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4.45 AVERAGE
4.45 AVERAGE
Nate and I have been listening to Sherlock Holmes stories on our way to and from his organ lessons for quite a while now. I don't know when we began, I wish I did.
We both really enjoyed these stories and Stephen Fry's reading of them. I do think Fry only has one American voice which makes me giggle a little bit - all of his Americans sound the same; roughly American Cowboy.
Nate didn't enjoy the final story and, while I did find it a little out of character and too pointedly ... um propagandizing of WWI ... I enjoyed it as I had read so much on WWI in 2020 and I caught some of the same ideas I had read that year.
Overally definitely recommend. Spreading it out on most (but not all) Fridays made it a treat; I think listening back-to-back-to-back-to-back straight through may have been less so.
We both really enjoyed these stories and Stephen Fry's reading of them. I do think Fry only has one American voice which makes me giggle a little bit - all of his Americans sound the same; roughly American Cowboy.
Nate didn't enjoy the final story and, while I did find it a little out of character and too pointedly ... um propagandizing of WWI ... I enjoyed it as I had read so much on WWI in 2020 and I caught some of the same ideas I had read that year.
Overally definitely recommend. Spreading it out on most (but not all) Fridays made it a treat; I think listening back-to-back-to-back-to-back straight through may have been less so.
Finished! It only took me 6 or 7 years to do it.
Near as I can tell, I started this sometime around 2009 or 2010. I distinctly remember carrying it on the Metro and reading this unwieldy tome on my commute. At some point, I decided to put it down and read something else, and then something else... and somewhere along the way I picked up a few other books that were a bit unwieldy and I began reading books the way I watch TV series. Read a chapter or short story from one book, then one from the next, then one from the next... This style of reading books used to irritate me, and now I find I rather enjoy it. Hard to explain, but I blame this book for starting it.
Between A Study in Scarlet and the Retired Colourman, we've had three kids and moved out west. I've encountered a number of interpretations of Holmes (Downey, Jr, Cumberbatch, McKellen... I can't remember whether I read Chabon's Final Solution before or after starting Doyle but that is worth mentioning as well). A lot's happened in those years. Maybe I should read things a bit... more quickly.
Much of the original material holds up 100+ years later, and some of it doesn't. Some prejudices have thankfully been fairly well cast upon the trash heap of history, and some conflicts remain ever-present (the opening introduction of Watson serving in Afghanistan has been mentioned elsewhere so I won't do it here -- oops, too late). I like the modern retellings. It's interesting to see how some characters (Mycroft, Lestrade) barely appear in Doyle's originals.
Near as I can tell, I started this sometime around 2009 or 2010. I distinctly remember carrying it on the Metro and reading this unwieldy tome on my commute. At some point, I decided to put it down and read something else, and then something else... and somewhere along the way I picked up a few other books that were a bit unwieldy and I began reading books the way I watch TV series. Read a chapter or short story from one book, then one from the next, then one from the next... This style of reading books used to irritate me, and now I find I rather enjoy it. Hard to explain, but I blame this book for starting it.
Between A Study in Scarlet and the Retired Colourman, we've had three kids and moved out west. I've encountered a number of interpretations of Holmes (Downey, Jr, Cumberbatch, McKellen... I can't remember whether I read Chabon's Final Solution before or after starting Doyle but that is worth mentioning as well). A lot's happened in those years. Maybe I should read things a bit... more quickly.
Much of the original material holds up 100+ years later, and some of it doesn't. Some prejudices have thankfully been fairly well cast upon the trash heap of history, and some conflicts remain ever-present (the opening introduction of Watson serving in Afghanistan has been mentioned elsewhere so I won't do it here -- oops, too late). I like the modern retellings. It's interesting to see how some characters (Mycroft, Lestrade) barely appear in Doyle's originals.
This is going to be a long, ongoing project of a read because I've wanted to read Arthur Conan Doyle's 'Sherlock Holmes' stories for a LONG time. I'll be posting mini reviews of each story that I get through and a link to a longer review as I progress.
