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Dracula
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Dracula
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Dracula
Audiobook (abridged)2 hours

Dracula

Written by Bram Stoker

Narrated by Richard E. Grant

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

Of the many admiring reviews Bram Stoker's Dracula received when it first appeared in 1897, the most astute praise came from the author's mother, who wrote her son: "It is splendid. No book since Mrs. Shelley's Frankenstein or indeed any other at all has come near yours in originality, or terror."

A popular bestseller in Victorian England, Stoker's hypnotic tale of the bloodthirsty Count Dracula, whose nocturnal atrocities are symbolic of an evil ages old yet forever new, endures as the quintessential story of suspense and horror. The unbridled lusts and desires, the diabolical cravings that Stoker dramatized with such mythical force, render Dracula resonant and unsettling a century later.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateJun 16, 2005
ISBN9781429585781
Author

Bram Stoker

Bram Stoker (1847–1912) grew up in Ireland listening to his mother's tales of blood-drinking fairies and vampires rising from their graves. He later managed the Lyceum Theatre in London and worked as a civil servant, newspaper editor, reporter, and theater critic. Dracula, his best-known work, was published in 1897 and is hailed as one of the founding pieces of Gothic literature.  

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Reviews for Dracula

Rating: 4.1078838174273855 out of 5 stars
4/5

241 ratings268 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Quite good, and surprisingly funny in spots. It really was a "technothriller" of sorts in its time.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    There are darknesses in life and there are lights, and you are one of the lights, the light of all lights.
    Why am I always so surprised that classics are seriously fantastic?

    I loved everything about this! Even knowing the general story, having absorbed it via osmosis most of my life and having once watched a terribly adapted play put on by my high school peers, I was still pulled in by the tension, the terror, and the themes. I loved every character and found the plot to be very climactic and engaging.

    The writing style was superb! Each narrator had a consistent voice that defined them and made their perspective all the more interesting. My personal favorite was Dr. John Seward. He had a very lyrical way of viewing the world and it made his sections beautiful to read. The opening part with Jonathan Harker's imprisonment in Dracula's Castle was palpably tense and drew me in immediately. All in all, the entire thing was excellent!

