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danny_fox's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-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? No
4.5
Alright, this is gonna be a long one, because I have a lot to say.
I have been debating between giving this book 4 or 5 stars, and although, at the end I decided to give it 4, I would still say that it's more of a 4,5 for me.
I'm gonna make this more organized by doing things I liked and things I didn't like.
What I liked:
-The characters were, surprise, surprise, amazingly written! Sherlock Holmes has to be one of the best characters I have ever seen. His personality is really fun and unique, and I was not disappointed by his character.
And John was written in such a way, that it's very easy to find his reactions and comments relatable. And since the book is written in his point of view, it almost feels like you are there, in the story, and observing these events yourself.
-The plot was also quite interesting. There were some issues with it, which I'll talk about in a second, but I enjoyed it for the most part. It didn't feel predictable (to me at least) and I liked how it was all detailed.
I also expected this book to be 100% serious, but there were some quotes and dialogues that made me laugh out loud (whether that was written intentionally or unintentionally to be funny.)
-The ending was worth it. I was worried that we wouldn't get things fully explained by the end, since I know some stories like to leave things unanswered, but I feel like we got an explanation for pretty much everything. And it did leave me wanting to read the next book.
What I didn't like:
-There were some iffy parts, to put it mildly. Certain comments made by some characters had made me feel uncomfortable, and although I'm aware that this is an old book and this is no surprise, I still felt like I needed to mention it. And there was also the poor portrayal of Mormonism which is what everyone else has already mentioned about this book. So, before you read it, just know there are some comments or things in the book that are rather offensive.
-Second part of the book. This part might be a bit spoilery, so feel free to skip it!!!
But basically, for a good chunk of the second part of the story, we follow a different set of characters. Of course, this is all important and is basically a build up, but I found that part to be rather boring for the most part. It gets more interesting at the end, but I really didn't care as much about the characters that we followed then, and for a novel called Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock isn't in it for a good chunk of the story.
-Sooooo much description. This is more of a personal preference, but at times, there would be so much description of locations (especially in the second part of the story) and that mixed up with the old English that was not really easy to understand at times, lead to me having a really hard time going through the book. Some people like descriptions, but for me, personally, this was a bit too much.
Final thoughts:
In the end, I did enjoy the book. I'll still be reading the next novel in the series and I'll post my review on it when (and if) I finish it. The first one did have a bit of a slow start, but I hope the others will be better. :)
And if you read through this whole review, then thanks, but wow, that's impressive.
I have been debating between giving this book 4 or 5 stars, and although, at the end I decided to give it 4, I would still say that it's more of a 4,5 for me.
I'm gonna make this more organized by doing things I liked and things I didn't like.
What I liked:
-The characters were, surprise, surprise, amazingly written! Sherlock Holmes has to be one of the best characters I have ever seen. His personality is really fun and unique, and I was not disappointed by his character.
And John was written in such a way, that it's very easy to find his reactions and comments relatable. And since the book is written in his point of view, it almost feels like you are there, in the story, and observing these events yourself.
-The plot was also quite interesting. There were some issues with it, which I'll talk about in a second, but I enjoyed it for the most part. It didn't feel predictable (to me at least) and I liked how it was all detailed.
I also expected this book to be 100% serious, but there were some quotes and dialogues that made me laugh out loud (whether that was written intentionally or unintentionally to be funny.)
-The ending was worth it. I was worried that we wouldn't get things fully explained by the end, since I know some stories like to leave things unanswered, but I feel like we got an explanation for pretty much everything. And it did leave me wanting to read the next book.
What I didn't like:
-There were some iffy parts, to put it mildly. Certain comments made by some characters had made me feel uncomfortable, and although I'm aware that this is an old book and this is no surprise, I still felt like I needed to mention it. And there was also the poor portrayal of Mormonism which is what everyone else has already mentioned about this book. So, before you read it, just know there are some comments or things in the book that are rather offensive.
-Second part of the book. This part might be a bit spoilery, so feel free to skip it!!!
-Sooooo much description. This is more of a personal preference, but at times, there would be so much description of locations (especially in the second part of the story) and that mixed up with the old English that was not really easy to understand at times, lead to me having a really hard time going through the book. Some people like descriptions, but for me, personally, this was a bit too much.
