Reviews

The String of Pearls: The Original Sweeney Todd by Thomas Peckett Prest, James Malcolm Rymer

ishysanz's review against another edition

4.0

Quite the entertaining novel. This is the original story of Sweeney Todd - NOT the musical. Sweeney Todd is simply a psychopath. He's not seeking revenge. His mission is in no way justified. He kills to steal. He's evil and there's no reason to feel sorry for him. The book is still pretty good for what was once considered a trashy novel (i.e. a "penny dreadful" - books that were affordable to the lower middle class). The ending was sort of ridiculous in how the case was solved but all in all a good read!

kahn_johnson's review against another edition

3.0

Sadly have had to put this to one side for now, as brain isn't in mood for overblown Victorian prose. That said, the four chapters I got through were entertaining. Will defo pick it up later in the year

sironigiri's review against another edition

dark 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

A product of it's time for sure.  A powerful idea living mostly on just that. The premise. But it's clear it was a hobby project for the author. Some bright spots in the writing kept it enjoyable and in the so bad it's good category instead of rambling, which there is a lot of.

scarletwolf1500's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

xxedwardxx's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

I haven't read it in a while, so all this is from what I can recall)
An enjoyable story, although unlike what one would expect from viewing the film. A fairly standard Penny Dreadful. (From what I can remember) there is one prominent female character, who is fairly enjoyable, and independent for the time period. A fair amount of shenanigans, although not pleasant in content. The villain is certainly hatable. Altogether a good read if one is looking for a Penny Dreadful.

ombraluce's review against another edition

3.0

Chissà se questo orrido personaggio è veramente esistito, e chissà se è vero che ha dato da mangiare carne umana a mezza Londra assieme alla sua complice. In ogni caso la storia del barbiere non è altro che lo sfondo a una classica storia romantica ottocentesca di amore, separazione, ritrovamento ... e visserto tutti felici e contenti. Carino, ma nulla più.

psychologist_reads's review against another edition

3.0

Ωραίο βιβλιαράκι, αρκετά συμπαθητική η μετάφραση αν και σε ένα-δυο σημεία εντόπισα λάθη. Γενικά δυσκολεύομαι να το δω σαν αμιγώς λογοτεχνικό κείμενο γιατί, όπως εξηγεί και η εισαγωγή, πρόκειται για έναν αστικό θρύλο ο οποίος καταγράφηκε από έναν άγνωστο σε μια φυλλάδα της εποχής. Παρόλα αυτά ήταν διασκεδαστικό όσο και σκοτεινό και, ίσως, αν δεν γνώριζα καθόλου την ιστορία να μου είχε κάνει μεγαλύτερη εντύπωση.

gisselc's review against another edition

4.0

3.8

sidekick_sammy's review against another edition

4.0

I had a great time reading this. Granted, the story spent a little too much time on a few plot lines that went no where, but when it focused on the main storyline, it hit all the right notes. Will definetly read this again.

struanyoung97's review against another edition

3.0

Campy and fun, I wanted more Sweeny but this was a fun and easy read. Great for the season.