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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
Pretty disappointing. The three stars is held up by the fact that this contains the entirety of Frankenstein and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
dark
mysterious
reflective
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Science Fiction and Horror are my favorite go to reads. I especially like reading classic weird/horror around spooky season. This B&N leatherbound classic contains the original Frankenstein, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and The String of Pearls; or, The Tale of Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street along with many other weird/horror short stories. Unless you read the originals, never think you know these wonderful classic tales. And, the leatherbound edition looks great on the bookshelf.
Overall, super good. Some stories were dull, but the great ones definitely make up for it!
I had read maybe one or two of these stories before so it was good to have all of these in one handy book. Loved all of them.
(I read through the stories, omitting the stories I’ve read before and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde because I own that story separately. I’m only reviewing Sweeney Todd at this time.)
I read this for the 2018 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge for book that is also stage play or musical.
The String of Pearls was a horrific and entertaining tale of a gruesome barber who murdered his clients. I enjoyed the story in print, but it was nowhere near as amazing as the musical.
I thought the short story was kind of long and drawn out as it was quite obvious that Mr. Todd was murdering people, but it was long and drawn out in a way that made it kind of hilarious that not many people seemed to figure it out, despite the many clues in everyone’s face.
I read this for the 2018 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge for book that is also stage play or musical.
The String of Pearls was a horrific and entertaining tale of a gruesome barber who murdered his clients. I enjoyed the story in print, but it was nowhere near as amazing as the musical.
I thought the short story was kind of long and drawn out as it was quite obvious that Mr. Todd was murdering people, but it was long and drawn out in a way that made it kind of hilarious that not many people seemed to figure it out, despite the many clues in everyone’s face.
Beautiful book; very enjoyable collection which includes many classic gothic stories such as Frankenstein (1818), a personal favorite, or Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
I particularly enjoyed these stories that I had never heard of before:
- “Wake Not the Dead!; or, The Bride of the Grave,” Johann Ludwig Tieck
- “The Dualitists; or, The Death-Doom of the Double-Born,” Bram Stoker
I particularly enjoyed these stories that I had never heard of before:
- “Wake Not the Dead!; or, The Bride of the Grave,” Johann Ludwig Tieck
- “The Dualitists; or, The Death-Doom of the Double-Born,” Bram Stoker
3.5 stars. My criticism of this book lies in the fact that 90% of the contents aren’t actually penny dreadful. This is a book containing two novels with a few short stories between them. Some stories were brilliant, and others couldn’t keep my attention. That said, it’s in interesting book to peruse.
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I gave this five stars, but I distinctly remember disliking a number of the stories within this collection. I suppose it earned those stars because the stories I did love, I REALLY loved. But something tells me that, were I to rate this collection now as a whole, I would give this maybe three stars. It had its hits, but it also had its many misses.