Reviews - The Strange Case Of Doctor Jekyll And Mr. Hyde

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12.4k reviews for:

The Strange Case Of Doctor Jekyll And Mr. Hyde

Robert Louis Stevenson

3.66 AVERAGE

il_veggente's review against another edition

3.0

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: N/A

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

ishouldbereading's review against another edition

2.75

dark reflective medium-paced

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

I had really high expectations of this book, if I went into this without knowing the premise, I'm pretty sure I'd enjoy it way more. If you expect to get deep psychological dive into how 19th century England viewed schizophrenia or psychological fight against the evil that resides in every human being (like I did), maybe look further? Or just don't expect it from this. Only the last 20 pages describe Jekyll's thought process or feelings and we don't get quite as much as what I'd hoped for. The first 50 pages have different characters that just describe everything wrong with Jekyll. The book wasn't that bad, after some time I have to admit it was pretty okay, but I expected so much more and that's why I'm so disappointed. If you go into this with low expectations (and lots of patience for old English sentences that are 4 LINES LONG - I kid you not, I counted), you may really like it!

katika's review against another edition

3.0

dark mysterious 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

hakberdi's review against another edition

2.0

To be honest, it was 1.5 stars experience. Despite being a novella it dragged a lot and was boring. I see why this work is considered a classic and I for sure see how it could've inspired so many authors that I love, yet... It was as bad as drinking lukewarm water in the summer heat. You kinda quench your thirst a first but end up being thirstier than ever to the point of the annoyance.

What's good about it then, you ask? Well... Writing style and author's voice is quite identical to Dorian Gray and... I guess that's it.

Things I found miserably annoying:

* Overall naiveness and cuteness (?) of the story.

Look, I know that it was groundbreaking at the time but, being a Stephen King fan, for me it was just as toothless as a toddler.
And again, I hate to bring Uncle Stevie here but he did it better in his "Secret Window, Secret Garden" novella. Somehow he managed to tell us a story of good and evil of human nature way suspenseful, leagues intricate and, dare I say, psychologically advanced.

* Jekyll's ability to write long-winded and wordy passages of text despite being on the verge of turning into Hyde. I mean, - c'mon mate! Some paragraphs ago you were agonized by transformations, luv!

Quite disappointed and at the same time happy that I listened to the audiobook instead of buying physical copy.