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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Audiobook narrated by Stephen Fry.
It was worth a wound—it was worth many wounds—to know the depth of loyalty and love which lay behind that cold mask. The clear, hard eyes were dimmed for a moment, and the firm lips were shaking. For the one and only time I caught a glimpse of a great heart as well as of a great brain. All my years of humble but single-minded service culminated in that moment of revelation.
REREAD 2025. 3.5 stars. It's incredible how "The Three Gables" gets worse and worse every time I read it. There's all the racism (which is a LOT; Steve shows up just to be called a brute and a savage, be made fun of, get called slurs, and then turn sickeningly servile). I love Holmes so much as a character, and this story just seems so incredibly out of step with him as a person. And the mystery isn't even all that good; there's barely anything to figure out, and what there is, isn't that interesting. Also some casual anti-Semitism in a couple of the other stories. Makes me want to roundhouse kick Doyle's ghost.
And it's a shame, because almost all the other stories in this collection, the very last collection, are solid gold. "The Three Garridebs" makes me tear up every single time. The Holmes/Watson of it all!!! I love it so much, it ALMOST makes up for how bad "The Three Gables" is. (Almost.) "The Illustrious Client" and "The Blanched Soldier" have some of my favourite side characters. I love that we get some Holmes narrated stories, and this collection broadens the world, in that it introduces us to a bunch of people Holmes uses for help and reference, which is fun. Before reading this for the first time, I had thought that we would get a bunch of stories about H/W in their later years, but most of the stories take place chronologically earlier on, I think? Several of the stories have allusions to Watson going through his notes or his little vault of cases to unearth them. And I just really like that. Gives it a really nostalgic feel.
Listened to the audiobook as read by Charlton Griffin, and this will always be the definitive edition for me. I love the music, I love the sound effects (they don't come often, but just enough) and I love the voice of the man himself. Flaws and all, I can't help but love the Holmesian canon, and doing a reread always makes me thrilled, tbh. I'm sure I'll be back here soon enough.
--
“I am a brain, Watson. The rest of me is a mere appendix.”
3.5 stars. REREAD 2022. Still very remarkable to me that this collection houses one of the best Holmes stories ever (The Three Garridebs: fun, hijinks-y, great character moments and a glimpse of Holmes' heart) and also the absolute fucking worst (The Three Gables: racist as hell, dull, no good intrigue/deductions). The good outweighs the bad in the book, especially since we've got the Illustrious Client and the Blanched Soldier, which are both really dear to me. But the bigotry in a few of the stories is enough to sour me.
As always, the entire Holmes canon isn't something that I can ever approach with complete objectivity, because it's tied up in so much nostalgia and affection for me. So while I have some very real and pertinent problems with some of it, doing these rereads of the entire canon just always makes me really happy.
--
I love this book because "The Three Garridebs" goes so hard but I also hate it because "The Three Gables" is racist as shit.
It's no wonder Sherlock Holmes is so well known, this was a delight to read. Though perhaps not ideal to begin with, if you've never read Holmes before.
I don't think this one should be reviewed as a single thing, because each story is very different from one another.
So I'll begin listing off my favorites from this volume.
First of all, one that I'm pretty sure fans all over the world enjoy. The Three Garridebs. Although the mystery in it isn't that original (Clever, sure)(A similar gambit was employed in The Red-Headed League), what fans like about this story is the glimpse at humanity we get from Holmes. If you have read this, you must know what moment I am referring to. When Watson gets shot by the villain (Albeit it was only a graze), and Holmes reacts in a way that speaks of the high regard and esteem he holds for his friend, that moment is really something invaluable in all of the stories, really good and heartwarming.
Once I'm done with the one most obvious, I'll say that I really enjoyed The Lion's Mane, too. The way the villain was someone we wouldn't have expected at all (Unless we happen to have an extensive knowledge in marine creatures, that is) is something I liked a lot. Also, that the story ends in a rather happy note, despite the 'murder' that started it.
