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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
slow-paced
adventurous
mysterious
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
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
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:
No
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
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
I can see why fans cheered when Arthur Conan Doyle resurrected his beloved detective. In this collection Doyle shows that despite wanting to shed Sherlock for more "serious" literature, he still retained an affection for Holmes and Watson. Told in Doyle's brisk but vivid writing style, these stories are just as readable today as they were 100 years ago, and it's fun to read them while watching Steven Moffatt's series alongside. Great, great fun!
4 estrellas
Seguimos con la relectura de Sherlock Holmes.
Este libro siempre me causa escalofríos. Pensar en esos diez años que la gente tuvo que esperar para su publicación, creyendo que Holmes estaba realmente muerto, hasta que a Conan Doyle le salió de las narices revivirlo.
Seguimos con la relectura de Sherlock Holmes.
Este libro siempre me causa escalofríos. Pensar en esos diez años que la gente tuvo que esperar para su publicación, creyendo que Holmes estaba realmente muerto, hasta que a Conan Doyle le salió de las narices revivirlo.
Despite having read or watched countless stories that reference, allude to, pay homage to or parody them, this is the first Sherlock Holmes book that I've read myself. And I have to say that I am disappointed. I have three main problems with this.
The first and most minor problem is that all twelve short stories have very similar structure and pacing, which grows repetitive by the end. This means that the collection as a whole is weaker than any of its constituent tales.
More severe is that I find Holmes to be a thoroughly unlikable character. He frequently belittles others, and often takes delight in announcing that he knows the answer while refusing to share it with others. Damningly, he sends a man out alone when he has reason to believe there may be an attempt on his life and then, when said man is murdered, considers it only an affront to his professional pride. Or in another story, he discovers that a woman is being psychologically manipulated but declines to tell her what he has discovered since he is sure that she won't believe him anyway. This is not a character that I can in any way cheer for or celebrate.
Finally, and perhaps most damnig of all, I find the whole thing entirely unbelievable. Holme's whole schtick of carefully observing every possible clue and then determining the only possible course of events that fits the evidecne just doesn't ring true and I was unable to suspend my disbelief. There are always gaps in his reasoning, always other explanations that are possible, if unlikely. Being able to so unerringly come to correct conclusions doesn't read as genius but as magic.
The first and most minor problem is that all twelve short stories have very similar structure and pacing, which grows repetitive by the end. This means that the collection as a whole is weaker than any of its constituent tales.
More severe is that I find Holmes to be a thoroughly unlikable character. He frequently belittles others, and often takes delight in announcing that he knows the answer while refusing to share it with others. Damningly, he sends a man out alone when he has reason to believe there may be an attempt on his life and then, when said man is murdered, considers it only an affront to his professional pride. Or in another story, he discovers that a woman is being psychologically manipulated but declines to tell her what he has discovered since he is sure that she won't believe him anyway. This is not a character that I can in any way cheer for or celebrate.
Finally, and perhaps most damnig of all, I find the whole thing entirely unbelievable. Holme's whole schtick of carefully observing every possible clue and then determining the only possible course of events that fits the evidecne just doesn't ring true and I was unable to suspend my disbelief. There are always gaps in his reasoning, always other explanations that are possible, if unlikely. Being able to so unerringly come to correct conclusions doesn't read as genius but as magic.