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ran_sophia's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
The book's writing is of excellent quality and precision. Reading it was a nice time for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence
Moderate: Death and Murder
Minor: Confinement and War
ggcd1981's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The Sign of Four é o segundo livro na série de Sherlock Holmes e, na minha opinião, foi melhor do que o primeiro. Nessa obra a atmosfera de Londres Vitoriana estava ainda mais intensa e mesmo quando em partes do livro a narrativa mudou de localização para a Índia enquanto um dos personagens contava partes da história foi muito mais atmosférico e misterioso do que o enorme flashback nos Estados Unidos de A Study in Scarlet. A narrativa, acredito, foi mais bem construída também pois Holmes e Watson figuram na maior parte da história e não foram necessárias extensas porções do livro com personagens secundários e longe dos protagonistas, como foi o caso do primeiro livro. Em The Sign of Four foi introduzido a personagem Mary, interesse romântico de Watson. Ela é honesta, firme, de caráter e coragem, mas não foi particularmente marcante. O mistério foi mais intrigante também em relação ao primeiro livro, apesar do tema vingança ter se repetido, esse foi desenvolvido de forma mais interessante. O cenário montado nessa segunda obra foi bem mais estimulante, especialmente com cenas marcantes como a cena de um dos personagens no seu leito de morte vendo na janela o rosto terrível do homem que temia. Mesmo já sabendo um pouco do que se tratava a resolução do mistério (em se tratando de Sherlock Holmes é quase impossível não ter nenhum spoiler) ainda assim desfrutei da leitura. O ponto negativo do livro foi o racismo e o body shaming direcionado ao personagem que pertencia a um dos povos pigmeus. Isso é não justificável, mas esperado de um livro escrito em 1890. Tendo isso em vista minha nota da obra é baseada na atmosfera, personagens e o mistério desenvolvido. Assim dou 4.5 estrelas.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Racism, Slavery, Murder, and Colonisation
Moderate: Ableism, Confinement, Sexism, Xenophobia, and Stalking
Minor: Misogyny and Violence
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.
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
trying_might_succeed's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.0
Good plot but there were certainly some...interesting opinions expressed by the characters. I visibly flinched whenever it happened. It detracted from my employment. I know it was written more than 100 years ago, and that's the reason I didn't give it less.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Racism, and Sexism
gailbird's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
You gotta love Doyle introducing characters in very specific ways and then completely shifting them in the very second installment—Watson says he got shot in the shoulder in A Study in Scarlet, hello sequel wherein it is said he got shot in the leg. And after Watson says he ruled out Holmes using narcotics because “the temperance and cleanliness of his whole life [forbade] such a notion,” he opens the next story with, roughly, “Sike! Holmes has been alternately shooting up morphine and cocaine three times every day for months and I’m getting annoyed with both it and him.” I guess it keeps things dynamic.
Anyway, at the beginning, Holmes is essentially out of work, and presumably has been for the amount of time he’s been using narcotics daily, when Miss Mary Morstan enters the scene. She tantalizes Holmes with the cerebral intrigue of her mystery, and Watson with the romantic intrigue of her femininity. And, yes, it is just about that melodramatic. Because The Sign of Four has a romantic subplot that is so sudden and idealistic that the main obstacle between the two is the looming shadow of an inherited fortune—that hasn’t materialized yet. Sure, it was a different time when class and wealth disparities where a bigger issue of “honour” and whatnot, but really, it was a rather underwhelming reason for tension. But we already know that Watson is an excitable, romantic fellow. He literally goes off on Holmes because Holmes says he “didn’t notice” Mary was good-looking. Why does Watson care if someone else thinks she’s stunning? It speaks more about Watson’s state of mind than anything negative about Holmes. Holmes just gets demonized for pointing this aspect of Watson’s personality out when he critiques the “romance” Watson made of the first case he was on with him. And that, really, boils down to a matter of taste, so you can’t hold that against Holmes either—remember how bitterly Watson rated Holmes’ article in the first book? Dr. Watson's very words were, I quote, “What ineffable twaddle! I never read such rubbish in my life!” So, really, Holmes’ critique of Watson’s writing isn’t that awful.
I personally appreciate the writing of Doyle, as Watson. He has a great turn for painting an atmospheric scene with words. This mystery has some of the most memorable settings—the London streets, Pondicherry Lodge, the docks. And of course the backstory in India and the prison island. It’s a more gripping mystery than A Study in Scarlet because it’s harder to track down the perpetrators—though it is fairly obvious early on who they are—and the chase scene on the river is intense. The backstory of the treasure and the members who represented the Sign of Four, along with the Morstan connection, was interesting from the point of view of the man who had been cheated out of it and was willing to go to any lengths to recover his right, both for himself and the other three members of the Sign. It certainly highlights the murky territory of British Imperialism, foreign interventions, prisons, and general oppression that is easily exercised over those in less powerful positions. The eventual fate of the treasure seems fitting in light of events.
Anyway, at the beginning, Holmes is essentially out of work, and presumably has been for the amount of time he’s been using narcotics daily, when Miss Mary Morstan enters the scene. She tantalizes Holmes with the cerebral intrigue of her mystery, and Watson with the romantic intrigue of her femininity. And, yes, it is just about that melodramatic. Because The Sign of Four has a romantic subplot that is so sudden and idealistic that the main obstacle between the two is the looming shadow of an inherited fortune—that hasn’t materialized yet. Sure, it was a different time when class and wealth disparities where a bigger issue of “honour” and whatnot, but really, it was a rather underwhelming reason for tension. But we already know that Watson is an excitable, romantic fellow. He literally goes off on Holmes because Holmes says he “didn’t notice” Mary was good-looking. Why does Watson care if someone else thinks she’s stunning? It speaks more about Watson’s state of mind than anything negative about Holmes. Holmes just gets demonized for pointing this aspect of Watson’s personality out when he critiques the “romance” Watson made of the first case he was on with him. And that, really, boils down to a matter of taste, so you can’t hold that against Holmes either—remember how bitterly Watson rated Holmes’ article in the first book? Dr. Watson's very words were, I quote, “What ineffable twaddle! I never read such rubbish in my life!” So, really, Holmes’ critique of Watson’s writing isn’t that awful.
I personally appreciate the writing of Doyle, as Watson. He has a great turn for painting an atmospheric scene with words. This mystery has some of the most memorable settings—the London streets, Pondicherry Lodge, the docks. And of course the backstory in India and the prison island. It’s a more gripping mystery than A Study in Scarlet because it’s harder to track down the perpetrators—though it is fairly obvious early on who they are—and the chase scene on the river is intense. The backstory of the treasure and the members who represented the Sign of Four, along with the Morstan connection, was interesting from the point of view of the man who had been cheated out of it and was willing to go to any lengths to recover his right, both for himself and the other three members of the Sign. It certainly highlights the murky territory of British Imperialism, foreign interventions, prisons, and general oppression that is easily exercised over those in less powerful positions. The eventual fate of the treasure seems fitting in light of events.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Drug use, and Murder
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, and Blood
Minor: Cannibalism