mysticwarden's review against another edition
4.0
I've always found Sherlock Holmes to be an overbearing pretentious knob, and the TV show with Cumberbatch hasn't really helped improve my opinion of the man. He's a dick, and that's a fact. Watson's constant ass-kissing doesn't really help matters. That said, I found A Study in Scarlet to be extremely enjoyable.
The writing style, pacing, the story about murderous evil polygamous Mormons, and the fact that Sherlock is somehow more tolerable in print made this book a joy to read. It's the first of Doyle's stories that I've read and I can see why his works are beloved classics. I'm looking forward to reading more, and perhaps I'll now be able to really appreciate the TV adaptations of the stories. Sherlock Holmes will always be a knob though.
The writing style, pacing, the story about murderous evil polygamous Mormons, and the fact that Sherlock is somehow more tolerable in print made this book a joy to read. It's the first of Doyle's stories that I've read and I can see why his works are beloved classics. I'm looking forward to reading more, and perhaps I'll now be able to really appreciate the TV adaptations of the stories. Sherlock Holmes will always be a knob though.
chrischrischris's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-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
4.0
giuliapesta's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
3.75
arkaron's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty good start. The second part that "only" gives background information about the persons involved in the case felt waaay too long though and pretty much completely killed the whole flow of the book. Hopefully Doyle won't do that again.
dllh's review against another edition
4.0
I read this with my kids and we really enjoyed it. Midway through, the story changes directions abruptly, enough so that I actually stopped and checked my ebook to make sure it wasn't just a glitch in the document that had sent me into a different book. But it's such a neat digression, so very different from the narrative we start out with.
Until watching Stephen Moffat's fairly recent Sherlock series, I had always thought of Sherlock Holmes as a stuffy old guy with a pipe and an aged sidekick, but Moffat actually captures the original Sherlock pretty well while updating him for modern times.
The prose here is fine, perfectly serviceable Victorian prose. The mystery is entertaining, but less in the way that a lot of more modern mysteries are. The story is more about seeing how Sherlock reasons through things and how he relates to Watson and the dummies at Scotland Yard than about trying to unravel the mystery yourself. I really enjoyed the book, but it's hard to put my finger on specific reasons why. Maybe part of it was watching my daughter respond to Sherlock's personality.
Until watching Stephen Moffat's fairly recent Sherlock series, I had always thought of Sherlock Holmes as a stuffy old guy with a pipe and an aged sidekick, but Moffat actually captures the original Sherlock pretty well while updating him for modern times.
The prose here is fine, perfectly serviceable Victorian prose. The mystery is entertaining, but less in the way that a lot of more modern mysteries are. The story is more about seeing how Sherlock reasons through things and how he relates to Watson and the dummies at Scotland Yard than about trying to unravel the mystery yourself. I really enjoyed the book, but it's hard to put my finger on specific reasons why. Maybe part of it was watching my daughter respond to Sherlock's personality.
sankitch87's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
awwhh's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
herbaceousriot's review against another edition
3.0
Wow, this author really paints a picture of old Utah and Mormons. Religion is a scary sect. I've only read a couple of these and I adore the spinoffs very much. So I decided to give the entire series a go. This one was a bit dry and very drawn out, but classics I guess. Not bad, but I don't think I'd read it again at all.
eddy84p's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-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
4.5