The Beginning and End of Mina Harker

by Freya Sato

Mina Murray always thought of herself as a dedicated woman. She was in love with Jonathan Harker and couldn't wait to be his wife. They were childhood lovers and friends. She had never considered any other man or possibility. After a long silence, she runs to him in Budapest to marry him at his bedside. However, when she sees him, she notices a change. She dismisses the idea as his exhaustion and her anxieties. As they return to London, the strangeness doesn't pass. While she is happily settled as a homemaker, she is unsettled as a wife. They are suddenly thrown into a drama that she could never have fathomed. Jonathan's strangeness increases and she is only comforted by the presence of the brave men around her, particularly Dr. John Seward. On the night of her greatest tragedy, Jonathan fails to protect her and abandons her to the hands of their friends. What will happen as they pursue and slay the monster Dracula? Will Jonathan become her loving husband again or will he be consumed by his insanity and force her to find happiness elsewhere?

234 pages, Paperback

First published December 16, 2014

About the author

Mandy Dobbins was born in Georgia, though nobody can tell by the way she speaks (^.^) She lives with her adoring husband and three furry children. She has been enthralled by Dracula, the man and the fictional character, since childhood. In her first published novel, she explores the oft-unnoticed love interest between Mina Harker and John Seward while remaining true to the Bram Stoker novel.

Reviews

[Savanna G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can’t lie. I have never read Bram Stoker’s novel ‘Dracula.’ I just thought this book was written off of fan fiction that involved Dracula, so I was a bit confused in the beginning because so much was happening at one time, but then I kept reading and only got better. I thought the ending was brilliant. How Mina & Jonathan named their baby Quincey, after the friend they lost, how Jonathan said he was leaving on a business trip but instead was just leaving Mina and Quincey behind for somebody else who he was involved with in the past life despite her being a vampire, and how Jonathan faked his own death to make Mina feel more at ease with his whereabouts. I never excepted that to happen but just like that, I was shocked. The twist at the end just Came out of nowhere and I enjoyed that. I’m looking forward to reading Mandy’s next book when it comes out!

[Jess Swann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un roman qui sous entend une bonne connaissance de l’œuvre originale (Dracula) mais aussi du film de Coppola (j'avais les images du film tout du long durant ma lecture). J'aime énormément le fait de suivre l'intrigue à travers les journaux secrets de Mina et de John Seward, qui, tous deux, gardent une part de secrets vis à vis du reste du groupe. La première partie de l'ouvrage concerne les événements décrits dans le roman original et par conséquent, c'est un peu redondant tout en proposant une idée originale : Mina et le Dr Seward seraient tombés amoureux. Pour celà, l'auteure s'appuie sur quelques détails de l'original et j'avoue que même si ce couple ne serait pas dans mon top 3 (depuis le film, je suis obsédée par l'idée d'une histoire entre Mina et Dracula) j'avoue que l'auteure réussit à faire passer son idée de manière convaincante. Le seconde partie de l'ouvrage est particulièrement intéressante car elle poursuit l'histoire au delà des événements du roman et présente une version très bien ficelée. J'aime beaucoup le personnage de Mirela introduit par l'auteure et la manière dont elle fait évoluer le personnage de Jonathan Harker suite aux conséquences de son emprisonnement en Transylvanie. Le changement de Jonathan est bien mené par l'auteure et j'ai énormément aimé la fin du roman et les réflexions de Van Elsing.


Ce que j'aime : la manière dont l'auteure introduit l'histoire entre Mina et le Dr Seward, le changement de Jonathan et ses causes, la fin


Ce que j'aime moins : on ne parle pas assez de la relation entre Mina et Dracula, le fait qu'une bonne moitié du roman reprenne l'ouvrage de Bram Stocker


En bref : Une version alternative convaincante et plaisante à lire


Ma note


7/10