The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

When I finished Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, the first thought that came to my mind was: "the moral of this story is...."

Contrary to most people no doubt, I didn't really know what the story of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was. I knew that Dr Jekyll created a monster, but I didn't realise that the monster was himself. I expected Dr Jekyll's creation to be more monster-like and more sinister than he was, and I expected a full length novel rather than a novella.

Despite my expectations not being met, I was more than satsified with this book.
I think that ultimately, this book is Stevenson's meditation on the opposing forces in man's human nature: good and evil.

At first, Dr Jekyll thinks that he has found the perfect way to exist: he is able to live the blameless and useful like of Dr Jekyll during the day whilst giving reign to the sinister side of his nature during the evening. He soon discovers, however, that by giving the evil side of his nature too much reign, he is losing control over his own true self and he is soon horrified to discover that he no longer has control over his own transformations. He realises that his evil side is taking over.

Stevenson is giving us a warning. It is easy sometimes to say and do those things that we know that we shouldn't and to live a carefree life in which we only satisfy our own needs and wants. Yet, our sense of self is also defined by our sense of place within a community and in our relationships with the people and the world around us and to live such a life is to lose our own sense of self and self-worth.

Sorry to get so deep, but that is the moral of the story that I took away from The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. 

6 / 8: Really enjoyable and well written. I would recommend it.

What do you think the moral of this story is?

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon is a beautifully written, magical story about life, love and the reader's relationship with story. 

It begins in 1945, post-Spanish civil war, with the protagonist Daniel Sempere being taken by his father to the Cemetery of Lost Books where is told to choose a book in order to keep it's spirit alive forever.

Daniel chooses a book entitled The Shadow of the Wind by Juian Carax and in doing so he unknowingly and irrevocably ties his own life to Julian's.

I know this seems to be a common refrain in my reviews of late, but I hardly feel capable of doing this book any justice.

Zafon creates these most perfect characters. He goes so deep into their inner most thoughts and intricacies that it is hard to believe that the characters are just that; characters in the story. Not only were the characters so whole, the setting was so vivid that at times I felt as though I was lost in the rambling misty streets of Barcelona with the characters.

Without getting too sappy, I think that The Shadow of the Wind is in some ways a metaphor for the ability that some stories have to touch something inside us so much that the story itself becomes a little part of ourselves.

Despite how much I enjoyed almost every aspect of this book, there were two weaknesses for me. The first is that Zafon sometimes seemed a little pleased with himself, a little too pompous, in the way that he put forward his own social commentary. I am thinking particularly of Fermin's comments on television, where I felt as though I was reading the author's opinion rather than the characters. Fermin predicts that in the future people won't be able to fart for themselves because of the prevalence of television, and that we (people) won't die of the bomb but of banality. This felt to me to be a lot more of the authors opinion rather than the characters.

The second weakness for me was that towards the middle of the book I felt as though it was moving to slowly and I really needed something to happen soon or I would lose interest in the story. Fortunately, as soon as I has that thought, the story really picked up and I was swept away all over again.

Zafon breathes a vividness and life into the his characters and setting in a way that I don't often come across. In his writing you can really sense his passion for the time honoured art of reading, and that passion is catching.

7 / 8: Brilliant, couldn't put it down. Everyone should read it. Recommend that you buy it.

What did you think of The Shadow of the Wind? Did you love it, or did you find that Zafon was a little too self-indulgent for your tastes?

The Virago Book of Ghost Stories ed. Richard Dalby

The Virago Book of Ghost Stories is an entertaining way of exploring the world of ghost stories.

The book is an anthology of ghost stories written by talented female authors of the 20th Century, including Edith Wharton, E Nesbit, Mrs Gaskell, Elizabeth Bowen, Angela Carter and Fay Weldon. Their talent ensures that as you read their stories the hair on the back of your neck stands on end and you are sitting on the edge of the seat as you wait to find out who and what the ghost is.

