A review by bootrat
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Tales of Terror by Robert Louis Stevenson

dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

While I can understand why this book has become a classic, as it was the first of its kind and an interesting take on good vs evil (which was explored a lot in the Victorian era), I found the novella itself fairly underwhelming. I expected there to be more to the story than "Jekyll is good and Hyde is evil", but there just wasn't. I also didn't find the writing compelling or enjoyable at all. I listened to the audiobook, but I think if I'd been reading the physical book I would have been even more bored.

I think going into the book with the societal knowledge that Jekyll and Hyde are the same person, and that they're two sides of the same coin, makes reading the book largely pointless. I'm sure if I'd read this at the time it was written, or if I'd never heard of Jekyll and Hyde before, I would have enjoyed the story more and been more drawn into it, but as it is it gets 2 stars. 

This version also included the short stories 'The Body Snatcher' and 'Olalla'. These were both also fairly meh.


A note also to say that I largely only read this so I could know the source material before reading 'My Dear Henry' by Kalynn Bayron, which is a queer remix of the classic, but I don't think it was necessary at all! You can enjoy the gay version without bothering with this.
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