Update from Nantwich Bookworms

Hi Bookworms,

How is everyone finding this month's read? (Mark Haddon's The Red House) How spooky that it has links to our old friend Count Dracula our previous bookclub read!

As always, we'll be meeting on the first Sunday of the month and that makes it Sunday August 4th at 8pm in the Black Lion.

New members are always welcome and please spread the word!

Kate

Joy's review of Bram Stoker's Dracula

Great Summer reads can have long-lasting memories, sitting in the sunshine, ice-cold drink by your side as the kids play in the paddling pool. Bram Stoker's Dracula is not something you would normally associate with this scene; more a wintery day, wrapped up by a roaring fire with a hot cup of something to warm your wits that have been frozen scared by this classic horror. Yet Dracula was the Nantwich Bookworms read for June and it was met with mixed reviews. Despite the incongruity of the novel to the season, Bram Stoker successfully transported the reader to the wild and dark landscape of Transylvania in the opening chapters of this nineteenth century gothic classic, the dwelling place of the Count himself.  Written in the format of diary excerpts and letters from five main characters,  we agreed that the descriptive narrative was excellent, shrouded with mystery and intrigue as we read on with bated breath anticipating the next spook.
It was interesting to read the origin of where so many adaptations have stemmed and (despite it being written in 1897) the modern definition of the Vampire that existed in ancient folklore. Adaptations from Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula to the ultra-modern Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer, all contain the main themes that are prevalent in the novel, the main ones being the role of women and sexual conventions, and religion.
We decided the novel was interesting rather than particularly enjoyable, with some parts very long-winded, unlike the faster paces of more modern literature. The dialogue too was uninspiring and tedious at times, which made this already long novel almost a chore to read. Stated as one of 1000 Books to Read Before You Die it feels good to be able to tick it off as read, and the scare-factor certainly stays with you as you expect to see the Count lurking in every dark corner, or tapping at your bedroom window in bat-form...or maybe that's just us feeble women...
Nantwich Bookworms meets on the first Sunday of every month at the Black Lion pub in Nantwich.
4th August The Red House by Mark Haddon
September To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
New members are always welcome - please contact us by email nantwichbookworms@gmail.com, or via Twitter @booknantwich or just turn up to a meeting! It is very friendly and informal - hope to see you there!