Scan barcode
Reviews tagging 'Death'
Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Hound of the Baskervilles (Illustrated Classic Editions) by Malvina G. Vogel, Arthur Conan Doyle
34 reviews
mousecat's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Animal death
tarahroh's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Reading this does make me question all adaptations of the story. Why do they vary so much? There is something about each character and their background that I loved exploring. They left me with questions and an egarness to learn about their lives independent from sherlock. I think this is part of the beauty of his stories.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Minor: Domestic abuse and Toxic relationship
seforana's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Gore, Physical abuse, Grief, Murder, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, and Body horror
isaaah's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-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? No
3.75
A very enjoyable read. I can't deny to love creepy myths and legends surrounding wetlands, and the gloomy atmosphere brought forth by this book was impeccable. The descriptions had me right in the middle of that cold and misty moor. The perfect setting for a supernaturally tinted murder mystery!
If you read the Penguin English Library edition, the cover is actually kind of a huge spoiler, something my dumb ass only realized near the end. I will admit I was very delighted by the Stapleton character; give me someone that merrily runs through a mire trying to catch a butterfly, and I will trust them with my life. To the point that even in the last chapters I was wishing for some kind of plot twist proving this man's innocence. But alas, I suppose entomologists can also be driven to evil. I just wish it was for a less "obvious" reason than money.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Animal death, and Death
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Emotional abuse, Racism, Domestic abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Colonisation, Drug use, Infidelity, Alcohol, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual violence, Confinement, and Kidnapping
readingelli's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Death
Moderate: Violence and Domestic abuse
the_addictt's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Death
singalana's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I grew up reading Sherlock Holmes stories, and I’ve seen the movie (with Jeremy Brett) many times. But I don’t think I’ve ever read this book. I happened to win this at StoryGraph’s Giveaway as an Audrey audiobook. I must say I was positively surprised, as I enjoyed the narrator and the guide.
But enough about that and into the book. As many of you know, this is a classic detective story with a hint of the supernatural. There seems to be a curse upon the Baskervilles: a huge hound haunts the members of the family, and Sherlock Holmes is called to help as the curse threatens the last remaining member of the Baskerville family.
The story is told from the perspective of Watson, who is a well-meaning doctor and a faithful friend of Sherlock Holmes. Watson is sent to investigate, as Holmes is otherwise engaged. Soon, he discovers that strange things are indeed happening. But can they protect the last Baskerville before the Hound gets him too?
I like Sherlock Holmes, and I think Doyle does excellent villains, but Watson is sometimes infuriatingly clueless, and Doyle’s women leave a lot to be desired. But I can’t help but like this story nonetheless. It has all the elements of an interesting story: a family curse, a creepy setting, suspicious servants… It’s not perfect by any means, but I think the ending is satisfying, and I had a good time listening to it!
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Alcohol, Blood, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence
waytoomanybooks's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was an assigned reading, but I enjoyed it all the same. I didn't see most of the twists and reveals coming, despite the characters being ubiquitous! I can see why the plots, characters, and themes have had such strong staying power over the last 100+ years. Other than letting a potential reade know about some heavy-handed chunks of exposition that bogged me down, I’d highly recommended it.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Murder, Classism, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Stalking, Animal death, Blood, Death, and Gun violence
chalkletters's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-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
4.0
Thanks to the crime fiction module I took at university, The Hound of the Baskervilles is probably the Sherlock Holmes story I have the most accurate memory of. I remembered the major twists before they happened, but this somehow only made it more thrilling to read, knowing in advance what Doctor Watson was about to find out.
It helps that the writing of The Hound of the Baskervilles is exciting anyway, perhaps because Doctor Watson and Sherlock Holmes are separated for so much of it, forcing Arthur Conan Doyle to give the reader a lot more of Watson's man-of-action than of Sherlock's deductions. This is both a puzzle mystery and a wild adventure on the moors of Yorkshire.
Despite how much time they spend apart, The Hound of the Baskervilles also provides some lovely moments in Doctor Watson and Sherlock's friendship: including the 'conductor of light' speech which inspires the heartwarming resolution in BBC Sherlock’s adaptation of this story.
Despite all this goodness, The Hound of the Baskervilles did still manage to include one moment which may make a modern reader unreasonably angry. Doctor Watson is adamant that they shouldn't let a serial murderer remain on the loose in England as a danger to the public, but has no problem shipping said murderer off to South America where he can be a danger to somebody else. As The West Wing's Will Bailey would say, 'Why is a Kundanese life worth [less] than an American life? I don't know, sir, but it is.' Even if it would relieve the tax payer, let's not send murderers to other countries as if we're happy for them to do their murdering there!
Nonetheless, I did enjoy The Hound of the Baskervilles! It's possibly my favourite Sherlock Holmes story so far on this particular reread. Not to mention, it provided me with a delightful image of Sherlock Holmes sitting in a cardboard box like a cat.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Death, Animal death, and Gun violence
Minor: Domestic abuse and Physical abuse
sarasreading's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
3.5
Almost a 4 star read for me. Casual racism always brings these classics down for me. I read this when I was a teenager but remembered almost nothing, so it was fun to go back to this one. I enjoyed it, even when it was pretty far fetched. Would be a good one to curl up with when it's cold and rainy out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Animal cruelty
Minor: Racism