Audiobook Review: Dracula (2026 Dramatized Adaptation) by Bram Stoker, adapted by Robyn Ahern

4.5/5 stars. I decided to give this latest version of Dracula a try for spooky season this year, as it has been over 35 years since I last read it. The performances in this 2026 dramatized adaptation were excellent. Ella Purnell as Mina, David Jonsson as Dr. Seward, Louis Partridge as Jonathan Harker, Francis Lovehall as Arthur Holmwood, Aimee Lou Wood as Lucy Westenra, and Jonathan Bailey as Dracula were all outstanding. Maggie Gyllenhaal is also very good as Professor Van Helsing, but I did not understand the producer’s decision to cast her in this role.

 

I am not a purist, in most instances, when producers or writers change the gender of a character for a modern audience; however, Mina Harker is one of the strongest female characters in all classical literature. In my mind, by making Van Helsing female, the producer has taken some of that female strength from Mina and given it to a character that was not present in the original story. This aspect detracted somewhat from my enjoyment of this adaptation.

 

However, all fans of reading, and especially listening to, books should enjoy this audiobook. The production quality is top tier and, as I mentioned, the actors were well-cast (mostly) and performed superbly. Recommended!


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