A review by hello_lovely13
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

adventurous 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

2.5

I was a bit bored for the first half of the book. I struggled to be attached or intrigued by the mystery because it just felt like being told random stories without any grounding. It picks up in the second half once Watson actually begins taking an active role in the case rather than just listening to others' stories. The halfway point onwards is pretty good, but it doesn't change my boredom and disinterest while listening to the first half. Another thing that I think prevented me from enjoying the book is that Sherlock was in, at most, only a third of this book. When he reappeared in the second half, I was surprised, but delighted and it brought more energy to the story. I was surprised about the reveal of the perpetrator of the crime (
how Stapleton pretended his wife was his sister definitely shocked me
). Overall, I am a bit disappointed as this is one of the most famous of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, but he is barely in it, and an active role isn't actually taken by the main characters until the second half of the book, making the first half mostly a bore.
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