Reviews tagging 'Classism'

The Sign Of The Four: (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Classics Collection) by Arthur Conan Doyle

8 reviews

meganpbennett'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I read The Sign of the Four many years ago, and enjoyed it. Read it again as part of the Letters from Watson, where in 2023 we read all the short stories in internal chronological order, and in 2024, the four novels. Very interesting, this one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Murder, Colonisation, and Classism

lavenderlion's review against another edition

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

2.0

It was hard to get through this Holmes’ story due to Conan Doyle’s racist and pro-imperialist biases.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

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

orchidlilly's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious sad medium-paced

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

2.5

Ok, wow, mixed bag on this one. On one hand, the mystery its self is very fun; locked room, treasure, a mysterious calling card, its all cool. On the other hand, good God is this one racist. Most of the ACD Sherlock stories I've read keep that good ole' English racism to a minimum, but The Sign of Four seems to have dialed it up to ten to make up for that. I don't think you can go two pages here without reading multiple paragraphs of Watson or some other character just using the rudest, most vile descriptions possible for Indian people. I can't say I didn't expect it, because I know just how horribly the English viewed Indian people at the time, but that doesn't make it any more pleasant to read. I'm not kidding, though, the racism in this one is really really bad, especially because we don't get the usual Holmes thing of having the story at least somewhat go 'um, actually, the people society hates are actually just people and it is in fact the rich bastards who suck'. Just yikes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and War

Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Acephobia/Arophobia, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

theresacharlotte's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, and Colonisation

Moderate: Classism

Minor: Alcoholism, Blood, Islamophobia, and Alcohol

londonsetterby's review against another edition

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? It's complicated

2.0

Incredibly racist.
Also tedious and goofy. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and Classism

Moderate: Racial slurs, Sexism, Slavery, and Religious bigotry

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

ekevka's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Xenophobia and Classism