula - Book 40

It took me two weeks to read this Victorian novel.  It's 400 pages long.  And for some reason we had two really hectic weeks crammed with appointments and deadlines and a hyper puppy that needed lots of attention.  So when I did go to read it at night, I'd wind up only reading a couple of pages before my eyelids got too heavy.   Also I had a lot of insomnia, but since I was reading a real book and not something on the Kindle, I was reluctant to turn on the bedside light to read in the middle of the night.  Not that reading Dracula is the best book to read when in the grips of insomnia! So it was a vicious circle of two weeks, broken by having a lovely weekend away for our anniversary.  I'll post about that in another post.  Anyway, I tried gallantly to finish Dracula before going away but that didn't work so I wound up finishing on Sunday morning.

Anyhoo!  Dracula is a great book!  I had always avoided it or anything to do with vampires, but this is actually a really charming Victorian novel, full of good character development, humor, erudition and some good old fashion Gothic horror.  It is a basic good vs. evil story where you know good will eventually win.  The author is quite good at building tension and keeping the reader on the edge of his/her seat.  The book is written in a series of diary entries and letters.  It tells the tale of how this intrepid group of British (and one Texan) friends become involved in Dracula's plot to move from Transylvania, where he's been terrorizing the locals for centuries, to England so he can expand his legions of the un-dead.  The group is headed by the virtuous, quaint and fearless, Dr. Van Helsing of Amsterdam.  He gets called in by his friend and colleague, Dr. Seward.  Dr. Seward is one of three suitors for the hand of the fair Lucy.  The other two suitors are Lord Arthur Godalming and the rich Texan cowboy, Quincey Morris.  Lucy is best friends with Mina whose fiance and then husband is Jonathan Harker, the young solicitor who is sent to Transylvania to work the real estate deal and transportation of Dracula to England.  Of course Harker doesn't realize Dracula is a vampire til he gets there and he's trapped in the spooky castle.

This group has to figure out first that Dracula really is a vampire and then how to fight and conquer him.  It is a dangerous, often despairing, fight to the death. 

Two thumbs up!  I now know why it is considered a classic.  For more book reviews go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.