Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Hound of the Baskervilles (Illustrated Classic Editions) by Malvina G. Vogel, Arthur Conan Doyle

32 reviews

tarahroh's review against another edition

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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.
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the_true_monroe's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Thanks to the Audrey app and winning another one of their StoryGraph giveaways, I got to finally read a Sherlock Holmes story! I enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would and it was a bit fast when Sherlock explains things but I also listen at 1.5 speed, so I will have to go through the notes from the guide which help a lot. Same guide as The Picture Of Dorian Gray which I would not have fully understood without their guidance.
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paloverdepages's review against another edition

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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

I read this book for The StoryGraph's Genre Challenge 2024 prompt 2. A historical fiction novel set before 1900. 

Even knowing some version of the story (thanks BBC Sherlock), this was still fun to read! I might be a fan of mystery/detective stories now
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isaaah's review against another edition

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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.
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readingelli's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

3.75

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atuin's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging 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

It's easy to see why Sherlock Holmes was and is so popular, as his detective work had me hooked through the book. The villain was also a pleasant surprise, as they were very well done in how clever and cruel they were. I will say much of the book has Watson on his own, which I wasn't a big fan of. Maybe if this wasn't my first Sherlock book I would've appreciated the new dynamic, but I loved them bouncing off each other and wanted to see more of that. It would also be irresponsible of me to not point out that, as this book was written in the 1800's, there are a lot of antiquated and racist ideas about skull shapes and the criminal look. Even so, I loved the parts aside from that, and I'm looking forward to more Sherlock. 
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asen123's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense 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

5.0

It’s not my favorite Sherlock Holmes novellas. I preferred the valley of fear, the study of scarlet, and the collections. It was still an amazing book. I love the atmosphere and how immersive the story was. I loved that it was mainly dr watson in the story. The way the story was summed up was great too. It was all really good. I’d say that it can get a bit gory and dark. More than the other stories, so keep that in mind. 
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brotlord's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious 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

3.75

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waytoomanybooks's review against another edition

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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. 
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chalkletters's review against another edition

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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. 
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