Reviews with content warning for Colonisation - The Sign of Four

Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle

21 reviews

pvbobrien'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

3.25

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stories's review against another edition

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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.

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sokf's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

3.5

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nathanjhunt's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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? N/A

3.5

My 9th book finished in 2022.

This book hasn't aged well. This is my very first dive into a Sherlock Holmes novel, and I must admit, I wasn't expecting so much racism from it.

It's a snapshot into the British colonial minds and attitudes of the late 1800s. Imperialism was reaching its peak, and that forms the backbone of the plot. The whole basis of the treasure was that it was stolen in the first place. I can't sympathise with any of the characters because they're hunting for colonial gains. It really does leave a sour taste in the mouth.

The casualness of drug use at the beginning of the novel was baffling! They call this era 'The Great Binge' for a reason! If anything, this is an interesting case study into middle-class society of the time.

Casting the plot aside, I did enjoy seeing how Holmes' mind works, and having it from Watson's POV worked very well. There was a lot of monologue and explaining along the way. Every character seems to speak in the same manner and the same words. I feel like Conan Doyle was very comfortable writing as a middle-class man, but had no idea how to write characters from poorer and different backgrounds, and it's full of stereotypes. The cast, I suppose, is diverse, but it's written badly.

I left feeling unsatisfied by the story - why demonise one character, but act like the other was right with what they did? It just doesn't make any sense. And ultimately, Holmes did hardly anything in this novel, if was the characters around him mostly.

I enjoyed it somewhat, and am curious to read other Sherlock Holmes novels, but perhaps this wasn't the best one to start on.

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