Reviews tagging 'Cannibalism'

El Signo De Los Cuatro: Un caso de Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

15 reviews

misscoffeereads's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

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

3.75

The Sign of the Four is the second entry in the Sherlock Holmes mysteries by Arthur Conan Doyle. Mary Morstan is the new client who arrives at 221B Baker Street to present Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson a new mystery which at the onset involves a father's disappearance and the receipt of pearls, but soon evolves to be more complex and mysterious than initially believed.

The novel is a light mystery read featuring the classic mix of Holmes' keen intellect and deduction, and Watson's steady, empathetic voice. The mystery itself was more clear cut than I expected, with no major twists or red herrings. The dash of romance

between Watson and Mary

was cute amidst the dark setting of a murder. Admittedly the book went by quickly and lacked much surprises. But it certainly left a taste for wanting to read a couple more of Holmes and Watson's adventures.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Drug use and Racism

Minor: Cannibalism

pedanther's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, and Colonisation

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Sexism, Violence, Murder, War, and Classism

Minor: Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

citrus_stars's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

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

1.0

so incredibly racist and sexist but what can you expect from an Englishman from the 1800s. 

overall, a pretty bland read; not anything to write home about and not something i'd recommend, really. a bit long-winded in the very last chapter, but that's just a personal opinion. it's saving grace was the humour, some of which still holds up pretty well.

ymmv with this book, but my opinion of it was severely soured by the overt racism. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, and Colonisation

Moderate: Sexism

Minor: Cannibalism

pengintoppa's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, and Colonisation

Moderate: Slavery, Cannibalism, and War

softiejace's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, and War

Minor: Addiction and Cannibalism

hello_lovely13's review against another edition

adventurous 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

3.25

I liked the structure of this book better than the first one; there was a better balance between the criminal’s story vs the actual solving of the crime, following Sherlock and Watson (leaning heavily towards following the narrative of the latter). However, the sheer amount of racist content in this book really decreased my enjoyment.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, and Murder

Minor: Cannibalism

rainybreeze's review against another edition

challenging mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use and Racism

Minor: Cannibalism

pvbobrien's review against another edition

adventurous 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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Murder and Colonisation

Minor: Violence, Cannibalism, and War

stories's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

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

2.5

This tale has not aged well, but is certainly twisty. I do enjoy the vivid characters that Conan Doyle sketches. 

Not to mention the impact that Love At First Sight has on narrator reliability. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Racism, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism

Minor: Drug use, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, and War

nathanjhunt's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

My 9th book finished in 2022.

This book hasn't aged well. This is my very first dive into a Sherlock Holmes novel, and I must admit, I wasn't expecting so much racism from it.

It's a snapshot into the British colonial minds and attitudes of the late 1800s. Imperialism was reaching its peak, and that forms the backbone of the plot. The whole basis of the treasure was that it was stolen in the first place. I can't sympathise with any of the characters because they're hunting for colonial gains. It really does leave a sour taste in the mouth.

The casualness of drug use at the beginning of the novel was baffling! They call this era 'The Great Binge' for a reason! If anything, this is an interesting case study into middle-class society of the time.

Casting the plot aside, I did enjoy seeing how Holmes' mind works, and having it from Watson's POV worked very well. There was a lot of monologue and explaining along the way. Every character seems to speak in the same manner and the same words. I feel like Conan Doyle was very comfortable writing as a middle-class man, but had no idea how to write characters from poorer and different backgrounds, and it's full of stereotypes. The cast, I suppose, is diverse, but it's written badly.

I left feeling unsatisfied by the story - why demonise one character, but act like the other was right with what they did? It just doesn't make any sense. And ultimately, Holmes did hardly anything in this novel, if was the characters around him mostly.

I enjoyed it somewhat, and am curious to read other Sherlock Holmes novels, but perhaps this wasn't the best one to start on.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug use, and Murder

Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, and Colonisation

Minor: Cannibalism and Alcohol