visenyasdragon's reviews
127 reviews

a fun read, really good introduction to norse mythology for laypeople

loved loved LOVED IT!!! so funny and yet so touching! it's a play set mostly in a hedge school in donegal, ireland, in 1833. it shows you colonization and the slow erasure of the irish languag through the eyes of ordinary, rural working people. i'd recommend it to anybody at all interested in irish history or language. 

a typical guilty pleasure read. very fun to lose oneself in, but it didn't have much of a substance otherwise. most of the characters were rather flat and one-dimensional, kind of edwardian cliches.  very beautiful descriptions though, and that's what kept me reading till the end

SO. FUCKING. BORING. almost the only time when i was interested was when dracula was on the page, which was maybe 20% of the whole text. the rest was longwinded diary entries, mina rewriting said diary entries, seeking boring earth boxes, victorian sexist nonsene, endless repetition of facts about vampires that by know the reader knew by heart, and such like. this novel is gothic only by virtue of having a vampire in an old castle in it. most of it is commonplace everyday drudgery that could easily be done away with. the only times when the novel shone were the first chapters of mr harker's journey to romania - you could see that the author had really been there and did his due diligence. this is certainly no udolpho in that regard, you really feel that you're in the country the actions takes place in, not just the author's vague, uninformed idea of it. the other time i enjoyed it was when dracula entered the stage, his every word and deed was fascinating. the rest of the characters were mostly bland and uninteresting. mina and lucy were typical victorian heroines - chaste, pious, faithful to their men, feminine, without a kernel of spunk or rebellion. the men likewise followed the late victorian ideals of gentlemanly masculinity, it was a difficulty to tell them apart sometimes. 

overall, i would not recommend reading it. you're just fine watching any of the gazillion adaptations. 

very interesting context for readers of bronte novels. makes you sad that charlotte felt compelled to make statements about her sisters that patronized them and deprived them of agency as professional authors, just so their work might be more respected...

i see how it might appeal to people, but imo it should have been prefaced with an introduction to the relevant celtic myth, or the content will go over your head. the ending left me kinda ??? well thats it? okay. it seems yeats is just not my cup of tea. 

This was SO interesting, literally could not put it down! Really makes you realize how different the lot of the actual Victorian governess was from that of Jane Eyre or Becky Sharp. I'd recommend to anyone who likes the Brontes or the Victorian era.

a very funny play about ireland in the mid-20th century. the cast of characters is brilliantly diverse, from queer prostitutes, english aristocrats, working class london boys, to pious whores. loved it! what i wouldn't give to see it on stage someday