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A review by mxmorganic
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
4.0
A bit slow in parts, especially early on. As well, the book is riddled with unchallenged ideas about the merits of colonialism and various racial “facts” - e.g. being able to identify and define various groups of people by the contours of their skulls - that are extraordinarily uncomfortable to read today.
However, the core mystery of the novel is quite compelling, and most of all Arthur Conan Doyle has a way with words that really struck me at multiple points in the text - when finally the eponymous Hound of the Baskervilles rears its head, ACD describes it with some of my favorite language I’ve read this year, and the surrounding chapter too was a tremendous climax to the novel.
Finally, the introduction/afterword to my edition of the novel was a highlight of this printing, leaving me with much-appreciated food for thought as I think back over the novel now. So, with the caveats that it’s not always as thrilling as one might expect, and that it’s very of its time, I do certainly recommend the Hound of the Baskervilles for Doyle’s rich renderings of the English language, if for nothing else.
However, the core mystery of the novel is quite compelling, and most of all Arthur Conan Doyle has a way with words that really struck me at multiple points in the text - when finally the eponymous Hound of the Baskervilles rears its head, ACD describes it with some of my favorite language I’ve read this year, and the surrounding chapter too was a tremendous climax to the novel.
Finally, the introduction/afterword to my edition of the novel was a highlight of this printing, leaving me with much-appreciated food for thought as I think back over the novel now. So, with the caveats that it’s not always as thrilling as one might expect, and that it’s very of its time, I do certainly recommend the Hound of the Baskervilles for Doyle’s rich renderings of the English language, if for nothing else.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, and Murder
Minor: Colonisation