Reviews

I enjoyed the mystery and adventure portions of The Sign of Four, as well as the account of the villain's time in India and the Andaman Islands. One of the things I enjoy about the Sherlock Holmes novels is this view they give of the contemporary world outside of London, and British attitudes thereto. Unfortunately, this also leads to the reason I lopped one star off my rating of the book: the racism that is present in it, particularly in the loathsome description of the people of the Andaman Islands and the treatment of the character Tonga.

The plot of the novel is satisfyingly tangled and the interaction between Watson and Holmes develops well from the previous novel, [b:A Study in Scarlet|102868|A Study in Scarlet (Sherlock Holmes, #1)|Arthur Conan Doyle|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348362236s/102868.jpg|1997473]. The subplot of Watson's admiration, and proposal to, Mary Morstan felt a little wedged in but it was in keeping with the time when the book was written. Still, the racist attitudes in this novel put a bad taste in my mouth. I shan't be re-reading it.

emoke13's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

rashthedoctor's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.25

Strange , as a child i absolutely loved Holmes books , grown up , these reads are now difficult to read through and feels more like a task rather than enjoyment

WHAT I LIKED:

The brilliance of the character , that is Sherlock Holmes, is what entertains , the simplicity which he applies to decipher crime and even analyse someone who simply stands in front of him is the absolute awe inspiring stuff .

This book also had a thrilling boat chase sequence which on description was very detailed and fun

WHAT I DISLIKED:

A big portion of the book delved into a romance sub plot for Watson and it felt wierd , artificial and frankly boring.

There was a lot of stereotyping going on and portrayal of indians (then colonised by British) was very demeaning . Of course i know it's coz of the time it was written in but still .

Also , seems all Holmes villain arrive from some kind of circus , wooden feet , angry indian, whatever man , normal people also kill , use them sometimes please

CONCLUSION:

Meh.

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