Final thoughts:
In the end, I did enjoy the book. I'll still be reading the next novel in the series and I'll post my review on it when (and if) I finish it. The first one did have a bit of a slow start, but I hope the others will be better. :)
And if you read through this whole review, then thanks, but wow, that's impressive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Animal death, Religious bigotry, and Death
Moderate: Murder and Misogyny
ggcd1981's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Eu li a muitos anos atrás uma tradução para o português de A Study in Scarlet, porém não lembrava de quase nada. Dessa vez li em inglês e acho que em sua língua original a obra é bem mais atmosférica. O cenário de Londres Vitoriana é uma das coisas que mais gosto nas histórias de Sherlock Holmes. Nesse primeiro volume se segue Dr. John Watson em sua volta de uma guerra no Afeganistão para Londres e na sua busca de um companheiro para dividir um local para morar. Nesse contexto nos é apresentado Sherlock Holmes em todas as suas excentricidades e o famoso endereço 221B, Baker Street. Dr. Watson é logo envolvido na rotina de Sherlock como consultor de investigação da Scotland Yard e começa a relatar os casos em que Holmes é consultado. Um homem é encontrado morto em uma casa vazia, sem ferimentos, porém há sangue na cena do crime. Com a vítima, um americano, é encontrado um anel de diamante. Depois de algum tempo uma segunda vítima, também americano, é encontrada esfaqueada em um quarto de hotel. A investigação de Holmes é breve e em pouco tempo ele afirma saber a identidade do assassino, armando para esse uma “armadilha” e o capturando com a ajuda dos inspetores da Scotland Yard Lestrade e Gregson e também do Dr. Watson. A partir daí a narrativa passa a contar a história de vingança de Jefferson Hope, o assassino. A história de Hope começa em Utah, nos Estados Unidos onde suas vítimas faziam parte de um grupo religioso extremo que causou a morte da mulher que Jefferson amava, assim como do pai da garota. Pai e filha tentaram fugir do grupo religioso, mas foram pegos, o pai foi assassinado e a garota forçada a casar, em pouco tempo definhou e morreu. Essa parte do livro em que os conhecidos e amados personagens não estão presentes se arrasta um pouco, mas foi importante para contexto. As vítimas de Hope foram primeiro Enoch Drebber, o homem que forçou a garota, Lucy Ferrier, a ser uma de suas esposas, e segundo Joseph Stangerson, o homem que matou o pai, John Ferrier. Ao fim a única pergunta não respondida foi quem era o cumplice de Hope que tentou o ajudar a recuperar o anel de casamento de Lucy que Jefferson havia deixado cair sobre o corpo da primeira vítima. Não sei se essa questão será respondida nos próximos livros da série. A obra termina com a amizade entre Sherlock e Watson estabelecida e, como todos que conhecem a série já esperam, a Scotland Yard levando o crédito pelo trabalho realizado por Sherlock Holmes. A Study in Scarlet foi um primeiro volume bastante bom, estabelecendo muito bem a atmosfera e os personagens, com certeza quero ler os próximos volumes. Dou 4.25 estrelas.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Drug use, Death, Grief, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Animal death, Murder, and Stalking
Moderate: Death of parent, War, Kidnapping, and Violence
Minor: Rape
hot_water'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Misogyny and Sexism
chalkletters's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Sherlock Holmes was the third fictional detective I was introduced to, after Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot. My mum used to have the books on tape, and I remember that the first time I listen to <em>A Study in Scarlet</em>, I was absolutely riveted. Not so much by the relationship between Dr Watson and Sherlock Holmes, that came later, but by the story of Jefferson Hope. As a teen, I accepted it without question or critical thought. And, though I remember it less clearly, that must have been how I've engaged with it every time since.
This time, however, the story that used to enthral me has absolutely enraged me. Which isn't to say that <em>A Study in Scarlet</em> is any less interesting or less well written since I first experienced it all those years ago. It's just that I've become a more discerning reader, and that's actually pretty cool.
