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prairiephlox's review against another edition
3.0
It may have been the first, but it was not Holmes nor Doyle at his best.
I gave it three stars because it was the first. It was a bit of genre revolution. I mean, Doyle gets points alone for using a magnifying glass to solve clues, creating two of the best characters of all time, and writing the first real detective story.
I would have given it two stars if it had come later in the series. The characters, Watson and Holmes, were not as fully fleshed out as they should have been, especially given the era that this was written in when most of the time protagonists just sat around talking which let you REALLY get to know them. I do applaud Doyle for laying down the groundwork properly for what would become two idiosyncratic and memorable characters, but they do not shine in this work. There are some excellent quips in this work, and a lot more action than normal for the period, which are also good.
But the STARK division between Part 1 and Part 2 was just something that left my mind reeling. Honestly, I enjoyed part 2 better, much more drama, and I cared what happened to the characters. Yet, to my mind, Part 1 SHOULD have been the focus of the book since Doyle was giving us a preview of more to come. It was entirely strange jump that left me feeling disoriented even during the wrap up.
So there you have it. I do love a good ol’ detective story (Lord Peter Whimsey anyone?), and all Doyle/Holmes fans should certainly read this classic, but if it’s your first one I would skip the Hounds or another one of the later works.
Ashleighjane did an amazing job reading this for Librivox.org, where you can find the audiobook for free!
I gave it three stars because it was the first. It was a bit of genre revolution. I mean, Doyle gets points alone for using a magnifying glass to solve clues, creating two of the best characters of all time, and writing the first real detective story.
I would have given it two stars if it had come later in the series. The characters, Watson and Holmes, were not as fully fleshed out as they should have been, especially given the era that this was written in when most of the time protagonists just sat around talking which let you REALLY get to know them. I do applaud Doyle for laying down the groundwork properly for what would become two idiosyncratic and memorable characters, but they do not shine in this work. There are some excellent quips in this work, and a lot more action than normal for the period, which are also good.
But the STARK division between Part 1 and Part 2 was just something that left my mind reeling. Honestly, I enjoyed part 2 better, much more drama, and I cared what happened to the characters. Yet, to my mind, Part 1 SHOULD have been the focus of the book since Doyle was giving us a preview of more to come. It was entirely strange jump that left me feeling disoriented even during the wrap up.
So there you have it. I do love a good ol’ detective story (Lord Peter Whimsey anyone?), and all Doyle/Holmes fans should certainly read this classic, but if it’s your first one I would skip the Hounds or another one of the later works.
Ashleighjane did an amazing job reading this for Librivox.org, where you can find the audiobook for free!
alinalee88's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
1.0
The cultural and religious inaccuracies in this novel ruined it for me. I would not recommend this book to anyone.
versaillesqueen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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? It's complicated
3.0
embleberry's review against another edition
3.0
The stories are entertaining but hard to read at times
lindacobas's review against another edition
slow-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
2.0
I suspect I’m not the target audience. I feel like I am in a parallel universe because this was rough to get through. I simply didn’t care about a single character. Exposition was out of hand. A lot of telling instead of showing.
aditk's review against another edition
5.0
The Utah part felt a little bit detached but once the back story got over, the fast-paced adventure resumed. Loved it and moving onto the next one. A great introduction to the World of Holmes and Watson.
saramoadi's review against another edition
2.0
I was looking forward to getting into the Sherlock Holmes series, however, this is not a great first read…
The story started off well but, unfortunately, took an odd turn half-way through. The mid portion of the book discussed the killer's back story and was written in such painful detail it took you right out of the original story. The end of the book was a literal summary of events that you would be able to infer having read the first portion of the story.
I read some reviews and I am glad to hear that it gets better from here as I really looked forward to getting into the series/collection of stories.
The story started off well but, unfortunately, took an odd turn half-way through. The mid portion of the book discussed the killer's back story and was written in such painful detail it took you right out of the original story. The end of the book was a literal summary of events that you would be able to infer having read the first portion of the story.
I read some reviews and I am glad to hear that it gets better from here as I really looked forward to getting into the series/collection of stories.