Dracula - October Spooky Reads

A lot of what we know about the mythical vampire/vampyre comes from classics such as Dracula (Stoker) and The Vampyre (Polidori).  For all the love that I have for Gothic fiction I must admit most of the books that I have read fall in to the female Gothic genre.  I am part of an online book club where we vote for a few books each month and discuss them.  One such book for this month was Dracula and I have to say I was reluctant to start with.  I wasn't sure how I would get along with the style of writing - this is something I need to address because I usually end up really enjoying this

writing style more.

With a train trip to London and a week off work this book club choice could not have come at a better time.  The first thing that really stood out to me was the characterisation - I feel like the circle of characters welcomed the reader in to their adventures and allowed us to become invested in them.  In my opinion this is largely due to the narrative style Stoker uses.  The novel comprises of journal entries and letters between the characters.  This gives a real personal feel to the relationships we build with each character.  I can't think of many novels I have read where I have felt more welcome amongst the characters.

Having said all of this I did resent the portrayal of women.  I know that this was very much a standard, stereotypical and widely accepted portrayal of women from the era but it still doesn't sit well with me.  Mina has the potential to be a kick ass female (and definitely has moments where she is) but is let down by how emotionally sensitive she is in comparison to the male characters of the group.

This was a 4 star read for me because I did think there were a lot of plot points that needed a little bit more attention than what they got. Particularly towards the end of the story everything just felt too rushed and glossed over.

It was really clear to me that the tropes that we see in modern Gothic literature were all present but I think isolation was the one that really stood out for me.  The characters were all at their most vulnerable whenever they were left by themselves.  The isolation caused by perceived madness at the start had a really profound effect on my interpretation of the novel and the character of Jonathan.  As a reader I felt as though I was being taken on the journey of discovery along with each of the characters despite having more knowledge owing to the omniscient role played by the reader.

To me this was a masterpiece in writing for the maximum impact when it comes to this genre - the characters, plot and themes were so intricately built through a clever narrative with a subtle lacing of Gothic tropes all the way throughout.

Having read Rebecca at the beginning of the month I was really worried about whether there would be any book that could follow on from it.  The dread for me was that I would have a huge book hangover.  Luckily for me Dracula did not disappoint and gave me a fantastic avenue to continue with my Gothic reading list for the Halloween build up.

Next: Individual review of Rebecca and a reading wrap up for October.

Meg x

"The Essex Serpent" Review

This book has firmly entered my "All Time Favourite Books" shelf - a difficult feat to accomplish but this has a well deserved spot right there.  I feel like it is very reminiscent of the Victorian classics but is written in an arguably more accessible style for the modern audience.  I am going to split the review into sections: narrative, character, setting and plot to ensure I don't miss anything out.

Character

Sarah Perry enticed us into the life of Cora, a young widow left alone with her son, who is recovering from a highly abusive relationship with her now dead husband.  Cora is intrigued by all things connected with nature and science - she does not promote the typical tropes of a Victorian character in the sense of religious beliefs and piousness. This actually serves heavily in her favour as she quickly establishes herself as someone who really does not quite fit into society.  This is particularly endearing and, at times, comical as she tries to navigate through etiquette and social conventions.  I really loved that she just came across in an independent, intelligent and emotionally strong manner. The reader does not get to know a lot about Cora's past except for some small hints in the way she speaks and acts at certain points but it is clear to ascertain that she has been formed by the cruel husband who died.  This made me truly admire her strength of character even more as I read more and found out more about her past.

William Ransome, a minister, comes into the novel at the time Cora steps out from the city and into the countryside to allow herself space away from her past.  She is formally introduced to Will as well as Stella, his wife, and their three children.  Will is a man of faith who is battling against a mass hysteria among his congregation who believe that an old mythical creature has come to their village to avenge some sort of sin on their part. Will's pragmatic approach to all that he is faced with is extremely charming to most but he and Cora persistently debate the world in terms of science vs. creation and nature vs. religion. Will is an extraordinarily caring husband and father to his family.  His flaws shown throughout remind us that everyone is human and can make mistakes - nobody should be expected to be perfect. I really enjoyed Will as a character because he was not predictable in ways that we would have expected.  There was always a sense of conflict he faced between morality and his own thoughts.

