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Carmilla

By: Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
Narrated by: Elaine Wise
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Summary

Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla is an old Gothic classic that tells the story of Laura, a young lady who lives with her father in a large castle. Despite living in a castle, Laura is lonely and made lonelier when her father tells her that a girl her same age who was supposed to come visit has mysteriously died.

Luckily, a young girl named Carmilla stays with Laura and her father after she has a carriage accident nearby. Carmilla's mother, who was also in the carriage accident, asks Laura's father if she can leave her daughter at the castle for a few months because she must continue on her journey. Carmilla and Laura become the best of friends, and Laura finally finds happiness despite Carmilla's strange habits of refusing to pray, sleepwalking, and sleeping most of the day away.

Meanwhile, young women in the area begin dying mysteriously, and Laura starts to have horrible nightmares and eventually she becomes ill. Unanimously, Laura and her father decide to leave the castle, and they soon discover that Carmilla is actually Countess Karnstein, a famous vampire thought to have been defeated many years ago.

Baron Vordenburg, a vampire expert, sets off to find the hidden resting place of Countess Karnstein while Laura and her father only hope that he can destroy the monster before Laura is preyed upon once again by "Carmilla".

This thrilling story is one of the earliest vampire books written, and it sets the stage for an entire genre of exciting Gothic novels.

©2016 A.R.N. Publications (P)2016 A.R.N. Publications
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What listeners say about Carmilla

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Carmilla...

This is a most excellent narration of the gothic horror classic Carmilla by Elaine Wise. The novella was written in 1871-2, and has stood the test of time, and is a must for lovers of vampires. In my opinion, Carmilla is as important as Dracula.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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A wonderful performance.

Elaine Wise is a spectacular narrator, especially when compared to some other versions of Carmilla on Audible.
As for the story, it’s a wonderful piece of work, although I would probably say that I prefer Dracula overall - the latter is certainly scarier, although both deserve their place as legendary and seminal works of vampire fiction.

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Gripping and Unsettling!

What made the experience of listening to Carmilla the most enjoyable?

The story was well written and full of suspense. It's dated well and it's interesting to see where so many modern Vampire stories get there origins.

What did you like best about this story?

There are lots of good characters in this classic novel. Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu really did his research making the story compelling. Although there are some plot holes which he didn't explain, such as what happens to some of the more minor characters.

What does Elaine Wise bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Elaine Wise has a light voice which really suits the young lady Laura, who is recounting the worrying and mysterious events which happened to her. Elaine makes the characters sound passionate and well imagined but not over dramatised.

Any additional comments?

There is definitely an intensity to the relationship, which verges romantic, between Laura and Carmilla, which could be called erotic! Carmilla is much more interested in young ladies then young gentlemen and she gets very excited at times!

Overall I was carried along by the energy in this story and will be listening to it again. I will however I will be keeping a light on at night, for some time to come!

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4 people found this helpful