There is everything in this book from the more traditional ghost stories told around the fireside late in to the evening, to psychological experiments and manifestations. The ghosts are both real and imaginary. Some of the ghosts are human and some are not. Some are old and some are young. There are innocent victims, perpetrators of crime, disturbed men and women and of course there are haunted houses that are out to get their inhabitants. Some of the stories are written from the perspective of someone that is decidedly alive, and others are told from the perspective of the ghost themselves. If you are looking for variety, you will find it in the pages of The Virago Book of Ghost Stories.

The stories are collected in this anthology by Richard Dalby and his enthusiasm for the genre is very contagious. He has arranged the contents of The Virago Book of Ghost Stories in chronological order. This was a wonderful way to show how the ghost story has changed (or not changed) over time. I will admit to enjoying the ghost stories from the early 20th century that little bit more than the stories from the later 20th century. I think that this may be because the earlier the ghost story the more traditional it seemed to be. It could, however also be accounted for the fact that the book is quite long.

In the introduction to The Virago Book of Ghost Stories, Richard Dalby explains how hard he found it to cut the book down because of the sheer volume of quality ghost stories told by the talented female authors of the 20th century. In fact, I believe that there is a second volume, and that there is also The Virago Book of Victorian Ghost Stories. Although I don't doubt that it would have been extremely difficult to limit the number of stories to include in the anthology, I thought that there were a few too many and that I was ready to move on to another book before I had read all the stories it contained.

Despite that, Richard Dalby's The Virago Book of Ghost Stories was a mesmerising collection and has not dulled my enthusiasm for a good ghost story (click here to read more about my personal enthusiasm for the ghost story).

6 / 8: Really enjoyable and well written. I would recommend it. 


Two Questions: 1. Do you enjoy ghost stories? and 2. Do you enjoy reading anthologies?

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

I loved this book so much that it is almost impossible for me to talk about in any articulate way.

I just want to gush about perfect it was. How much I loved Jane. How beautiful and poignant the writing is. How I wish it would never end but I couldn't put it down. So bear with me while I ramble about how wonderful it was.

**If you haven't read Jane Eyre – don't read this post. It is impossible to talk about with spoiling most of the story and I want you to read it without knowing what happens. A lot of the time, you probably won't understand what I am talking about anyway. You have been warned.

Jane is such a wonderfully headstrong but moral character. I constantly felt heartbroken on her behalf but nothing seemed to break her spirit. She believed in what was right and Christian and she acted upon it no matter what cost to her. She is perhaps one of the strongest characters I have ever read.

I admit to be initially incredulous at the way in which Jane leaves Thornfield Hall after the disastrous wedding and all that follows. I imagined that she would be the kind of person who would reject the kind of impropriety that behaviour demonstrates. It also seemed a bit over the top for her to then be wandering around the countryside begging and sleeping in fields. Maybe a little bit too over dramatic.

After talking to a friend though about this issue I feel a bit better about it. Jane was so fixated on doing the right and moral thing, demonstrated particularly by her returning to her Aunt on her deathbed. She had been like this for her entire life. Even at Lowood School she could not accept the injustice that she saw in the way Helen Burns could, regardless of whether it was done in the name of God or not. I can see now that Jane believed so strongly that it was wrong for her to live in sin with Rochester, as he was urging, but she didn't trust her all too human desires and so rather than betray her beliefs, even her own nature, she chose to leave Thornfield Hall urgently.

I still found the aimless wandering around the countryside a little bit melodramatic, but I know I am probably out on a limb on this issue. In any event, it serves as the way in which she comes to meet her natural family and so I can easily not worry too much about my misgivings about this section of the story.