Francis Seaborne is Cora's son and a boy who presents behaviours typical of what may now be diagnosed as Asperger's Syndrome.  Francis finds it hard to show his emotions in normal, acceptable ways.  He loves his mother and cares deeply about her but never demonstrates this to her which constantly makes her doubt their relationship.  Francis is a collector of various strange objects.  He likes everything to be exactly where he puts it and not to be touched, moved or thrown away by anyone but him.  As a character Francis Seaborne evokes in me a very strong emotional response.  He is a lonely boy who is desperate for attention and affection from those around him.

Narrative and Writing Style

The novel is written in the third person perspective which allows more depth and exploration of the individual characters, the plot on the whole and the travel to and from the destinations where the story takes place.  There are, however, points throughout where we hear from the characters directly in the form of letters that are written to and from each other.  This is a deeply effective way reminiscent of certain tropes of the female Gothic genre.

The novel displays a heavy Gothic presence throughout as it deals with many tropes that we would expect to see in a novel of the genre.

 Firstly the frame narrative of the myth of the "Essex Serpent" which really ties the whole story together - it is Cora's reason to visit Aldwinter and to become acquainted with the Ransome family.  The prologue guides us nicely into that mindset by starting off with a death.  The frame narrative works in collaboration with the concept of madness and superstition to cause confusion as to what is real and what is not.  When Joanna Ransome and her friend, Naomi, get together they bring forward the concept of witchcraft and the occult.  They are seen performing rituals and spells and have a firm belief that they can influence events to come. 

Darkness and Isolation are also very clearly present from the cold, dark nights in Aldwinter to the black mourning clothes Cora wears, to the weather and use of pathetic fallacy to highlight the sense of dread and danger surrounding the village.  The village itself is isolated - far away from the nearest towns and a misty walk along the coast at that.  Each of the characters face their own form of isolation also - Cora is isolated by her contrary opinions, her rash behaviour and erratic mindsets, Francis is isolated because of his inability to adhere to normalcy and expected social conventions, Will is isolated in his lonely belief that there is no monster and his want to put the hysteria to an end.  Each character is imprisoned by their actions, thoughts or beliefs.

Disease, death and the afterlife very much play a huge role throughout the novel.  Luke, the physician Cora meets when he is caring for her dying husband, is a surgeon at the forefront of his game.  He is a surgical leader taking risks and performing new surgeries well ahead of his time.  He is there for the death of Cora's husband and to care for Stella Ransome through her time of illness.

The church vs. atheism is an interesting dynamic in the role it plays within the development of the relationship between Will and Cora - they respect each other's intelligence despite the fact that neither of them can agree on very much.  Each discussion between them brings the creation vs. science argument.  Corruption within the church is also evident in the flaws demonstrated by Will (NO SPOILERS).

The style of this novel is reminiscent of the Anne Bronte novel "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" in which a woman and her young son travel to the countryside to escape the grief of the dysfunctional marriage she has faced.  In the same sense as Helen in "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" Cora seeks not only new knowledge and discoveries on her travels to Aldwinter but also to find herself and retrieve the person she really is rather than who her husband has made her.  The conflicting love interests and seemingly impossible relationships brought back fond memories of Anne Bronte's work for me which is perhaps one of the reasons I so thoroughly enjoyed it!

Setting
The setting of Aldwinter was quaint, eerie and just spooky enough to make you second guess what was about to emerge from the sea mist next.  With the social housing crisis of the late 1800s along with the Bryant and May strikes, the great dock strike of 1889 and the general unrest among the city of London there was an abundance of history to incorporate. Sarah Perry subtly wove each strand of the current events through her plot in a beautifully elegant narration.  The novel grabbed the opportunity to demonstrate the advances in medical sciences which were being made at the time.  This was something I particularly enjoyed - Perry took advantage of our historically rich culture to build a very realistic overview of life in the 1800s-early1900s in Britain.

