Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

6 reviews

mxmorganic's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A bit slow in parts, especially early on. As well, the book is riddled with unchallenged ideas about the merits of colonialism and various racial “facts” - e.g. being able to identify and define various groups of people by the contours of their skulls - that are extraordinarily uncomfortable to read today.

However, the core mystery of the novel is quite compelling, and most of all Arthur Conan Doyle has a way with words that really struck me at multiple points in the text - when finally the eponymous Hound of the Baskervilles rears its head, ACD describes it with some of my favorite language I’ve read this year, and the surrounding chapter too was a tremendous climax to the novel.

Finally, the introduction/afterword to my edition of the novel was a highlight of this printing, leaving me with much-appreciated food for thought as I think back over the novel now. So, with the caveats that it’s not always as thrilling as one might expect, and that it’s very of its time, I do certainly recommend the Hound of the Baskervilles for Doyle’s rich renderings of the English language, if for nothing else.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, and Murder

Minor: Colonisation

the_true_monroe's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Thanks to the Audrey app and winning another one of their StoryGraph giveaways, I got to finally read a Sherlock Holmes story! I enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would and it was a bit fast when Sherlock explains things but I also listen at 1.5 speed, so I will have to go through the notes from the guide which help a lot. Same guide as The Picture Of Dorian Gray which I would not have fully understood without their guidance.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Infidelity, Racism, and Stalking

Minor: Emotional abuse and Classism

seforana's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

isaaah's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Racism, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Confinement, Drug use, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Alcohol, and Colonisation

waytoomanybooks's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This was an assigned reading, but I enjoyed it all the same. I didn't see most of the twists and reveals coming, despite the characters being ubiquitous! I can see why the plots, characters, and themes have had such strong staying power over the last 100+ years. Other than letting a potential reade know about some heavy-handed chunks of exposition that bogged me down, I’d highly recommended it. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Stalking, Murder, and Classism

lizzyrai's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Murder

Minor: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Rape