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Reviews
The String of Pearls: The Original Sweeney Todd by Thomas Peckett Prest, James Malcolm Rymer
readmetwotimes's review against another edition
2.0
Mah. Sono molto delusa da questo libro. Mi aspettavo una cosa più tipo Poe, gotica, inquietante. Invece una noia mortale. Uffa.
literarybitch's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
I read this specifically because my partner and I love to analyze adaptations, and the musical Sweeney Todd in particular is one of our favorites to compare among various versions, so I wanted to see the source material for comparisons' sake. I knew it would be a challenge because writing from this era is excessively verbose, slow to get to the point, and overly familiar with the reader, all of which I find annoying.
I found out that the links between this story and the musical are... tenuous haha. It really is like a kid got all the dolls of the characters and like two of the sets as a gift and had to make up the story and the relationships between the characters. The musical is a much better & more coherent story. Which makes sense; as the "novel" was actually published chapter by chapter in magazines, there was an incentive to meander as much as possible, introduce new characters & subplots, and sprinkle in random coincidences to keep people buying installments. The major similarity between this and the story I know is the tone which balances on the razor edge between hilariously sarcastic and over-the-top horror.
Unfortunately, the most interesting part was the intro about this edition at the beginning: even the cover is controversial! This editor chose to give full credit to Rymer but not Prest (traditionally if credit is given to only one, it has been Prest. Or 'Anonymous') and lays out the reasons for this contestable change. Having read those reasons, I'm not at all convinced and I think his reasons are insane, but that was part of the fun. He includes some anecdotes about Rymer's life that I swear have to be fiction.
Overall, I'm glad I read it just for comparison, which was the whole reason I gave myself this homework assignment in the first place.
3/10
#WhatsKenyaReading
I found out that the links between this story and the musical are... tenuous haha. It really is like a kid got all the dolls of the characters and like two of the sets as a gift and had to make up the story and the relationships between the characters. The musical is a much better & more coherent story. Which makes sense; as the "novel" was actually published chapter by chapter in magazines, there was an incentive to meander as much as possible, introduce new characters & subplots, and sprinkle in random coincidences to keep people buying installments. The major similarity between this and the story I know is the tone which balances on the razor edge between hilariously sarcastic and over-the-top horror.
Unfortunately, the most interesting part was the intro about this edition at the beginning: even the cover is controversial! This editor chose to give full credit to Rymer but not Prest (traditionally if credit is given to only one, it has been Prest. Or 'Anonymous') and lays out the reasons for this contestable change. Having read those reasons, I'm not at all convinced and I think his reasons are insane, but that was part of the fun. He includes some anecdotes about Rymer's life that I swear have to be fiction.
Overall, I'm glad I read it just for comparison, which was the whole reason I gave myself this homework assignment in the first place.
3/10
#WhatsKenyaReading
tardoautunno's review against another edition
3.0
Carino come romanzo, ma la traduzione e l'editing lasciano molto a desiderare.
breadorcheese's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 Stars
The problem with stories that were serialized back in the day is that the plot meanders along. A good 100 pages could be removed (almost all of which having to do with the titular string of pearls) and the story would be better for it. Neat to see where Sweeney originated but stick with any of the other adaptations
The problem with stories that were serialized back in the day is that the plot meanders along. A good 100 pages could be removed (almost all of which having to do with the titular string of pearls) and the story would be better for it. Neat to see where Sweeney originated but stick with any of the other adaptations
laefe's review against another edition
4.0
Il signor Todd tendeva a strizzare gli occhi per aumentare il suo fascino; e così pensiamo che da ora in poi il lettore possa immaginarsi l'individuo che vogliamo presentargli. Alcuni lo ritenevano un tipo innocuo, piuttosto bizzarro, magari mezzo scemo o almeno un po' matto ma ce n'erano altri che, parlando di lui, scuotevano la testa; non potevano dire niente di preciso sul suo conto, tranne che senza dubbio lo consideravano strano, eppure, quando arrivavano a riflettere su quale enorme crimine e misfatto fosse a questo mondo essere strani... insomma, non dovremmo essere sorpresi della cattiva luce in cui era tenuto Sweeney Todd.
willowthemoldytoad's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
izumisano's review against another edition
3.0
It was pretty cool to see the inspiration for the musical I love so much. Unfortunately the story was pretty slow and boring and so much digressing. I understand the authors wanted to drag it out for the weekly readers but much of it could be done away with. For example they wasted a lot of time to twice tell you the story of one of the insane asylum in mates but never return to tell you her ultimate fate. What was the point of lamenting on her sorrows just to forget her? I was also disappointed with the lack of Mrs. Lovett.
tonimp28's review against another edition
5.0
Me ha encantado.
Al principio no las tenía conmigo, pues la prosa es algo distinta a lo que vengo leyendo normalmente, pero a medida que avanza la historia le da un plus añadido.
Me han gustado mucho las notas a pie de página que nos van situando en las calles de Londres de la época y su correspondiente en la actualidad.
Un excelente trabajo de traducción. Alberto Chessa nos regala con un último capítulo donde nos cuenta cómo surgió la novela, quién la escribió realmente (porque al parecer no está claro al 100%) y una serie de datos que complementan la obra y que me parece una manera perfecta de cerrar una libro.
Otro más de La biblioteca de Carfax que acrecenta mi admiración por el trabajo tan maravilloso que está haciendo esta editorial independiente y que os recomiendo encarecidamente.
Al principio no las tenía conmigo, pues la prosa es algo distinta a lo que vengo leyendo normalmente, pero a medida que avanza la historia le da un plus añadido.
Me han gustado mucho las notas a pie de página que nos van situando en las calles de Londres de la época y su correspondiente en la actualidad.
Un excelente trabajo de traducción. Alberto Chessa nos regala con un último capítulo donde nos cuenta cómo surgió la novela, quién la escribió realmente (porque al parecer no está claro al 100%) y una serie de datos que complementan la obra y que me parece una manera perfecta de cerrar una libro.
Otro más de La biblioteca de Carfax que acrecenta mi admiración por el trabajo tan maravilloso que está haciendo esta editorial independiente y que os recomiendo encarecidamente.
emdotsharp's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Murder