 On the whole the setting of the story was used in a way that was almost magical.  The novel is historical but also creates a spin off world within reality which makes the reader question their own sense of reality.  The ongoing conflict of opinions and beliefs of the church and science make it relevant and memorable but the hat tip to the past (Salem witch hunt hysteria) is very clear throughout too.

I cannot recommend this novel highly enough it is a leading contender for me for my favourite book of the year - and I honestly did not expect to be saying that after reading "The Handmaid's Tale" earlier in the year.

Meg x

The Handmaid's Tale: Review

We all have that list of books that we know we "should" have read before.  The ones that everyone goes on and on about or refer to in high brow literary conversations.  Especially when your job centres around reading and books and literature (now that I have thought of it I think this may be another blog post in the making!)."The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood was one of those books for me that I had always wanted to read but just never really made the time for it. In June I started watching the TV series and loved the first episode so much that I knew I just had to read it.  I was delighted when the book club I am part of selected it as one of their reads and it did not disappoint.

This one of very few 5 star reviews I have left on Goodreads. Atwood skilfully built a society called Gilead which was created when a Christian group kills the American congress members and President and take over America in a bid to create a military run dictatorship.  The Handmaids are a group of women whose sole purpose is for recreation.  The society has faced a decline in fertility which is something that the new dictatorship believe has to be conquered.  The Handmaids are distributed to the ruling class families who use them in attempt to make them surrogate mothers for the family.  The story is told in the first person by the main character, Offred, a Handmaid who is assigned to her third family.

Firstly, the setting was dealt with in such a complete, encompassing amount of description throughout.  I felt so submerged and involved with the novel that when I stopped I had to remind myself that it wasn't really happening.  The society was not so far-fetched that it was unimaginable, instead it created an alternate realistic society with flawed characters, powerful themes and that creates a connection to the reader which is maintained all the way through.

Offred is all the more realistic for the flashbacks to the times she was happy with her family and to the start of the revolution.  Offred's past is a painful reminder of what things used to be like.  It is all the worse because she knows what she is missing.  Offred is inspired by a friend, Moira, who is a powerful woman on a mission to break out of the oppression she faces as a woman under the new regime.  The female characters we meet throughout the novel all have their own ways to try and break away from the rules of the regime.

Individuality, or the importance of individuality, is explored through the many ways that the woman are categorised and forced to leave behind their individuality and become a collective group of women without any sort of individual thought.  All of the Handmaids are identified by their distinct red dresses and white hats which block out their vision preventing them from seeing or being seen.  The educational centre run by the Aunts is a facility which teaches Handmaids how they should conduct themselves.  It is a harrowing experience for the Handmaids who are cruelly and severely
punished for the slightest wrong-doing.  At the centre they are taught to behave and conduct themselves in exactly the same way as every other Handmaid.

For me one of the most disturbing descriptions were of the "unbabies" or "shredders" which were the babies born with defects or physical disabilities.  There is no telling what actually happens to these babies but it is known that they are not kept.  The society does not use the modern facilities for testing pre-natal health in babies, it is forbidden to conduct health checks before birth.  The Handmaids live in fear of giving birth to an "unbaby" which is terrifying because it harks back to days gone by where we did not have the facilities that we do now to check the health of babies. I feel this is something that made me appreciate the health services available to us that we just take for granted at the moment.

This book really got under my skin. I felt like it was so real that I truly became immersed within the setting, characters and events.  This is a testament to the writing of Atwood as I usually find it difficult to engage with dystopian literature.  This is far and above my favourite dystopian novel that I have read to date.

Next up: Popular books that I have not yet read - TBR!

Meg x