The Sussex Vampire was another one I liked, despite a) Not having real vampires or supernatural creatures, and b) Not having a murder despite the suggestive title. I would spoil the story if I mentioned more details about it.
A curious story was The Veiled Lodger, as in here, there is no mystery for Holmes to investigate, because it's simply the account of someone who immerse in guilt, needs to tell her story to feel at peace with herself. It doesn't mean it's interesting, even if it's quite different from the formula we should be accustomed to.
I should mention that this is where the two only stories that are narrated by Holmes himself appear. Let's remember that the two stories that happened before Watson's time were narrated by him, still, even if for example in Gloria Scott, the part of the mystery itself was Holmes' narration. Both Lion's Mane and Blanched Soldier are purely Holmes' story, both of which prove to be a nice treat for delving into our favorite detective mind.
The rest of the stories prove to be rather nice as well. The Creeping Man doesn't end in crime either, although one could say that the consumption of illegal drugs can be a crime. In Retired Colourman, although it's a murder investigation, it turns out that there isn't a murder, although death does happen. Mazarin's Stone is somewhat hilarious because of the way Holmes tricks the villains into revealing the location of the title stone. Blanched Soldier, also, does not end up in any crime having been committed, although this one is somewhat sad. In Thor's Bridge, although there is a murder, there isn't anyone incriminated, because, and spoilers are to follow, the victim can be the perpetrator. I won't mention Illustrious Client and Shoscombe Old Place because as it turns out, those are the stories taht left less of an impression in my mind.
As any other Sherlock Holmes' volume, this one proves to be interesting, and to function excellently as a light reading.
So I'll begin listing off my favorites from this volume.
First of all, one that I'm pretty sure fans all over the world enjoy. The Three Garridebs. Although the mystery in it isn't that original (Clever, sure)(A similar gambit was employed in The Red-Headed League), what fans like about this story is the glimpse at humanity we get from Holmes. If you have read this, you must know what moment I am referring to. When Watson gets shot by the villain (Albeit it was only a graze), and Holmes reacts in a way that speaks of the high regard and esteem he holds for his friend, that moment is really something invaluable in all of the stories, really good and heartwarming.
Once I'm done with the one most obvious, I'll say that I really enjoyed The Lion's Mane, too. The way the villain was someone we wouldn't have expected at all (Unless we happen to have an extensive knowledge in marine creatures, that is) is something I liked a lot. Also, that the story ends in a rather happy note, despite the 'murder' that started it.
The Sussex Vampire was another one I liked, despite a) Not having real vampires or supernatural creatures, and b) Not having a murder despite the suggestive title. I would spoil the story if I mentioned more details about it.
A curious story was The Veiled Lodger, as in here, there is no mystery for Holmes to investigate, because it's simply the account of someone who immerse in guilt, needs to tell her story to feel at peace with herself. It doesn't mean it's interesting, even if it's quite different from the formula we should be accustomed to.
I should mention that this is where the two only stories that are narrated by Holmes himself appear. Let's remember that the two stories that happened before Watson's time were narrated by him, still, even if for example in Gloria Scott, the part of the mystery itself was Holmes' narration. Both Lion's Mane and Blanched Soldier are purely Holmes' story, both of which prove to be a nice treat for delving into our favorite detective mind.
The rest of the stories prove to be rather nice as well. The Creeping Man doesn't end in crime either, although one could say that the consumption of illegal drugs can be a crime. In Retired Colourman, although it's a murder investigation, it turns out that there isn't a murder, although death does happen. Mazarin's Stone is somewhat hilarious because of the way Holmes tricks the villains into revealing the location of the title stone. Blanched Soldier, also, does not end up in any crime having been committed, although this one is somewhat sad. In Thor's Bridge, although there is a murder, there isn't anyone incriminated, because, and spoilers are to follow, the victim can be the perpetrator. I won't mention Illustrious Client and Shoscombe Old Place because as it turns out, those are the stories taht left less of an impression in my mind.
As any other Sherlock Holmes' volume, this one proves to be interesting, and to function excellently as a light reading.