    For life be, after all, only a waitin' for somethin' else than what we're doin'; and death be all that we can rightly depend on.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    - Too Sensual to Ignore -“Dracula” by Bram Stoker relays the tales of an up-and-coming realtor, Jonathan Harker, who travels from England to Transylvania to meet a client; Count Dracula. In the classic interpretation of good versus evil, Jonathan and several of his acquaintances seek out the monster that killed one of their beloved companions. Their journey is filled with superstition, which is seen within the very first chapter of Jonathan’s diary during his journey to the Count’s home; many community members warn him of the dangers that awaits, and some even beg that he returns to his home. The book fashioned a new era within the literary field alongside such works as “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley and “The strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson. It is a collection of reminiscences, transposed in diary entries, victrola recordings, and recounts of events throughout the time period. It dives into the parasitic indulgence so deftly hidden within Victorian London. There is a certain theme found in each of the novels I mentioned; the human form, when molested, may unleash a creature reeking with God’s defamation. I would recommend this book to readers with an interest in folklore/urban legends, gothic fiction, classics, horror novels, and the victorian perception of evil. It is definitely worth picking up if you are curious about the beginnings of these kinds of books, as well. It is an excellent subject to use for a case study of the genre.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Dracula. Bram Stoker. Modern Library Paperback Edition. 2001. The first time I read Dracula I was at home between sophomore and junior years at Montevallo, I think. I had nightmares about vampire cats that were so real I crawled in bed with Mother and only read the book during the daylight hours. This time it was more uncomfortable, not because I think vampires are real, but I was shocked by the evil personified that the book described and surprised by the Catholicism that permeated the determined search to destroy the evil. It was long and not as suspenseful as I remembered more of it as I read. It is much deeper than the modern vampire books and movies.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    By turns melodramatic, contrived and repetitive it is, nonetheless, a spine-tingling tale - a classic.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    While I liked this book, I felt like the last half of it really dragged as Van Helsing and his group of willing accomplices made arrangements to travel to finally find and rid the world of Count Dracula. The pace really bored me at some points and I think that is the reason I could put this book down over a six-week period in favor of something else.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I did it, I did it! I finally read DRACULA!!!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Although I am a big horror fiction reader and devour everything I can find about Vampires and Werewolves, I had never actually gotten around to reading Dracula. I am happy that I can now say I have read it, although I don't think I would read it again. I did enjoy the story and how it was written as a collection of journals and news entries. "If ever a face meant death - if looks could kill - we saw it at that moment."
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Much better than any of the films, no matter how good some of those are, this is the best version.*Update* I do wish someone sometime would give this book its do justice and make a decent film adaptation. Some are close but still lack so much.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Still scary.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I have read many vampire stories, from the scary (Salem's Lot) to the romantic (Twilight) but, despite it's age, this is by far the creepiest vampire novel I have read. In fact, this is the only vampire story that has ever disturbed my sleep. The old-world language and diary format lend it an air of tension to this novel that is lacking in other vampire books that I have read. Most horror books are scary, but fairly predictable. Not so, Bram Stoker's Dracula. I found this story to be intriguing and enthralling and I found myself unable to put it down. This is the original vampire novel and, in my opinion, still the best.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Read this for a college course called The Literature of Evil.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Delightfully well-written, modern in pacing, unusual in form. Very good.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The story, told in an epistolary format, of infamous Count Dracula's attempt to settle in England, and the battle to thwart this attempt, and finish the vampire, by a small group of righteous people, led by equally well-known Professor Abraham Van Helsing. I've seen numerous film-versions based on this story, but this is the first time I've managed to get through the original and I must say it's absolutely fantastic. There isn't much new to say about the actual story since most people are fully aware of what a great and monumental literary masterpiece it is, but I must note that the (unabridged) full-cast audio-version with Alan Cumming and Tim Curry is absolutely excellent and highly, highly recommended.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I remember when I was about 11 or 12 years old rummaging through a second hand bookshop in Egham. I had this urge to buy a book, my first ever book that I'd paid for with my own money. After much faffing about I settled upon a rather aged and dog-eared paperback by Bram Stoker titled Dracula. I don't remember the cover but I do remember the smell. There's a very distinct smell about second hand books, which gets more distinct the older they get!

    Back then I took maybe two days to read it from cover to cover and really enjoyed it. Re-reading it nigh on 38 years later on the Kindle I find I have lost none of the enjoyment. It's an excellent book that keeps you with the story all the way through. It's also interesting to see how cinema has changed the story when it's been adapted by Hammer and Hollywood, it's often been made much more sexualised and at the same time less horrific. Perhaps the closest film regarding Dracula in 'feel' to me would be Polanski's 'The Dance of the Vampire Killers'.

    If you haven't read it then do. Free on ebook readers as well!

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    eBook

    It's hard, at this point in my life, not to feel as though I've already read this book. The Dracula story has been told and retold and reimagined and reinterpreted so many times that it was kind of shocking to realize I've never actually dealt with Stoker's original work.

    That said, I don't feel that I have too much to say about it. Vampires and sex and blood and superstition and science and religion ... it's all kind of played out. The most unexpected part of the book was the relish Stoker seems to have taken in writing an epistolary work. There are letters, diaries, shorthand accounts, phonographic recordings, telegrams, and newspaper articles, and not only is this how Stoker chooses to tell the story, it's how the characters try to tell the story.

    The characters, as much as the author, are fascinated by more than just the account of their experiences. They are fascinated by how they record those experiences, commenting frequently on their methods. A not-insignificant portion of the story is actually just the main characters reading one another's writing and transcribing an additional copy.

