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Top international reviews

Nicole M Smith

You'll root for the monster!

Reviewed in the United States on 21 January 2019

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Who could resist the title? As someone fascinated by the interconnectedness of seemingly unrelated things, Jane Congdon had me with the evocative cover.

I loved the descriptions of hotels, cafes, and villages, it felt like I was traveling vicariously through the author. Her choices to include certain details of the trip make it seem like a more accessible adventure. Hey, I could pull this off one day—maybe!

The tension built as we drove over the Romanian countryside toward a major discovery... I won't include the spoiler, but the payoff was well worth the wait!

I'd recommend this book to anyone who feels a compelling pull to strike something big off their bucket list, even if it doesn't make sense at the time. Trust your gut and read this memoir :)

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Janice A Fisher

Not Just for Vampire Lovers

Reviewed in the United States on 19 October 2011

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This book is for those who love the Dracula legend, right? Wrong! It is for a much larger audience than just those who are fascinated with the vampire.

For readers who loved the Dracula movies and stories, the book will remind them of scenes and passages they loved and then teach them about the countryside presumed to have given rise to the legends. I felt as if I were right there with Jane climbing the steps to the castle, shopping in the small towns, or racing in the car to catch a photo of a Romanian train.

But this book is for many more than besides those who are fascinated by Dracula. Any reader who grew up with a parent who failed to nurture...or who had to deal with an alcoholic...or who needed to heal childhood wounds as an adult...will find this book fascinating. Jane writes with refreshing honesty about her experiences, thoughts, and feelings.

The story moves frequently but seamlessly between Jane's trip to Romania and memories of her childhood in West Virginia. I kept turning the pages to see what sort of resolution visiting Dracula's haunts could possibly bring to the scars left over from a childhood of disappointment and belittlement. Read the book to find out!

3 people found this helpful

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Lil Iodine

It Started With Dracula...And Ended With Healing

Reviewed in the United States on 28 November 2011

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If you like to travel, and I do, you'll appreciate Jane Congdon's approach to touring Romania. She had thought about and wanted to visit that country for decades so that she could chase the Dracula she came to know via movies from the 50s and 60s.

If you knew the author, and I do, you could hear her voice and see her facial and body expressions throughout this book. If you don't know the author, you'll have someone you know in mind as you read, and you'll hear that person's voice because this is writing that speaks to us.

What a magnificent book Jane has written. I've always known she was talented and she's certainly made me laugh over the years. Now she has made me think, laugh, and cry. If you're thinking aw, this reviewer is just prejudiced on behalf of her friend, you'd be half right. I certainly was pre-disposed to like It Started With Dracula. Fortunately I found myself pleased because I loved it on many levels based on the author's skill, not her friendship. I wouldn't have dared write this review if I didn't find the book to be such a treasure. I'd have simply mumbled "liked the book" to Jane, and moved on.

It can't have been easy, but once Jane started she put much of herself and of her mother out there for all of us to read. What a gift. It serves to remind that we seldom know all that is going on within the lives of the people closest to us.

READ THIS BOOK and learn about Christopher Lee and his Dracula. READ IT and learn about Vlad the Impaler. READ IT and learn about Romania. READ IT and learn what a woman traveling in a foreign country learned about her own life and family. READ IT, learn, enjoy, and rejoice at the end. And if there is a similar story within you, don't be afraid to write that story. This book may inspire you to do just that.

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L Bruhn

This book is a fun entertaining but especially heartfelt journey

Reviewed in the United States on 18 November 2017

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This book is a fun entertaining but especially heartfelt journey. I found myself relating to her journey at home and her being stuck in the rut but especially the journey of self discovery when she got to Romania.

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Kindle Customer

Meh!

Reviewed in the United States on 5 February 2020

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Not what I was expecting just ok.

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karenm

It's Unexpected...

Reviewed in the United States on 13 April 2013

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My review title is "It's Unexpected..." because it was. I love the unexpected. Throughout the reading of the book, I was surprised...by the wonderful account of the travels through Romania, by the author's openness of a very difficult (to say the least) childhood, and the amazing sense of humor while connecting all the dots of her life. So many of us have stories to tell, but Jane Congdon told it with great writing, humor, and real insight into the meaning of life. I'd write more, but I'd rather spend my time reading it again!

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Tyffany

Good memoir.

Reviewed in the United States on 6 November 2014

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This was a great book! I loved the memoir and how it was interspersed with memories about Dracula. I've been saying I needed to read Dracula for years, and this book made me want to do it. The author approached her memoir with good humor and honesty. Definitely worth reading.

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CaryReader

Revealing, Compelling and Riveting

Reviewed in the United States on 24 November 2011

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To begin, the comments and readers' reviews on this page for It Started with Dracula were right on target. The observations are so eloquent and precise that I cannot top any of the comments re the book or the praise for Jane Congdon, the author. I can tell you this, as an avid reader of many diverse topics, this book was compelling, riveting and revealing. As I read, I felt my best friend had confided in me, exposing her innermost secrets she'd hidden (even from herself) for many years. I couldn't put the book down, and I would not hesitate to say, "read this book."

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Sharon Allen

A wonderful read!

Reviewed in the United States on 10 October 2011

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Ms Congdon's first book about self discovery and acceptance is extremely well written. She has a wonderful way with words. Her parallels between Dracula's movies and her younger years growing up are definitely page turners. You will not be disappointed if you give It Started With Dracula a chance.

3 people found this helpful

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Rachel Shatney

It Started with Dracula: The Count, My Mother and Me

Reviewed in the United States on 8 May 2012

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I found this book to be very interesting. It made me feel as if I was right there with Jane seeing the mountains and feeling what she was feeling. You take so much with you from your childhood that it carries with you through live. I am going to read this book again as I want to make sure that I didn't miss anything. I was a child in the same time frame and can relate to things that were happening at the same time. It brought back lots of memories for me.

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Joe Barnett

The author is my sister

Reviewed in the United States on 16 January 2013

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While I loved the book, I don't think I should write a review for it. Jane Congdon is my sister.

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