Then there's Rochester. I don't know what to make of him. Part of me thinks that he is just so adorable. Perhaps not initially – but when they are finally at the point of declaring their feelings for each other and he explains how he has been feeling that whole time that he has been watching her and trying to figure out what she feels about him – I couldn't help but sigh a big long "aaaaawwwwwwwwww". Bless. What a sweetheart. And his reaction when he finally comes back to him at the end of the book with his sweet confusion about whether it could really her come back to him because it's just too good to be true – I couldn't help but sigh another big long "aaaaaaawwwwwwww". Bless.

On the other hand, the man has locked his crazy wife up in the attic. For years. And then tries to trick an innocent young girl into bigamy, then treats her like sh*t at the wedding when all is exposed and tries to convince her to live in sin with him. All of which he knows (or should know) that she would morally abhor, and in doing so puts her in a position where she feels her only option is practically to escape with what little she has – and we know how that turns out!

He doesn't once take responsibility for his actions (in my humble opinion anyway). I mean I know times were different back then – but there is no real sense of remorse for what he has done. There is just this sense of how hard done by he feels that he is. And he is selfish. He thinks about himself and his own happiness more than he thinks about Jane's.

And yet…. Their romance is just so sweet. He loves her. She loves him. And despite everything, they end up together. He is a sinner, but her love redeems him. Beautiful.

The wife in the attic – that is a whole other issue. I know times were different back then – but you can't help but think that locking someone in an attic would only send them more crazy. This was the only part of the story I didn't feel had any real conclusion. I wasn't satisfied with Rochester's story about how she came to be crazy and a prisoner at Thornfield Hall, it just seemed a bit one sided.

(If you ignored my advice above and are still reading this post even though you haven't read the book – at least don't read this paragraph for me) Then there is the way in which everything has such a neat conclusion. She goes to the charity school which is terrible but then it improves and she becomes a teacher there. Because she does well as a teacher she is able to become a governess, and meet the man she will fall in love with. Her potential marriage collapses when she finds that Rochester has been lying to her and she finds herself homeless and starving. Then the people that she seeks help from just coincidentally happen to be her long lost relatives. Then she gets a massive amount of money left her and becomes very rich. Then she finds that Rochester's wife has died so she can marry him. And he is blind which places them on equal footing.

It almost feels too good to be true – but you love Jane so much that it doesn't matter. You want the best for Jane and so you are willing to believe the almost unbelievable for her sake.

And what about St John Rivers! I have to admit that at one point I almost thought that she would agree to marry him. That man was horrible. Yet in the end he is able to come to understand his faults and mistakes and so is forgiven.

I think that overall this book is mostly about morality, more than Christianity or anything else.

I am not going to go too much into this because there are scholars out there that are better placed than me to talk about it. I think, however, that Bronte was sharing a powerful message that what man says about God and religion isn't always the right thing – that behaving in a manner that is moral and good is sometimes bigger than religion.

In the preface to Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte says:

Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion. To attack the first is not to assail the last. To pluck the mask from the face of the Pharisee, is not to lift an impious hand to the Crown of Thorns.


These things and deeds are diametrically opposed: they are as distinct as is vice from virtue. Men too often confound them: they should not be confounded: appearance should not be mistaken for truth; narrow human doctrines, that only tend to elate and magnify a few, should not be substituted for the world-redeeming creed of Christ. There is – I repeat it – a difference; and it is a good, and not a bad action to mark broadly and clearly the line of separation between them.

Regardless of whether you are Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, atheist or agnostic, I think that this is a useful lesson for everyone.

I think what best illustrated Bronte's views on these issues was the contrast between Jane Eyre and her friend Helen Burns at Lowood School. Helen accepted the way of like at Lowwod; the starvation, the diseases, the abuse and humiliation because she believed in forgiveness preached in the Bible and had convinced herself that in the name of God it was her duty to accept things as they were (that's how I saw it anyway). Jane on the other hand wasn't willing to accept the wrongs perpetrated against the inmates of Lowood School in the name of forgiveness. She saw that the behaviour of the management of the institution (the Church), although done in the name of God, was immoral and a crime against the children and those acts were worth fighting against.