If you haven't read <em>A Study in Scarlet</em> and you care about spoilers, come back to this review later, because what so angered me is pretty crucial to the murderer's motive.
Jefferson Hope claims to love Lucy Ferrier so much that he devotes his whole life to revenge on the men who forced her into marriage. Alright, that's a little old-fashioned, perhaps, but <em>A Study in Scarlet </em>is set in 1880, so that's not my problem. My problem is that after Lucy gets married, Jefferson Hope walks away and leaves her to die. He is right there on the spot, he's already attempted to rescue her once, but as soon as he hears that the marriage has already taken place, he turns around and walks off! He makes no attempt to rescue her from a situation that he's told is so bad she will probably die of grief. And she does, she dies, all while Jefferson Hope is plotting to avenge her death!
I think when I was younger, I just accepted that, of course, marriage is forever, there's no way Lucy could be saved from it. And, to an extent, that might be true. Lucy, it is implied, is a religious woman in 1880. She might not have been in favour of divorce, even were it legally possible. But nobody asks her. Jefferson Hope doesn't ask whether she'd rather run away with him and live in sin than endure life married to a man who killed her father. It's not even stated in the text that he presumes to know what her preference would be.
He's just told that she's married and he walks away. It's presented absolutely without comment or question. And it's made me angrier than anything I've read in a long time!
While I wouldn't say that this detracted from the merits of <em>A Study in Scarlet</em>, it certainly has distracted me from the rest of the story. This review probably isn't a very useful one if you want to know whether you should read the book: but that's not really what this blog is about. This blog is about recording my experience of the books I read and, this time, my experience of <em>A Study in Scarlet</em> has been profoundly shaped by my distaste for a character I formerly sympathised with.
This time, however, the story that used to enthral me has absolutely enraged me. Which isn't to say that <em>A Study in Scarlet</em> is any less interesting or less well written since I first experienced it all those years ago. It's just that I've become a more discerning reader, and that's actually pretty cool.
If you haven't read <em>A Study in Scarlet</em> and you care about spoilers, come back to this review later, because what so angered me is pretty crucial to the murderer's motive.
Jefferson Hope claims to love Lucy Ferrier so much that he devotes his whole life to revenge on the men who forced her into marriage. Alright, that's a little old-fashioned, perhaps, but <em>A Study in Scarlet </em>is set in 1880, so that's not my problem. My problem is that after Lucy gets married, Jefferson Hope walks away and leaves her to die. He is right there on the spot, he's already attempted to rescue her once, but as soon as he hears that the marriage has already taken place, he turns around and walks off! He makes no attempt to rescue her from a situation that he's told is so bad she will probably die of grief. And she does, she dies, all while Jefferson Hope is plotting to avenge her death!
I think when I was younger, I just accepted that, of course, marriage is forever, there's no way Lucy could be saved from it. And, to an extent, that might be true. Lucy, it is implied, is a religious woman in 1880. She might not have been in favour of divorce, even were it legally possible. But nobody asks her. Jefferson Hope doesn't ask whether she'd rather run away with him and live in sin than endure life married to a man who killed her father. It's not even stated in the text that he presumes to know what her preference would be.
He's just told that she's married and he walks away. It's presented absolutely without comment or question. And it's made me angrier than anything I've read in a long time!
While I wouldn't say that this detracted from the merits of <em>A Study in Scarlet</em>, it certainly has distracted me from the rest of the story. This review probably isn't a very useful one if you want to know whether you should read the book: but that's not really what this blog is about. This blog is about recording my experience of the books I read and, this time, my experience of <em>A Study in Scarlet</em> has been profoundly shaped by my distaste for a character I formerly sympathised with.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Misogyny, Sexism, and Violence
nxclx's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I enjoyed this book, more so than I would have if I hadn't been obsessed with BBC's adaptation in high school. I loved comparing it to the show and seeing how things were changed and adapted. I wasn't a huge fan of the tone switch in the middle, and would have preferred at least a slight explanation sooner, but glad I stuck it out. I like how the stories wrapped up together, and how it ended. The writing is a bit too old timey for me, my companion, so I don't think I'll be continuing on with the series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Terminal illness, and Violence
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