From the Bookshelf of Never too Late to Read Classics…

Carmilla

J. Sheridan Le Fanu

Start date: October 1, 2020

Finish date: October 31, 2020

Discussion: Lesser Know/Wilderness Classics

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Showing 2 of -1 topics — 2,748 comments total

Lesser Know/Wilderness Classics

* 2025 Must Read Lesser Known Classics: Scheduled Reads
By Lesle , Appalachain Bibliophile · 72 posts · 196 views

last updated Sep 06, 2025 07:14AM

Wilderness Classics
By Lesle , Appalachain Bibliophile · 78 posts · 113 views

last updated 5 hours, 20 min ago

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What Members Thought

Jan 06, 2022 Sara rated it it was ok

Shelves: short-stories-novellas, fantasy, gutenberg-download, gothic

Carmilla is an important piece of literature if for no other reason than that it had a direct influence on the writing of Dracula, and all other vampire culture has sprung from that. Of course, that makes the assumption that vampire literature is important in itself. I’ve read my fair share of it, spending a bit too much of my youth with LeStat, but confess that it is now among my least favorite fare. In fact, I have read a number of le Fanu’s stories and they aren’t to my taste either.

This was ...more

59 likes · Like · see review

May 08, 2024 Audrey rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobooks, classics, 2024-books, uf-paranormal-horror

This novella is a tightly packed vampire story, a classic with beautiful writing. It is not a fast story, nor slow, but advances quite steadily.

Language: Clean
Sexual Content: mild innuendo
Violence/Gore: off-page deaths by vampire; vampire impaled by various objects
Harm to Animals: (view spoiler)
Harm to Children: (view spoiler)
Other (Triggers): (view spoiler) ...more

10 likes · Like · see review

Oct 17, 2022 Laura (Reading is a Doing Word) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: internet-archive, 2022-read, classics-trad-and-modern, vampires-etc, ebook-kindle

Reading Carmilla nowadays it's hard not to know what's going on.
How I would have loved to read this back in 1872 (Before Dracula) and been swept along by the sensual gothic tension and suspense. Imagine!

Laura and her father live in a remote Schloss in the countryside. They are obliged to give shelter to a passing young lady who faints after a carriage accident outside their estate - meet Carmilla.
Taken into their home as a guest she proceeds to prey on the innocent Laura and surrounding peasant ...more

6 likes · Like · see review