The same can be seen in the character of St John Rivers. He believes that he is a Christian man (in fact he is a clergyman),and yet he is depicted as a demanding and almost deceitful man (I am thinking about when he accused Jane of going back on her promise to marry him when in fact she gave no such promise) and it often feels as though he is only doing the acts that he does in order to make himself seem better in the eyes of others.

The biggest lesson I learnt from Jane Eyre is how important it is to stand up for what you believe in and doing the right, good and honourable thing will always be the most personally rewarding.

I will just leave you with my favourite moment in the book - the moment when Rochester and Jane are having their first meaningful discussion in the living room by the fire. Jane spoke to him as if she were his equal, despite being at times confused about what he was trying to say. They were so obviously trying to get the feel for the other person and they had this instant connection and the tension between the two of them was palpable. Their discussion continued for quite some pages, and I remember closing the book when their conversation ended and just feeling exhausted and emotionally drained by their exchange.

Ultimately – what does Jane Eyre mean to me? It means passion and that living a passionate life is living a full life.

I love Jane Eyre.

8 / 8: One of the best books I have ever read. Everyone should read it - it is totally amazing. I am in love.

Am I over reacting or did you love it as much as I did? Feel free to post your comments on my random thoughts and opinions, I imagine some of them might be controversial?

Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a classic in the true sense of the word; with timeless themes and an important place in literary history.

The story beings in the northern ice caps with Robert Walton, a young man seeking adventure in the uncharted areas of the world. His trip is interrupted when the boat he sails on comes upon a strange man stranded all alone in the ice caps needing assistance.

This man is Doctor Viktor Frankenstein, who proceeds to tell Walton an almost incomprehensible story about his journey to recreate human life. The result of this journey, is Frankenstein's monster.

The beauty of Frankenstein is just how human Frankenstein's monster really is. He is a man who desires love and companionship. In his early years of being he seeks friendship and family. He wants people's approval and notice in order that he can become the man that he feels that he is.

He is then deeply wounded by the sudden and cruel realisation that he is fated to a life of nameless isolation, where he will only ever be met with abhorrence and rejection. His grief and despair at this realisation force him to seek the assistance of the man that he himself despises, his creator, Viktor Frankenstein.

Sadly, when he finds that even this avenue cannot bring him relief from his pitiful situation he dedicates his life to destroying his creator, hoping to find peace but only to discover that his destructive acts cannot satisfy his all too human desires.

Because of this, it is the nameless monster created by Frankenstein that holds our sympathy, despite his murderous acts. Frankenstein himself becomes a selfish figure that having achieved his desired outcome, refuses to take responsibility for the life that he has created. He suffers for this undoubtedly, but it is his creation that you cannot help but feel fascinated by and feel pity for.

It is incredible to think that at the age of 18 Shelley was able to write such a book; a book that so accurately captures the depths of human nature and feeling.

Not only this, but Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus played a significant role in the development of the horror genre, as well as having an important place in romantic and gothic literature, and to a lesser extent science fiction as well.

This is a classic in the true sense of the word, and a book that I recommend to everyone with a love of literature.

7 / 8

Brilliant, couldn't put it down. Recommend that you buy it.

Have you read this book? How did you feel about Doctor Frankenstein himself? Did you think that he did the right thing is failing to assist his creation or did he fail to responsibility for his actions?

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters; a ghost story

Sarah Water's The Little Stranger is a modern day ghost story, and a great read for those of you who like a good ghost story.

The Little Stranger is a modern day ghost story set in post WWII at Hundreds Hall, an old English mansion that has fallen into disrepair. It is owned and inhabited by the Ayres family, a mother and her daughter and son. Doctor Faraday, the local doctor, becomes involved with the family when he is called out to see one of the Hall's servants when she falls in. Gradually though, strange happenings begin to occur around the house that slowly send the family spiralling out of control.

