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hannahs_spooky's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia and Racism
Minor: Violence and Death of parent
softiejace's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death, Colonisation, War, Racism, Slavery, and Murder
Minor: Addiction and Cannibalism
stories's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
This tale has not aged well, but is certainly twisty. I do enjoy the vivid characters that Conan Doyle sketches.
Not to mention the impact that Love At First Sight has on narrator reliability.
Not to mention the impact that Love At First Sight has on narrator reliability.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Classism, Colonisation, Racism, and Death
Minor: Racial slurs, War, Cannibalism, Drug use, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Murder
lizzieb29's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Drug use
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Death of parent, War, and Colonisation
chalkletters's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
Once before I’ve attempted to read all the Sherlock Holmes stories in order — though I don’t think I got to the end. It was just before I started logging all my books on goodreads.com and I suspect I tried to do them all in a row, with nothing else in between, and just got tired of them.
The Sign of Four was never one of my favourites, standing out mostly for introducing Mary Morstan. The structure is strikingly similar to A Study in Scarlet, both trundling along as Sherlock investigates the case until they find their prime suspect and inflict on him a long and slightly rambling interview to uncover the origins of the crime.
Interestingly, as happened when I read A Study in Scarlet, my empathy for characters outside of Sherlock and Dr Watson seems to have increased. In this case, I couldn’t help feeling that Mary’s claim on the treasure was pretty tenuous. There were reasons beyond Dr Watson’s marital ambitions to hope that she might not get her hands on it. The depiction of Tonga is also unfortunate at best, as I’m sure more educated people than me have adequately expounded.
Nothing about The Sign of Four struck me as particularly clever, so I’d go so far as to say it’s only required reading for the most die-hard Sherlock Holmes fans. It did include the scene where Sherlock performs his science of deduction on Dr Watson’s pocket watch, though, which prompted me to visit and enjoy the scene in Sherlock which it inspires.
(As much as I love this scene, I can’t give the book extra points because of it!)
Content Warnings
Minor: Cannibalism, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Murder, and Racism
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