A STUDY IN SCARLET - I'm pretty impressed by how little time it took me to get through this one. Are all the stories/collected short stories as short as this? Somehow I doubt it. Anyway, a great start to the series (I will be reading them in chronological order) and the perfect way to introduce both Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. I've seen film and TV adaptations of Holmes' character and I have to say, they're pretty spot on. I loved the mystery and realised through reading how much I had missed whodunnit stories. One of my favourite parts of the story was the Wild West style portion which explains the back-story and motive of the killer. I've said many times that villains with a motive are the best kind of villains and boy, did this one have a good motive. Good plot, plenty of twists, memorable characters and a lovely beginning to what promises to be a great series.
4/5 Stars.
FULL REVIEW HERE: http://chasedbymyimagination.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/book-review-study-in-scarlet-arthur.html
THE SIGN OF THE FOUR - I completely forgot to update the Page Number until today, but yesterday I read the second story in this book in just one morning! Having loved 'A Study In Scarlet' I couldn't wait to get onto the next book and I have to say that overall I think I liked it even more. Sherlock is really coming into his own as a funny, intelligent and completely bonkers character and Conan Doyle's use of rambunctious Detectives who think they know better is hilarious. We were briefly introduced to Mary Morstan who John Watson has already completely fallen for and I'm looking forward to having a little bit more development of her character because right now I don't think I know her all that well. The plot flowed a lot better in this one, with more twists to keep me guessing. All in all, a lot of fun though the Villain's story at the end wasn't nearly as enjoyable as the previous one.
4.5/5 Stars.
READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE: http://chasedbymyimagination.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/book-review-sign-of-four-arthur-conan.html
THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES: I went on a bit of a reading spree yesterday, and not only managed one book, but also this collection of short stories! I've been eager to read more of Sherlock Holmes' adventures after loving the last two full-length stories, and definitely feel that these shorter adventures are by far my favourite currently. Some of my favourites included 'The Red Speckled Band' and 'The Copper Beeches', 'The Red-Headed League' as well as 'The Man With The Twisted Lip'. I also really loved the introduction of Irene Adler in 'A Scandal In Bohemia'. A couple of the stories I felt had very unsatisfactory endings, such as 'A Case Of Identity' or 'The Five Orange Pips' but overall, I still liked them and think that Doyle had a real talent in writing SHORT detective stories.
5/5 Stars
READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE: http://chasedbymyimagination.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/book-review-adventures-of-sherlock.html
THE MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES - It's been a while since I last visited this huge collection of Sherlock Holmes stories, but I really felt it was about time I got back to, seeing as 'The Memoirs Of Sherlock Holmes' was more short stories, like the ones I read and loved back in August last year. I loved these too and I'm 100% convinced that it's the short stories where Doyle's talent really reveals itself! There were some real gems: 'Silver Blaze', 'The Stockbroker's Clerk', 'The Reigate Squire' and 'The Resident Patient' were my favourite, and in fact I really liked them all. Holmes' deductions were SO creative and clever. I loved the introduction of some other famous characters previously unseen: Moriarty and Mycroft were so great! Like the last collection, the endings of 'The Greek Interpreter' and 'The Naval Treaty' were a little ambiguous and disappointing, but I didn't much mind.
5/5 Stars.
READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE: http://chasedbymyimagination.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/book-review-memoirs-of-sherlock-holmes.html
THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES - As I'm enjoying the short stories in this collection so much, I was glad to see another batch in this next volume! Considering the ending of the last volume, I was pleased to see that the first story of this one picked up from where we left off and provided a good explanation. There were some really great stories here, and I think I liked them even more than the ones before. Quite a lot of them were not just straight-up murders, but all fantastic mysteries. I liked 'The Solitary Cyclist', 'The Six Napoleons', 'The Three Students' and 'The Abbey Grange' the most, and as always watching Holmes calculate and make deductions was so interesting. Sherlock is also a 'laugh out loud', funny character! I especially found that here for some reason, especially in his conversations with Lestrade, Watson and Hopkins (who appeared a lot in this particular set of stories). These were a joy to read.