    It seems strange that a book about vampires would get so excited about writing in shorthand or transcribing a phonographic cylinder, but it does make sense for these people to react to the supernatural with the logical and rational response of simply recording their observations.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I recently discovered that I do not actually own a copy of 'Dracula', which horrifies me! I was really quite convinced I did...As a fan of gothic literature, 'Dracula' is of course mandatory reading. I really love the novel, and the diary style in which it is written, which gives you a great insight into the thoughts and ideas of the characters in the novel. Well-written, mysterious and a real page-turner. Still one of my favourites...Really need to buy it some time! :/
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Finally, I finally read the classic Dracula by Bram Stoker which has spawned a genre onto itself!Very atmospheric novel which begins with Count Dracula preparing for his departure from Transylvania and his arrival to London with the help of young solicitor Jonathon Harker. The reader doesn't quite know all that transpired while Jonathon was trapped in Dracula's castle but it left him a scarred man. Once he's back in London and recovering in the care of his loving new wife, Mina, Dracula, once again rears his otherworldly head and preys on the one Jonathon loves.I found Stokers characters, for the most part, strongly defined. Although, at times, Jonathon and his friends seem like the Keystone Kops as they attempt to capture and defeat Dracula and there is more verbage than action, I can see how Victorian readers would find this novel titillating. I certainly recommend this novel, not too ghoulish, gorey nor frightful.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I have a hard time with classics, I don't like books with vampires, so why then did I enjoy the 1897 classic novel about the vampire to top all vampires, Count Dracula? I won't go into the plot, I'm sure that there are many descriptions that are far better than I could write, but I will try to explain my feelings about this book.First, I have to say that I've never watched the movie so I had no idea of the tale that would be related, so I was enveloped into the story at the very beginning, travelling through what is described as a beautiful land but with residents that are frightened of something, but no idea what.The story was captivating, how this group came together to defeat this evil creature and save the lives of women and children that were threatened. However, the characters were, IMO, a little two dimensional and the style was a little difficult to follow in a few areas, but overall, I liked the story being told in their diaries and letters. At the time of the original publication, I would imagine that Victorian England was scandalized by the behavior of Dracula and his victims, because even though there may have been discussions of folklore related to vampires, I doubt there were few books telling the tales.So for me this classic was a winner. But don't think that I will be searching or reading more vampire literature, I think I've had made fill.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    After reading for 55+ years, I thought it about time to read the "real" Dracula and I'm glad I did.The book is intriguing and suspensful without being gory or bloody. A lot of history about Dracula is given and also explains why he does what he does. The book is written as diary entries by all the major characters; gives great perspective.The only negative comment is that some of the journal entries use less than proper grammar (he has brain of child, he weak, etc. This detracts from the otherwise well-written book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Dracula was not at all what I expected; and I mean this in a good way. I made presumptions early on that this would be a dated, heavy, wordy, literary and somewhat boring tale of the Vampire Dracula and thus hesitated cracking open this book for many years. However, once I read the first page and realized that the story was told from the viewpoint of multiple characters via personal journals, diaries, memorandums etc... my interest was piqued. The story of Dracula is pretty tame overall, but if you have been hesitating to read it for reasons similar to those described above, I would dust off your copy and read the first couple of pages. My guess is that you will get sucked into Mr. Stoker's world just as I did.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I must say I have not read the original Dracula, what I am reviewing now is the free Kindle version, which I knew had been reported as improperly edited, modernized, and "dumbed down" for today's audience. To be honest, I could tell these things as I was reading it. There were times when I thought, "Certainly the first edition didn't use language like this, it's far too modern!"That said, I quickly became involved in the edited version all the same. There are so very many versions of Dracula out there that you have to be willing to accept that you won't get the original every time you encounter it. If you approach the edited version knowing that, you will probably enjoy the experience. You might even enjoy it enough to pick up the "proper" version and read that too, which is something I am looking forward to doing.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I read this in about 1.5 hours while subbing and I found that it was a very simple story introducing Dracula and then finishing him off. It starts out following Jonathon where you are first introduced to Dracula. He is a very smart and cunning person who traps Jonathon and then leaves for London to try his hand there. I found it was an interesting read that compelled me to the end to know exactly what happens.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This review is for the Audible Edition of Dracula, narrated by Alan Cumming et. al. (Wow, I just used et. al. in a review. That makes me pretty darned special.) In this classic novel, a group of acquaintances must rid themselves of the sinister Count Dracula who has descended upon London with the eager desire to create a flock of bloodsucking fiends. This is my second reading of the novel--the first being when I was a young teenager. This time, I was impressed by Stoker's ability to set a dark mood and maintain it through the entire book. There was always some creepy fog or a terrified dog or a creepily sleep-walking woman to spook the reader. The full-cast performance was delightful. It really brought the various characters to life.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Two things. First - Buffy (and everything else) have trained me to expect a climactic battle. Not so here. They just got him in the box, snicker-snack! Second - this book could have been shorter if Van Helsing would have gotten right to the point every single time he opened his mouth. Oh, one more thing - the intro by Elizabeth Kostova is really good.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is one of my favourite novels. I studied this in S6 when doing Sixth Year English (now called Advanced Higher) and I've read it again since. It's fantastic - even if the romance between Mina and the three (!) suitors is a little unbelievable.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Dracula ended up being very different than what I was expecting- not in a bad way, though. I finished it within a week. It was a quick read!