The story is told through the eyes of Doctor Faraday, who plays the role of the non-believer that is essential in every ghost story. He is a rational man with a scientific mind, who tries throughout the novel to make rational sense of the strange ghostly occurrences at Hundreds Hall.

Initially, we are made to think that Doctor Faraday is an objective observer but it slowly becomes clear that perhaps he is not as objective as we might think. We begin to get a sense the Doctor Faraday has a growing obsession with Hundreds Hall; he thinks about it all the time and makes every effort to ingratiate himself with the family as often as he can. I couldn't help but wonder whether he had designs on the property and how this effected his ability to analyse what was occurring within the house.

Waters did an an excellent job of combining a spooky ghost story with social commentary. The darkness of the ghost story fit in very well with the dark and sombre mood of England post WWII.

Hundreds Hall imposes itself upon the story so well that it almost becomes a character in its own right. The large rambling mansion is falling into disrepair because its owners are unable to afford the upkeep. The garden is taking over the house, the steps are crumbling to pieces and inside the wall paper is peeling from the walls. In a way, Hundreds Hall is used a metaphor for the country itself.

Much like James' The Turn of the Screw, the reader is left wondering at the end about what, if any, the ghostly present was. I know this allows for additional mystery - but I would have preferred a more conclusive outcome after investing so much time in the story. Waters makes a bold attempt to create a spooky atmosphere with the mystery - but it fell a little short of the mark for me. I often felt that the story was moving just a little too slowly, and was a little too focussed on Doctor Faraday and not enough on the ghostly elements of the story. Although I enjoyed it, it definitely wasn't in the same league as the Turn of the Screw for fear and tension.


Summary

What kind of read is this?
It is an easy read, but the book is rather thick and it takes longer to read than you might expect.

Do I recommend this book?
I recommend it to people who enjoy ghost stories but it won't be the best ghost story that they read.

Do I recommend that you buy this book?
No, borrow it.

Star Rating

5 / 8

Good and worth reading if you have the opportunity, but there's no need to prioritise it.

Are you a fan of ghost stories? I would love to know what you think of this book if you have read it or any of Sarah Waters other books?

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (a real ghost story)

I was keen to read another Henry James novel after finishing The Portrait of a Lady earlier this year and having very mixed feelings toward it.  So I was very grateful to the wonderful Bethany from Words, Words, Words (definitely worth having a look at this great blog), who sent me a copy of The Turn of the Screw after she had finished with it.

This novella is your classic ghost story. It begins with a group of people sitting around a fire in an old house, on Christmas Eve, telling each other ghost stories. One of these people then agrees to tell the others a story he was once told by a woman he once greatly admired. The scene is set, a few nights later they all settle in to listen to his tale.

The story then switches into the first person, and the remainder of the book is written from the perspective of a governess who recounts her experiences as a live in governess at a property in the country called Bly. She is hired by a well-to-do man who has become the carer for his niece and nephew after their parents have passed away, leaving them orphans. He has sent his charges to live in the country, and he hired this governess to care for them, giving her the only condition that she is in no way to contact him about the children. As she settles into the house and routine, and falls in love with the children, she begins to experience increasingly strange occurrences and see apparitions. It begins with seeing a sinister man standing on their roof top and later staring in through a window, and later she sees an equally sinister woman staring longingly at the children. She becomes increasingly disturbed when she believes that the children can see them too, and she determines to save them from any evil influences in the house.

The ghost story is so perfectly formed that I was totally caught up in it, and totally freaked out. I read it in almost one sitting, and was surprised to see that 2.5 hours had passed in barely the blink of an eye.

The language is typical of James; there are very long sentences that often go off on tangents, and it can be hard to lose the train of thought without concentrating on what is being said. Having said that, I actually love language like that; that old fashioned language that winds all over the place, but I am sure that it is a matter of taste.

