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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
I’ve been meaning to read this book for years, and I’m glad to cross it off my classics list finally, but I can’t say I enjoyed it much.
The premise is undeniably interesting, touching on timeless themes such as losing control, dangerous scientific experiments, and the darker aspects of human nature. There are some thought-provoking philosophical ideas presented in Jekyll’s long confession at the end, and I appreciated how authentic the setting felt, given that Stevenson was writing about his own time and place.
Unfortunately, the execution left me feeling cold. The narrative felt shallow, the pacing was painfully slow, and the writing style hasn’t aged well. Much of the book unfolds secondhand, with Jekyll’s story delivered through letters, accounts, or gossip from other characters rather than from his own perspective. Instead of drawing me in, it felt like a series of repetitive short stories, each emphasizing the same point: Hyde is a bad guy.
Even that central idea didn’t feel entirely convincing. Hyde tramples a child, indulges in selfish acts, and murders a man, but is that really sufficient to represent the absolute worst of human nature? I craved more complexity. The only part that truly captivated me was Jekyll’s final account, which provided genuine insight into his internal struggle. It made me wish the whole novella had been told from his perspective instead of being filtered through the reactions of others.
The premise is undeniably interesting, touching on timeless themes such as losing control, dangerous scientific experiments, and the darker aspects of human nature. There are some thought-provoking philosophical ideas presented in Jekyll’s long confession at the end, and I appreciated how authentic the setting felt, given that Stevenson was writing about his own time and place.
Unfortunately, the execution left me feeling cold. The narrative felt shallow, the pacing was painfully slow, and the writing style hasn’t aged well. Much of the book unfolds secondhand, with Jekyll’s story delivered through letters, accounts, or gossip from other characters rather than from his own perspective. Instead of drawing me in, it felt like a series of repetitive short stories, each emphasizing the same point: Hyde is a bad guy.
Even that central idea didn’t feel entirely convincing. Hyde tramples a child, indulges in selfish acts, and murders a man, but is that really sufficient to represent the absolute worst of human nature? I craved more complexity. The only part that truly captivated me was Jekyll’s final account, which provided genuine insight into his internal struggle. It made me wish the whole novella had been told from his perspective instead of being filtered through the reactions of others.
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A slow burner in short form. A nice buildup until the solution to the riddle is presented. The explanation at the end was a bit strange but got better I think because of its length. This gave me time thinking about what the author wanted to show here. I mean sure it is about the duality of ‘men‘ but was this is original motivation? Or was it the idea of being able to do bad stuff without punishment. If you are smart enough to get away with it you can just kill people,…this idea is also as old as time and very prevalent. But it the idea is mature it is reflected because in the final explanation he analyses the proclivity for evil.
But it can also be read on a piece on drug addiction. You have to take more, your body and your mind ache for the drug. You are a different person depending on whether you are on it or not. You hate the other half, you don’t want others to see, you don’t know how to get out of it how to help yourself how to ask for help,…
But it can also be read on a piece on drug addiction. You have to take more, your body and your mind ache for the drug. You are a different person depending on whether you are on it or not. You hate the other half, you don’t want others to see, you don’t know how to get out of it how to help yourself how to ask for help,…
لا أجد خيراً من مقولة الكاتب الكبير أحمد خالد توفيق التي تعبر عن مضمون هذه الرواية بحرفية شديدة والتي تقول :
"إن أشنع مسخ يمكن للمرء أن يلقاه هو نفسه "
والقرآن يخبرنا "إِنَّ النَّفْسَ لَأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ" .. وفي داخل كل منا نفس تنازعه بين الخير والشر .. منا من يتغلب على نفسه ومنا من يضعف .. وفي هذه الرواية يتمكن دكتور جيكل من إختراع دواء يحرر نفسه الشريرة ليحصل على ملذات الحياة التي حرمها منه وضعه الإجتماعي ومستواه العلمي الذي يفرض عليه قيود أخلاقية معينة بحكم الضرورة .. ولكنه في النهاية يفقد السيطرة عليها .. وبعدما كان يريد أن يخرج هذه النفس الشريرة ليتحكم فيها يجد أنها هي التي تملكته وصارت الأصل وأصبح يبحث عن دواء يعيده إلى نفسه الأولى !
"إن أشنع مسخ يمكن للمرء أن يلقاه هو نفسه "
والقرآن يخبرنا "إِنَّ النَّفْسَ لَأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ" .. وفي داخل كل منا نفس تنازعه بين الخير والشر .. منا من يتغلب على نفسه ومنا من يضعف .. وفي هذه الرواية يتمكن دكتور جيكل من إختراع دواء يحرر نفسه الشريرة ليحصل على ملذات الحياة التي حرمها منه وضعه الإجتماعي ومستواه العلمي الذي يفرض عليه قيود أخلاقية معينة بحكم الضرورة .. ولكنه في النهاية يفقد السيطرة عليها .. وبعدما كان يريد أن يخرج هذه النفس الشريرة ليتحكم فيها يجد أنها هي التي تملكته وصارت الأصل وأصبح يبحث عن دواء يعيده إلى نفسه الأولى !
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The idea behind Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde is a great one, and clearly one that resonates with a lot of people - there have been many renditions and interpretations of the characters over the years. But going back to read the original interpretation is a bit of a let down.
I’m sure when the book first came out, the revelation about the nature of Jekyll & Hyde was a big twist. But these days, it feels more like the reader knowing the twist and waiting for the characters to catch up. Not ideal, and not the book’s fault, but it is what it is.
The pace of the book is quite slow - it feels long despite being quite short. I think this is partially due to telling the story from the perspective of a third party, rather than Jekyll himself.
I’m sure when the book first came out, the revelation about the nature of Jekyll & Hyde was a big twist. But these days, it feels more like the reader knowing the twist and waiting for the characters to catch up. Not ideal, and not the book’s fault, but it is what it is.
The pace of the book is quite slow - it feels long despite being quite short. I think this is partially due to telling the story from the perspective of a third party, rather than Jekyll himself.
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes