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blueyellow's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.5
odmay's review
3.0
This book was a pleasant surprise. I found it very interesting to read a novel set in Melbourne at that time. The use of language quite different from today and the references to mythological characters in the course of conversation e.g. Nemesis fascinating. The book highlights illiteracy and deprivation, which reflects the extremes within society of that day. I enjoyed the mystery and the twist at the end. A fascinating read of a book written in and about early Melbourne.
webjoram's review against another edition
2.0
Reconozco que soy un chico fácil, por lo menos en lo que se refiere a escoger un libro para leer. Una portada llamativa, una sinopsis atrayente o un titular afortunado puede ser suficiente para decidirme a leer un libro, y esto fue lo que paso en este caso. Las frases "el primer bestseller de la época moderna" y "una de las 100 mejores novelas de suspense que jamás se han escrito" me cautivaron y me decidí a leer esta novela.
No voy a decir que es una mala novela pero si es cierto que ni de lejos puede sostener las afirmaciones que se han hecho sobre ella.
Nos encontramos con una novela con un planteamiento bastante simple: un asesinato sorprendente y un falso culpable que no puede defenderse a causa de un secreto inconfesable. No me molestaría este planteamiento si no fuera porque el desarrollo de la trama es excesivamente simple y prácticamente sabes todo lo que va a ocurrir cuando apenas has leído un tercio de la novela (a pesar de que el autor se saca de la chistera un giro final, cuando menos, poco creíble).
En definitiva una novela apta para pasar el rato pero sin llegar a las pretensiones que algunos editores le han dado.
No voy a decir que es una mala novela pero si es cierto que ni de lejos puede sostener las afirmaciones que se han hecho sobre ella.
Nos encontramos con una novela con un planteamiento bastante simple: un asesinato sorprendente y un falso culpable que no puede defenderse a causa de un secreto inconfesable. No me molestaría este planteamiento si no fuera porque el desarrollo de la trama es excesivamente simple y prácticamente sabes todo lo que va a ocurrir cuando apenas has leído un tercio de la novela (a pesar de que el autor se saca de la chistera un giro final, cuando menos, poco creíble).
En definitiva una novela apta para pasar el rato pero sin llegar a las pretensiones que algunos editores le han dado.
coryanderson_'s review
3.0
I wish this book had been shorter. While the plot twists are enjoyable, it takes forever to get to them and, had I not had an extended period of needing an audiobook for company to get to some momentum in the story, I might have left it unfinished.
sabrinaleaf's review against another edition
Dnf on december 16th (2023), this is just too boring. I wanted to see what the hype was about but I can’t continue
csweetman88's review
mysterious
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
3.0
sammy_'s review against another edition
4.0
I love classic mysteries and came across the tale of this story. Published by a new Australian writer in 1886, it was one of the first global word-of-mouth bestsellers, selling over 1 million copies worldwide and outselling Sherlock Holmes at the time, though now largely forgotten. Unfortunately the author Fergus Hume sold the rights for £50 not anticipating how big the book would become, and never profited from its success.
I sent it from Project Gutenberg to my Kindle and found it a well-written and enjoyable mystery, a little in the vein of Wilkie Collins. Plus the Australian setting was interesting being a place I didn’t know a lot about in this era.
I sent it from Project Gutenberg to my Kindle and found it a well-written and enjoyable mystery, a little in the vein of Wilkie Collins. Plus the Australian setting was interesting being a place I didn’t know a lot about in this era.
miki_fourinterests's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
maplessence's review against another edition
3.0
3.5★
I wanted to read this novel as soon as I found out that;
☞ Although Hume was born & died in England and wrote his most famous work (this one) while living in Australia, his time in NZ obviously meant a lot to him and he identified as a Kiwi for the rest of his life.
I can relate to that. I am still a Canadian citizen but I always feel 100% like a New Zealander. Home is where your heart is. ♥
☞ This book supposedly inspired [a:Arthur Conan Doyle|2448|Arthur Conan Doyle|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1495008883p2/2448.jpg] to write his first Sherlock Holmes book.
And I really enjoyed the start. Hume's style was initially fast paced and far more fresh and lively than most Victorian authors. I really engaged with the characters.
But I have to go on my own reading experience and for me the pace fell off and I had to read the ending twice to figure out the killer's motivation.
3.5★ is a good rating from me - it does mean I want to read more by this author. And I am tougher on the murder mystery genre as I read so many of them
I wanted to read this novel as soon as I found out that;
☞ Although Hume was born & died in England and wrote his most famous work (this one) while living in Australia, his time in NZ obviously meant a lot to him and he identified as a Kiwi for the rest of his life.
I can relate to that. I am still a Canadian citizen but I always feel 100% like a New Zealander. Home is where your heart is. ♥
☞ This book supposedly inspired [a:Arthur Conan Doyle|2448|Arthur Conan Doyle|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1495008883p2/2448.jpg] to write his first Sherlock Holmes book.
And I really enjoyed the start. Hume's style was initially fast paced and far more fresh and lively than most Victorian authors. I really engaged with the characters.
But I have to go on my own reading experience and for me the pace fell off and I had to read the ending twice to figure out the killer's motivation.
3.5★ is a good rating from me - it does mean I want to read more by this author. And I am tougher on the murder mystery genre as I read so many of them
textpublishing's review against another edition
5.0
‘One of the hundred best crime novels of all time.’
Sunday Telegraph
‘Well written and immensely readable.’
Daily Telegraph
‘An absolute ripper. A plot full of astonishing twists and turns, and brilliant evocation of 19th-Century Melbourne that captures its charm, bustle and rawness.’
Inside Melbourne
‘A splendidly romantic melodrama, full of period charm, and Victorian sentiment…The Mystery of a Hansom Cab is not only a classic but hugely enjoyable as well.’
West Australian
‘Fiendishly cunning.’
Shane Maloney
‘A highly readable and clever mystery, as well as a fascinating description of the minutiae of life in Victorian Melbourne. Hume wanted to write a book, “containing a mystery, a murder, and a description of low life in Melbourne.” He did pay tribute to the works of the French mystery writer Emile Gaboriau and his earlier Monsieur Lecoq novels, but many would argue that Hume’s plotting is tighter than his French counterpart and his mystery a tougher one to solve.’
Literary Hub
Sunday Telegraph
‘Well written and immensely readable.’
Daily Telegraph
‘An absolute ripper. A plot full of astonishing twists and turns, and brilliant evocation of 19th-Century Melbourne that captures its charm, bustle and rawness.’
Inside Melbourne
‘A splendidly romantic melodrama, full of period charm, and Victorian sentiment…The Mystery of a Hansom Cab is not only a classic but hugely enjoyable as well.’
West Australian
‘Fiendishly cunning.’
Shane Maloney
‘A highly readable and clever mystery, as well as a fascinating description of the minutiae of life in Victorian Melbourne. Hume wanted to write a book, “containing a mystery, a murder, and a description of low life in Melbourne.” He did pay tribute to the works of the French mystery writer Emile Gaboriau and his earlier Monsieur Lecoq novels, but many would argue that Hume’s plotting is tighter than his French counterpart and his mystery a tougher one to solve.’
Literary Hub