I have been surprised to discover that there is actually debate about whether this a true ghost story or the governess was actually just going crazy and making it all up in her psychotic mind. I personally think that anyone who thinks that the governess was crazy is crazy themselves. It couldn't be clearer to me that these ghosts were 'real' and they meant harm.

What made it all the more real to me was that the ghosts weren't white floaty things, making things mysteriously move about and all that typical ghost like behaviour. Instead that were just the reincarnation of certain people's evil intentions during life. They behaved liked real people and looked like real people, and they were all the more scary because of it.

To further emphasise the creepiness of the occurrences in this house, I loved the way that James described the children. You are never quite sure what they are really thinking, and what really motivates their angelic behaviour. It makes the children themselves seem sinister, adding to the creepiness of the story.

The tension that James created made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I loved being freaked out by a book. This is one that I would definitely recommend.

Summary

What kind of read is this?
It is a ghost story, and a scary one. Also, although it is a very small book, it takes longer to read than you might think simply because of the complexities of James's writing.

Do I recommend this book?
Yes, especially for those of you who like some real tension. I am not usually a reader of mysteries, but this was tense.

Do I recommend that you buy this book?
Yes I do. It is creepy enough to warrant a second or third (or more) reading. I feel like it is one of those books that the more times you read it, the more things you will pick up.

Star Rating

7 / 8

Brilliant, couldn't put it down. Recommend that you buy it.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Book Details
Hardcover
Pages: 321
Publisher: Cameron House
Published: 2008 (Australian edition)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781741730340

Book Review
My boyfriend's sister gave me this book as a Christmas present this year. She read it in High School and it is her favourite book so it came with a high recommendation. I didn't really know what to expect to be honest, but I don't think it was what I got. I can't remember the last time I read such a dark book.

It is the story of an unfulfilled romance between Catherine Earnshaw of Wuthering Heights and Heathcliff, the young orphan boy her father adopts and brings to their home to live with them. Catherine and Heathcliff are close throughout their childhood and teenage years, although Catherine's brother Hindley Earnshaw deeply resent Heathclif and special place he holds in his father's heart. Despite her love for Heathcliff, Catherine marries the son of their neighbour, Edgar Linton, at Thrushcross Grange, a young man closer to her in social status. This destroys Heathcliff, who then dedicates his life to taking revenge on Hindley and proving to Catherine the poor decision she made in marrying in Edgar.

What really surprised me is how many people had told me that they really liked Heathcliff. I have to admit to disliking Heathcliff immensely, in fact, I didn't find myself able to sympathise with any of the characters, not even Ellen Dean. Heathlcliff particularly - I found him to be evil, controlling, abusive and a manipulator. He is selfish to the extreme. What makes it worse is that he doesn't even pretend that he cares - he is so openly out to cause harm to others in return for the harm that he himself has suffered. I'm not denying that he was treated poorly at all, he had a difficult like which collapsed in around him when his love married elsewhere. And yet regardless of this, I can't help but think that there is no excuse for the deliberate harm he inflicted on others, including those that the purported to love.

Ellen Dean was about the only character that I thought that I could possibly like, and even then she was definitely a little annoying. Whilst she had good morals and a good nature, she couldn't resist but put her two cents worth in whenever the opportunity arose. She struck me as somewhat controlling, always so sure that she knew what was best for everyone and trying to make sure things according to idea of what is good and proper. Having said that, she genuinely cared for those that she served and I think genuinely wanted to protect and help everyone, a lot more than could be said for any of the other characters. I also found it frustrating that a lot of time time she just watched these horrible things happen, and didn't put a stop to some of the goings on that she so much wanted to put a stop to. I supposed this a product of the times, as the servant she had little control over her masters, even when they are children.

