Brilliant ... couldn’t be better

I first read this book when I was 10 years old - yes, I was a precocious reader and yes, it terrified me so much that in a house full of others, for along time I had to keep the light on all night for fear of vampires. This reading is superb for every character, including Lucy (not so well portrayed in another recording I began to listen to and had to discard) and Van Helsing, who is really difficult to get right. An Audible triumph that does justice to unquestionably the best of all Gothic novels.

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superb

wonderful recount of the famous story. enjoyable all the way through. if you haven't read it and it seems lot of hours, it is worth every second.

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Very well narrated and easy to follow

Narrated so well that it has kept me thinking "okay , just another chapter" , and then listened to definitely more than 1 , just as it happens with physical books! I realised I get easily distracted when it comes to audiobooks , but this one has kept me focused even while carrying on with my chores!
100/100 would recommend!

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Fabulous work

I would highly recommend the story to anyone that enjoys Bram Stoker’s work, or any of the classic stories like this one!

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Amazing

i have read this book so many times so I know what happens, the actors of this though brought it to life. I was especially impressed with 'Mina Harker'. Her voice is beautiful and clear and just amazing. I was using this book as night time reading so mostly I would fall asleep to it. I loved it.

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I thought people just liked it be ause it was old

This team of talented voice actors swept me away into this genuinly thrilling story. The time went by at a gripping pace, and the plot satisfied every curiosity. Even if Van Helsing does like his monologues.

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1 person found this helpful

A satisfying new interpretation on a horror classi

I decided to download this version of Dracula from Audible after reading The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, which covers similar ground, last month. My first visit to the local Showcase Cinema soon after its opening nearly thirty years ago was with my brother to see Francis Ford Coppola's take on the vampire legend, Bram Stoker's Dracula (I was amused to see Winona Ryder, who played Mina, and Cary Elwes (Arthur) reunited in the third season of Stranger Things). This cinematic experience inspired me to read the original novel, a classic of late Victorian Gothic literature (hence the five star rating), and I listened to the BBC Radio 4 Book At Bedtime adaptation over five nights when it first aired.
I listened to this newer production over a fortnight, finishing last night, averaging a couple of chapters a day in the late afternoon, evening and at bedtime, as befitting a season of shortening days and lengthening nights. The voice cast comprises numerous stars of stage and screen, including Daisy Edgar Jones, Theo James, Himesh Patel and - most recognisable to me - Jason Watkins, whom I identified as the voice of Van Helsing. One problem was that the end credits did not identify which actor was reading which part: I'm pretty sure that Watkins was playing the Count with Patel portraying Jonathan Harker in the early Transylvanian chapters but a different actor seemed to be occupying the role of Dracula when our heroes confronted him in London. The voice of Dr Seward stood out the most for me: I believe it was James?
I liked the fact that this audiobook version was so faithful to the original though there were a couple of unavoidable downsides as a result: Mr Swales' Whitby dialect was impenetrable at times while I switched off and my mind started wandering during some of Van Helsing's many monologues in his idiosyncratic English. On the plus side it magnified the tragedy of Lucy Westenra and anyone who complains about other fictional characters dying on their wedding day or losing all their loved ones in rapid succession and notes what a toll this would take on their mental health should spare a thought for Arthur Holmwood. He lost his father, future mother-in-law and fiancee in the space of a few days, had to come to terms quickly with the existence of the undead and then saw one of his dearest friends killed in the process of slaying the dragon (it is significant that the narrative begins around St George's Day and ends with the destruction of the foul antagonist whose name translates - hat-tip to Elizabeth Kostova - as 'son of the dragon', six months later).
I also appreciated how I was reminded of listening to bedtime stories as a child - though Dracula would have given the younger me nightmares! - and the oral traditions of reciting ghost stories around the fire on cold dark nights. With Christmas a month away and the stories of M R James one of the staples of the season, as is Dracula, it is good to hear adaptations such as this one which continue to uphold these traditions.

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exceptional classic

wonderful narration. if at times the accents are a little silly
this remains the only book that has made me truly spooked merely from describing the atmosphere.

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Couldn't stop listening

Absolutely loved it. Brilliant narratives from all the characters. Felt like I was actually there.

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Excellent

An old classic told well, throughly enjoyed the performance of the aviators involved. Well done.

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