Dracula

By: Bram Stoker

Narrated by: Marc Nelson

Length: 16 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Although Stoker did not invent the vampire, the novel's influence on the popularity of vampires has been singularly responsible for many theatrical, film and television interpretations since its publication. Required listening for any fan of the genre!

Public Domain (P)2011 Trout Lake Media

Captures Anxieties/Stresses of Proto-modernist Age

Listened to with the kids on the way to school for a month. I could probably write a whole piece on how Stoker's treatment of women ticked off my 10-year-old daughter. Mina Harker and Lucy's wedding fixation and Victorian helplessness drove my own little Emmeline nuts. My daughter also couldn't stand the whole: Mina was as 'smart as a man' attitude.

Otherwise, Dracula is still a fascinating piece of gothic fiction that captures the anxieties and stresses of a proto-modernist age (sex, feminism, technology, scientific method, xenophobia, colonialism, etc).

Marc Nelson's narration captures the characters without distracting from Stoker's story.

classic

I liked the performance, it seemed to match the story. It got a bit monotonous at times but I was eager to read more to find out what happened next. It is different than any movie adaptation, so worth the read.

The Classic Vampyre Novel

I first read Dracula decades ago and still have my original paperback packed away somewhere. This week I purchased both the ebook and audible versions so I could enjoy it once again without having to wear my reading glasses. Like Carmilla by Joseph Le Fanu, Bram Stoker's Dracula sets for a prototype of an undead human who seduces and drains their victims life by drinking their very blood.
Everyone should read these stories as their authors intended. I now have the novel in paper, Kindle and Audible formats in the unabridged version. The Audible performance is well enough done that you can lose yourself in the story immersing yourself in it to good effect.

Fabulous narrator!

The movie industry has brought only segments of this classic tale to life but listening to it read in its entirety by this talented actor is the best way to experience the most famous horror story of western culture.

Unique writing style

Dracula was written in a rather unique style. It is actually a series of journal entries and letters. I found it weird at first, but later I got to like. It allows the author to present the story from different point of view and make it clear from what point of view it is from. It also encouraged me to keep up my journal. (Nothing about vampires in mine though.) It is also great to see where all the popular views of vampires comes from. I was a little disappointed about the climax. Dracula just laid there, and he didn't seem like he was the enemy, just a target. I still recommend it to any one who is into vampires. It is what set the standard.

The performance by Marc Nelson was not very accurate. I like to read along in a lot of my books, as I did on this one, and for that reason he made a lot of mistakes. I know that a most readers make mistakes, but not anywhere near as many as this one did. In fact he skipped over entire lines in his reading.

Classic!

Any additional comments?

Just finished this classic for the first time. Though I couldn't get Keanu Reeves out of my mind while visualizing the character I found the book to be very well written but a little tedious at times. This book would have been much better had my mind not been so tainted by all the vampire crap we've grown up with especially of late.

Unexpected story

Would you listen to Dracula again? Why?

No, I don't think I would listen to Dracula again because I can easily remember the story on my own. It was good and I liked it quite a bit; however, it wasn't so complicated that I need to listen again to hone in on key details.

What other book might you compare Dracula to and why?

I think that it is interesting to compare Dracula to current day vampire stories. Although Dracula is the source for vampire information, the actual story is much more mature and well-written than tales today.

Have you listened to any of Marc Nelson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, I haven't listened to Marc Nelson's other performances.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I was really shocked when partway through the story (following the perspective of only one person) it switched to the perspectives of multiple other people! Although I'm sure the entire story is about vampires (and specifically Dracula), I expected the one perspective and story line to continue throughout the entire novel.

A Classic with Spiritual Overtones

Fantastic story. Still great today. I can see why it has generated so many movies.

great story

If you could sum up Dracula in three words, what would they be?

the real dracula

What other book might you compare Dracula to and why?

I could not compare this to any

Have you listened to any of Marc Nelson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no

Who was the most memorable character of Dracula and why?

mena and johnathan of course and renfield because of his mental illness after staying at Draculas castle van Helsing the hero Lucy how he used her and drained her of life Dracula
because he's Dracula. :)

Any additional comments?

rent the DvD before or after you hear the book it is a great refresher and you realize how long the real story is , I wish they would have done a movie that matched the leanth of the book and got everthing in but it was still good.

Always wanted to know

This was a good book and it was great to finally here all of it