5/5 Stars.
READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE: http://chasedbymyimagination.blogspot.com/2017/09/book-review-return-of-sherlock-holmes.html
THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES - This is probably the story I've most been looking forward to reading, and that's because it is one of the most famous! I've seen and heard of many an adaptation of this famous, ghostly short story and I liked that it included an element of the supernatural for Holmes to explain. It being so famous did have it's drawback - I sort of knew what was going to happen? I have to say though, this is definitely one of my favourites. We get to see a more solitary Watson (who has very much forgone his wife at this point it would seem) as Holmes only appears in the beginning and at the end of the story! It's still very clever, tense, a little chilling (my favourite kind of mystery) and very much worth the wait!
5/5 Stars.
THE VALLEY OF FEAR - This was an interesting one, partly because it focused on a few different sub-plots and felt like a style more reminiscent of the first story in this tome, 'A Study In Scarlet'. There's a portion of the story dedicated to the murder, and solving the mystery surrounding that, a portion dedicated to explaining the backstory and also some sections dedicated to the bigger picture - James Moriarty. I liked the murder mystery part as always and particularly enjoyed the relationship between Holmes and Watson. I also liked reading the back-story too though it went on for quite a while. I think that Moriarty's role in the story was a little strange as he's merely referenced repeatedly as the 'real threat' and then is the cause of a very abrupt ending. I wanted to see more of Moriarty in these stories, but not like this.
4/5 Stars.
A STUDY IN SCARLET - I'm pretty impressed by how little time it took me to get through this one. Are all the stories/collected short stories as short as this? Somehow I doubt it. Anyway, a great start to the series (I will be reading them in chronological order) and the perfect way to introduce both Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. I've seen film and TV adaptations of Holmes' character and I have to say, they're pretty spot on. I loved the mystery and realised through reading how much I had missed whodunnit stories. One of my favourite parts of the story was the Wild West style portion which explains the back-story and motive of the killer. I've said many times that villains with a motive are the best kind of villains and boy, did this one have a good motive. Good plot, plenty of twists, memorable characters and a lovely beginning to what promises to be a great series.
4/5 Stars.
FULL REVIEW HERE: http://chasedbymyimagination.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/book-review-study-in-scarlet-arthur.html
THE SIGN OF THE FOUR - I completely forgot to update the Page Number until today, but yesterday I read the second story in this book in just one morning! Having loved 'A Study In Scarlet' I couldn't wait to get onto the next book and I have to say that overall I think I liked it even more. Sherlock is really coming into his own as a funny, intelligent and completely bonkers character and Conan Doyle's use of rambunctious Detectives who think they know better is hilarious. We were briefly introduced to Mary Morstan who John Watson has already completely fallen for and I'm looking forward to having a little bit more development of her character because right now I don't think I know her all that well. The plot flowed a lot better in this one, with more twists to keep me guessing. All in all, a lot of fun though the Villain's story at the end wasn't nearly as enjoyable as the previous one.
4.5/5 Stars.
READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE: http://chasedbymyimagination.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/book-review-sign-of-four-arthur-conan.html
THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES: I went on a bit of a reading spree yesterday, and not only managed one book, but also this collection of short stories! I've been eager to read more of Sherlock Holmes' adventures after loving the last two full-length stories, and definitely feel that these shorter adventures are by far my favourite currently. Some of my favourites included 'The Red Speckled Band' and 'The Copper Beeches', 'The Red-Headed League' as well as 'The Man With The Twisted Lip'. I also really loved the introduction of Irene Adler in 'A Scandal In Bohemia'. A couple of the stories I felt had very unsatisfactory endings, such as 'A Case Of Identity' or 'The Five Orange Pips' but overall, I still liked them and think that Doyle had a real talent in writing SHORT detective stories.