    I love how the story is told through a variety of mediums - journals, letters, newspaper clippings, telegrams, and a phonograph diary; the switch between perspectives was labeled in this edition, which helped in maintaining clear whose thoughts we are reading. I really enjoyed how sometimes the journal entries of two or more characters are from the same moment in time but tell two different perspectives, observations, and set of concerns. The different kinds of integrated text also adds an element of suspense for the reader; like the characters, we have to put the pieces of the puzzle together, but unlike the characters, we have a variety of sources from which to draw our own inferences and conclusions.

    The cast is diverse - each with different backgrounds, talents, and personalities. I particularly enjoyed that Mina Murray contributes a lot to the investigation instead of solely being a victim that needs to be rescued. Even though she is paced in a situation of distress, she continues to find ways to make contributions and to keep her companions safe.

    For the times, I say the plot is innovative and thrilling. Really a classic of a horror romance that along with Frankenstein will fit nicely into your October reading list.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was my first audiobook read which was an interesting experience. I chose audiobook after starting reading Dracula and the realising that I did not like the copy I had. I have to say as a fan of vampire novels I don't know why it took me so long to get the original vampire masterpiece. A masterpiece this book certainly is. I love the poetic writing of Stoker and how he can set an eerie scene whilst keeping the gore to a minimum. The characters are well written and are also fairly well know for anyone who has watched any Dracula / Van Helsing films.I urge anyone who hasn't read this classic to pick up a copy and read the original of all vampire novels.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    As much as I wanted to read this all the way through, I ended up discarding it because it was too heavy and slow for my taste, unfortunately.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    What can I really say about this book? It is about the REAL vampires, before they became sex symbols they were haunting.
    The beginning of the book with Jonothan in Castle Dracula was absolutely flawless, so exciting.

    After this it kind of dragged on but it was written so well and I just wanted to know what would eventually happen.

    I was in the last 10 pages going Oh my how is it going to end in only 10...9..8..7..3 ohhh! It was a quick ending in comparison to the rest of the book which took as long as possible with everything else. That is the only reason I give it a four instead of a five.

    Otherwise, the writing was superb in this. I guess that for a book to stand the test of time, it has to be well written. There were times when I was reading and I felt like taking note of certain quotes. It was just that good. I may have to read this book again just to squeeze as much as I can out of it.

    I really liked this book. I had been waiting to read it for a while and I'm glad I did and stuck with it.