The book had so many themes and messages in it. I saw the dangers of pride in all of the characters, although particularly in Catherine Linton nee Earnshaw. She was so certain of her own self worth I think in some ways this turned into her downfall. The effects of selfishness were also very apparent - Hindley Earnshaw failed to care for his son after his wife's death because he was too wrapped up in his own loss and self pity to give a thought for anyone else. As a result Hareton fell under the influence of the evil and manipulative Heathcliff. Heathcliff too was clearly selfish, caring only for himself and totally focused on getting his own revenge at the cost of others happiness. I was especially surprised at the portrayal of Linton Healthcliff, he was such an unpleasant child, so focused on himself and his sufferings that he seemed incapable of proper human feeling most of the time.

I think that the book was also making an important comment on the issue of nature v nurture. There was this tension between the idea of some of the characters having a bad character on the one had, but on the other hand, you could see that each character became the person they were being treated as. For example, Heathcliff was treated terribly as a child, and grew up to treat others terribly. I think Ellen Dean had some insight into this tension between nature v nurture:

"The masters bad ways and and bad companions formed a pretty example for Catherine and Heathcliff. His treatment of the latter was enough to make a fiend of a saint."

and

"I divined, from this account, that utter lack of sympathy had rendered young Heathcliff selfish and disagreeable, if he were not originally;"

Its the old debate isn't it - what makes us who we are? Are we born with our personality and characteristics pre-determined (Nature) or do we become the people we are due the influences around us (Nurture)? The book has a happy ending of sorts, and after all the sadness and madness, that was something positive.

Summary

What kind of read is it?
It is an easy read, but for its size it did longer to read than I expected. That perhaps can be put down to the language used. I definitely had to spend some time figuring out what the character of Joseph was saying. The kind of read that is good when you need something a bit seriousness after a row of really happy books. Something that would be good when you want a reminder of what true human nature can be like.

Do I recommend it? Despite the fact that I didn't necessarily like the characters and still don't understand why everyone likes Heathcliff so much, I still couldn't put the book down. So, I definitely recommend others read it, just to see what you think of the characters and their goings on.

Do I recommend buying it? Usually I think that I would recommend buying most books, but not this one. You can tell that I'm in two minds about it, for as much as I was sucked into the story and the characters, it wouldn't be a book that I would need to have on my bookshelf.

Star Rating

6.5 / 8

Brilliant, couldn't put it down.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Dracula by Bram Stoker is a very original and creepy classic that I think everyone should read at some point in their reading lives.

The story begins with one of the main characters Jonathan Harker, a new lawyer, making his way to Count Dracula's castle in Transylvania to complete some legal business his form has with Count Dracula. The villagers he meet all warn him against his plan, however he puts this down to traditional superstition at most, and dismisses their warnings. Once at the castle, Jonathan Harker becomes more and more suspicious of Count Dracula's behaviour, until eventually his suspicions are proved to be true and he finds himself a prisoner in the castle.

I can't recreate the thoroughly evil atmosphere that Stokercreates, nor would I want to. I hope that you will experience it for yourself. Suffice to say that what happens on the castle is the scariest part of the book and I almost wondered whether I would be able to finish reading it. Fortunately I did finish reading it and I was rewarded. The story moves between different countries and cities and the entire time I was riveted.

The book is written from many different characters perspectives by way of diary entries, journal entries, letters and newspaper clippings. This was apparently a very new and different way of writing a novel in 1897. I was nervous when I first started reading it that this method of story telling would act as a barrier between me and the story but it worked well, ensuring the suspense is intense throughout the entire book. The story does become less and less creepy as it progresses. Don't get me wrong, there are some evil images Bram Stoker creates all the way through, but it is never quite as creepy as it is at first in Count Dracula's castle.

 I couldn't put Dracula down, despite there being points in time when I really wanted to put it down. This is easily the creepiest book I have ever read. I remember watching parts of Nosferatu when I was a child and being really terrified. Now, having read Dracula by Bram Stoker I would like to watch again as an adult.

All in all, I think that if you are in for a very different read and you're not afraid of a bit of blood, I think you should give this classic a go.

Star Rating

6.5 / 8

Brilliant, couldn't put it down.