5/5 Stars
READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE: http://chasedbymyimagination.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/book-review-adventures-of-sherlock.html
THE MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES - It's been a while since I last visited this huge collection of Sherlock Holmes stories, but I really felt it was about time I got back to, seeing as 'The Memoirs Of Sherlock Holmes' was more short stories, like the ones I read and loved back in August last year. I loved these too and I'm 100% convinced that it's the short stories where Doyle's talent really reveals itself! There were some real gems: 'Silver Blaze', 'The Stockbroker's Clerk', 'The Reigate Squire' and 'The Resident Patient' were my favourite, and in fact I really liked them all. Holmes' deductions were SO creative and clever. I loved the introduction of some other famous characters previously unseen: Moriarty and Mycroft were so great! Like the last collection, the endings of 'The Greek Interpreter' and 'The Naval Treaty' were a little ambiguous and disappointing, but I didn't much mind.
5/5 Stars.
READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE: http://chasedbymyimagination.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/book-review-memoirs-of-sherlock-holmes.html
THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES - As I'm enjoying the short stories in this collection so much, I was glad to see another batch in this next volume! Considering the ending of the last volume, I was pleased to see that the first story of this one picked up from where we left off and provided a good explanation. There were some really great stories here, and I think I liked them even more than the ones before. Quite a lot of them were not just straight-up murders, but all fantastic mysteries. I liked 'The Solitary Cyclist', 'The Six Napoleons', 'The Three Students' and 'The Abbey Grange' the most, and as always watching Holmes calculate and make deductions was so interesting. Sherlock is also a 'laugh out loud', funny character! I especially found that here for some reason, especially in his conversations with Lestrade, Watson and Hopkins (who appeared a lot in this particular set of stories). These were a joy to read.
5/5 Stars.
READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE: http://chasedbymyimagination.blogspot.com/2017/09/book-review-return-of-sherlock-holmes.html
THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES - This is probably the story I've most been looking forward to reading, and that's because it is one of the most famous! I've seen and heard of many an adaptation of this famous, ghostly short story and I liked that it included an element of the supernatural for Holmes to explain. It being so famous did have it's drawback - I sort of knew what was going to happen? I have to say though, this is definitely one of my favourites. We get to see a more solitary Watson (who has very much forgone his wife at this point it would seem) as Holmes only appears in the beginning and at the end of the story! It's still very clever, tense, a little chilling (my favourite kind of mystery) and very much worth the wait!
5/5 Stars.
THE VALLEY OF FEAR - This was an interesting one, partly because it focused on a few different sub-plots and felt like a style more reminiscent of the first story in this tome, 'A Study In Scarlet'. There's a portion of the story dedicated to the murder, and solving the mystery surrounding that, a portion dedicated to explaining the backstory and also some sections dedicated to the bigger picture - James Moriarty. I liked the murder mystery part as always and particularly enjoyed the relationship between Holmes and Watson. I also liked reading the back-story too though it went on for quite a while. I think that Moriarty's role in the story was a little strange as he's merely referenced repeatedly as the 'real threat' and then is the cause of a very abrupt ending. I wanted to see more of Moriarty in these stories, but not like this.
4/5 Stars.
adventurous
funny
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
emotional
funny
mysterious
I didn't think this would take me the better part of a year to read but I'm glad that I have finished this massive task. So many brilliant stories that are lesser known to the general publics common knowledge of Sherlock Holmes. Although I feel a sense of relief that I have read the whole collection of Sherlock Holmes stories, I did enjoy very much most of these stories and I have found it fascinating to put myself in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's shoes to see how he could come up with these remarkable stories. Would thoroughly recommend these stories to everyone (although maybe not to read all of them in this massive book, it definitely felt quite daunting at times).
This was for a class called murder most foul. It contains the first two Sherlock Holmes novels and the first couple volumes of short stories. I didn't read all the short stories. The ones I did read varied from 2-4 stars and both a study in scarlet and the sign of four were 3 stars.
The only way to make this audiobook better would be to have Casebook included in the US version...alas.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
These are terrific stories and the narration by Stephen Fry is absolutely perfect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Violence