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caitlin_doggos's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Violence, Murder, Racial slurs, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Gun violence and Terminal illness
crufts's review against another edition
- 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? No
4.75
Recovering from injury and illness sustained during the war, ex-army-doctor John Watson moves in with an eccentric flatmate: the chemistry enthusiast Sherlock Holmes. Although talented and with a steady stream of small-scale clientele, Holmes has never had the chance to prove himself against a big case. When he does, he pulls Watson along with him and the novel races off.
Fast-paced, well-written, and with characters that have remained the world's favourites for over a hundred years, A Study in Scarlet is a wonderful book.
Minor: Violence, Death, Blood, and Religious bigotry
The second part of the book involves a family's struggle to escape a Mormon camp that does not believe in personal freedom.sunny_not's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Murder, Death, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Death of parent
silver_valkyrie_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This time through it clearly confirmed my love of Sherlock Holmes, despite the passing decades. Though I still didn't love the back story section, it was a lot easier to engage in as an adult, if only because I was mentally prepared for it this time.
Possibly not the best book to start with if you've never read Sherlock Holmes before, but very enjoyable for all the classic mystery and (now stereotypical) clever deduction moments.
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Kidnapping
grimviolins's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Murder and Death
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Kidnapping, and Grief
Minor: Blood and Alcohol
adrijagd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, and Murder
nxclx's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Terminal illness, and Violence
gailbird's review against another edition
- 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? No
3.75
Another thing I didn’t remember from when I first read it is the direct reference included in conversation between Holmes and Watson of Edgar Allen Poe’s deductive reasoner, C. Auguste Dupin. Watson compares Holmes to this pioneer of detective fiction, which Holmes rather resents and, somewhat uppishly, explains why he is in fact not like Dupin. I don’t know whether to chalk this up to Doyle wanting to get out in front of possible comparisons that the audience would make, or a genuine acknowledgement of those whose works inspired and informed the creation of his own. One of the characteristics that so distinguishes Holmes’ character in this introductory story is that he is not showy (part of his criticism of Dupin), he is not dying to tell everyone his methods, and when he does upon request, he frames it in the most straightforward—dare I say it?—dullest way imaginable. He’s not concerned with the drama of discovery, he’s concerned with the truthful results. It may also be inferred that it is difficult for him to clearly convey his processes, as he has automated so many of the steps as to not notice himself taking them, in the same way someone in advanced levels of mathematics might be at a loss as to how to explain the steps of long division—they just do them automatically. And that's another argument for the intermission in ye olde Utah rather than following Holmes doing nothing in particular, which means Watson observing nothing in particular to relate, for those dozen or so pages.
Also, can we pause and appreciate the brilliant introduction of Inspectors Lestrade and Gregson? I felt for those two, and I felt for Holmes’ relationship with them. I completely forgot how much of a sense of humour Holmes has. The amount of times Holmes is said to smile or laugh is a shock to system after being accustomed to seeing him portrayed in adaptation after adaptation as some kind of uptight, pompous, obnoxious, tactless person. The way he humours the inspectors and, though momentarily righteously incensed at their being given all the credit, sees their better qualities while they somewhat rudely overlook his is just heartwarming. And Watson. He is all that a narrator should be—observant, stylish writer, but with a few revelatory emergences of his own personality to make him more than a blank slate for the readers to write their own names on. Of course, that is indeed a part of what he is—representation for the skeptical audience that is then won over to Holmes’ side along with him. It’s a common writing technique, but an essential one when you need to get a story moving quickly and communicate necessary information—have a character enter an unfamiliar environment or meet a new person and then teach the reader about it naturally by having them watch that character learning. But I feel like Watson is more, and is foreshadowed as becoming more, with his background in Afghanistan, his illness, and his honest liking for Holmes after initially being quite indifferent to or wary of him. Because, like I said, Holmes is actually likeable in the way he’s written. And I’m here for it.
Graphic: Blood, Death, Grief, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Bullying, Confinement, and Violence
Minor: Rape and Torture