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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
The audiobook narration by Edward Hardwicke is exceptional!
The Crooked Man: 2⭐ We don't see anything happen, and it's solved too quickly for there to be much mystery.
The Interpreter: 5⭐ Sherlock and Mycroft are insufferable together, and I love them. This one was super intense.
The Naval Treaty: 5⭐ My favorite of the three.
The Crooked Man: 2⭐ We don't see anything happen, and it's solved too quickly for there to be much mystery.
The Interpreter: 5⭐ Sherlock and Mycroft are insufferable together, and I love them. This one was super intense.
The Naval Treaty: 5⭐ My favorite of the three.
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
3.5/5stars
Read for my Master's Degree - Victorian Lit.
Overall, these stories were much more simplistic than I was expecting, and followed a very obvious pattern that we see today in mystery books.
A Scandal in Bohemia - 4/5stars
The Man with the Twisted Lip - 2/5stars
The Blue Carbuncle - 3/5stars
The Copper Beeches - 4.5/5stars
Read for my Master's Degree - Victorian Lit.
Overall, these stories were much more simplistic than I was expecting, and followed a very obvious pattern that we see today in mystery books.
A Scandal in Bohemia - 4/5stars
The Man with the Twisted Lip - 2/5stars
The Blue Carbuncle - 3/5stars
The Copper Beeches - 4.5/5stars
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of considerably shorter stories than the initial, longer works. In them, Watson has moved into his own home with his wife, leaving Holmes to pursue his own adventures and joining him on occasion, which he records as these short stories. It surprised me to learn the time Holmes as Watson spent living at 122B Baker Street together spanned just two stories.
As with prior entries, I found the story structure very engaging. Generally speaking, an individual presents their case by telling a story, Holmes asks a few questions, does a little research, they reconvene, and there is a final confrontation with the perpetrator. Each is rife with detail yet written with a measure of thrift that doesn't slow the story down.
Those included in this collection are:
A Scandal in Bohemia
This story is notorious for being, purportedly, the only story in which Irene Adler appears, but not the only one in which she is mentioned. It is said Adler is the only one who outsmarted Holmes, though within this same collection (I cannot recall which story) Holmes himself mentions he has been beaten a handful of times.
The Five Orange Pips
This is the only story I found disappointing, if only because it left the greatest mystery untold. The story involves a man who fought for the South during the Civil War, owned an estate, and eventually fled to England. He was pursued, apparently, by the KKK, which served as the crux of the story. What interested me, but was never addressed, is what reason the KKK had for accosting a loyal southern rebel. I kept waiting to discover some softness for slaves or some change of heart that never came. The story resolved itself with the identification of the KKK members and that itself was the only resolution.
Some of the stories were weaker than others, but on the whole this was a fully engaging collection, remarkable for its durability over 120 years.
Several of Doyle's stories have, thus far, been projected outward with a sense of anathema toward England's former colonies and touched with a bit of ignorance. I don't fault Doyle for this, being a product of his time, though it does cause a bit of doleful head shaking.
With respect to the story of the Five Orange Pips, it's clear Doyle has heard of the KKK, but doesn't seem to know exactly what it represented, only that it was part of that dangerous, lawless America. He appropriately identified them as villains, but didn't know enough about them to recognize the person they pursued, given his history, would likely have been their ally.
In another, there's the hint of the distant aristocrat in Doyle. The Man with the Twisted Lip resolves, spoiler, with the discovery that a wealthy man is living a second, secret life as a beggar, and through begging he has achieved his wealth. This is an absolutely staggering assertion and disturbingly jaded perspective about the amount of money a "popular beggar" can accumulate. There may be an argument to be made that a beggar to collect enough money to get by from day to day, but the idea of growing rich through small, handheld donations, is laughable.
Stories like this make one alert to possible prejudices and ignorances, and we're reminded Doyle isn't infallible or all knowing. But he remains an excellent storyteller in spite of himself and I have to believe that, as an intelligent and (hopefully) empathetic man, as judged by his stories, if confronted by these errors in judgment he would be quick to correct them.
As with prior entries, I found the story structure very engaging. Generally speaking, an individual presents their case by telling a story, Holmes asks a few questions, does a little research, they reconvene, and there is a final confrontation with the perpetrator. Each is rife with detail yet written with a measure of thrift that doesn't slow the story down.
Those included in this collection are:
A Scandal in Bohemia
The Red-headed League
A Case of Identity
The Boscome Velley Mystery
The Five Orange Pips
The Man with the Twisted Lip
The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle
The Adventure of the Speckled Band
The Adventure of Engineer's Thumb
The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor
The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet
The Adventure of Copper Beeches
A Scandal in Bohemia
This story is notorious for being, purportedly, the only story in which Irene Adler appears, but not the only one in which she is mentioned. It is said Adler is the only one who outsmarted Holmes, though within this same collection (I cannot recall which story) Holmes himself mentions he has been beaten a handful of times.
The Five Orange Pips
This is the only story I found disappointing, if only because it left the greatest mystery untold. The story involves a man who fought for the South during the Civil War, owned an estate, and eventually fled to England. He was pursued, apparently, by the KKK, which served as the crux of the story. What interested me, but was never addressed, is what reason the KKK had for accosting a loyal southern rebel. I kept waiting to discover some softness for slaves or some change of heart that never came. The story resolved itself with the identification of the KKK members and that itself was the only resolution.
Some of the stories were weaker than others, but on the whole this was a fully engaging collection, remarkable for its durability over 120 years.
Several of Doyle's stories have, thus far, been projected outward with a sense of anathema toward England's former colonies and touched with a bit of ignorance. I don't fault Doyle for this, being a product of his time, though it does cause a bit of doleful head shaking.
With respect to the story of the Five Orange Pips, it's clear Doyle has heard of the KKK, but doesn't seem to know exactly what it represented, only that it was part of that dangerous, lawless America. He appropriately identified them as villains, but didn't know enough about them to recognize the person they pursued, given his history, would likely have been their ally.
In another, there's the hint of the distant aristocrat in Doyle. The Man with the Twisted Lip resolves, spoiler, with the discovery that a wealthy man is living a second, secret life as a beggar, and through begging he has achieved his wealth. This is an absolutely staggering assertion and disturbingly jaded perspective about the amount of money a "popular beggar" can accumulate. There may be an argument to be made that a beggar to collect enough money to get by from day to day, but the idea of growing rich through small, handheld donations, is laughable.
Stories like this make one alert to possible prejudices and ignorances, and we're reminded Doyle isn't infallible or all knowing. But he remains an excellent storyteller in spite of himself and I have to believe that, as an intelligent and (hopefully) empathetic man, as judged by his stories, if confronted by these errors in judgment he would be quick to correct them.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A nice collection of mysteries, I’ll keep up with the series.
mysterious