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thekindworthreading's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bookdragon_jess's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
cherry_p1e's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.25
gigi1234's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
emilyrogers24's review against another edition
4.0
I wanted to read the first Sherlock Holmes novel to compare it to modern mystery/detective writing, and the differences between the two were far greater than I expected.
The novel begins with Watson’s backstory, then an introduction to Holmes and his methods and theories. A straightforward enough murder mystery is introduced. Then, halfway through the novel, it switches abruptly from the British murder mystery to a Western tale centering around Mormons in Utah. This was rather unexpected and lasts for about a third of the book. The two stories do tie back together at the end, and the entire murder story is laid out plainly and explicitly.
I can’t say I’ve ever read a mystery formatted quite like this, but it was entertaining and worth the read.
The language use is also outdated enough to be quite funny, such as the use of “I ejaculated!” to mean a verbal outburst, or mildly offensive at times, like the term “street Arabs” for homeless children.
The novel begins with Watson’s backstory, then an introduction to Holmes and his methods and theories. A straightforward enough murder mystery is introduced. Then, halfway through the novel, it switches abruptly from the British murder mystery to a Western tale centering around Mormons in Utah. This was rather unexpected and lasts for about a third of the book. The two stories do tie back together at the end, and the entire murder story is laid out plainly and explicitly.
I can’t say I’ve ever read a mystery formatted quite like this, but it was entertaining and worth the read.
The language use is also outdated enough to be quite funny, such as the use of “I ejaculated!” to mean a verbal outburst, or mildly offensive at times, like the term “street Arabs” for homeless children.
mai2725's review against another edition
3.0
Very underwhelming...
I'm not quite sure how I feel about this book.
I had some high expectations since the character in the book is extremely famous.
But I didn't like it and I wasn't excited about the stories. The book was kinda boring and I understand why Arthur wanted to kill the main character so many times.
Their is no plot twist because you simply don't know any of the characters it's like we're just being kept in the dark all the time and it was executed in a way that didn't help the story.
Also the backstory to the killer was so bizarre, it started suddenly and was too detached from the main story that I actually thought it was a second short story or something, it was written in a decent way but it almost had nothing with the main story. It felt almost as if the writer had two things that he wanted to write about simultaneously so he ended up with merging and creating this bizarre combination.
I can see the book as a very good cinematic material but not a reading material.
Sir Arthur is definitely a great writer but I wish he has more adventure books like (The lost world) than this dull book with it's irritating main character and low quality events.
I'm not quite sure how I feel about this book.
I had some high expectations since the character in the book is extremely famous.
But I didn't like it and I wasn't excited about the stories. The book was kinda boring and I understand why Arthur wanted to kill the main character so many times.
Their is no plot twist because you simply don't know any of the characters it's like we're just being kept in the dark all the time and it was executed in a way that didn't help the story.
Also the backstory to the killer was so bizarre, it started suddenly and was too detached from the main story that I actually thought it was a second short story or something, it was written in a decent way but it almost had nothing with the main story. It felt almost as if the writer had two things that he wanted to write about simultaneously so he ended up with merging and creating this bizarre combination.
I can see the book as a very good cinematic material but not a reading material.
Sir Arthur is definitely a great writer but I wish he has more adventure books like (The lost world) than this dull book with it's irritating main character and low quality events.
zachlittrell's review against another edition
3.0
The best part of this is the peculiarly accurate portrayal of what it's like to be roommates -- and roommates with an eccentric. Sherlock Holmes is amiable enough, an expressive violinist, an educated peer, but he has a je ne sais quois that Holmes cannot divine ... until a dead body, a wedding ring, and a German word written in blood shows up, and the lightbulb goes off.
Maybe the most fascinating part of the story -- way more fascinating than the murder itself -- is Doyle discovering his own iconic character's potential. When the book disappears in many chapters where Sherlock Holmes isn't involved, it sags and loses all velocity. But when the text comes back to Holmes and his elusive wit, the book takes off like a piston and you hang on every word. The electric joy isn't trying to figure out who did it, but figuring out how Sherlock figured out who did it.
All the pieces are there, with just enough missing to make me want to read some more about Sherlock and his exceptionally curious roommate.
Maybe the most fascinating part of the story -- way more fascinating than the murder itself -- is Doyle discovering his own iconic character's potential. When the book disappears in many chapters where Sherlock Holmes isn't involved, it sags and loses all velocity. But when the text comes back to Holmes and his elusive wit, the book takes off like a piston and you hang on every word. The electric joy isn't trying to figure out who did it, but figuring out how Sherlock figured out who did it.
All the pieces are there, with just enough missing to make me want to read some more about Sherlock and his exceptionally curious roommate.
n3rd_grl's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I really struggled with the setup of the book. Once the case was solved, and the story moved away from Holmes and Watson to America, and to the story behind the case, I struggled to care and the pacing seemed so slow.