Take a photo of a barcode or cover
tricksyliesmith 's review for:
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - possibly the greatest collection of short crime-fiction stories, well-loved and treasured by the nation, and with very good reason.
'Adventures' is the definitive Holmes & Watson - A collection of strange and interesting tales which fully establish our dynamic duo - the Holmes & Watson canon - and their relationship as partners in crime solving.
Watson picks out the cases that stick out in his memory, for one reason or another, be it their light-hearted amusing nature, or because of their dark and disturbing roots. Some are capers in recovering stolen treasure, and others in solving murder.
These short stories are the fun before 'the fall'...
Here are my thoughts case-by-case..
* A Scandal In Bohemia*
"To Sherlock Holmes she is always *the* woman..."
I was so eager to read the one and only tale of the woman who beat Sherlock Holmes! It was a little shorter than I expected it to be, and I was a little disappointed that, evidently, a lot of the myth of Irene Adler has come from popular fiction re-tellings rather than the originals... yes, all the building blocks are there - Irene is very clever, second-guesses Sherlock's 'acting' skills and understands what is really going on, and is one step ahead of him always. She does outwit Holmes - pointing out not so subtly that he is not perfect at everything... and loved what she left behind for him to remind him, and that he kept it as his reward for solving the case!
*The Red-Headed League*
I found this story very funny - I hope that is the intention! It's great because there are a lot of scathing and humorous remarks from Holmes. Also the actual premise of the case I found hilarious, basically makes a mockery of the 'client' who Holmes finds to be preposterously stupid for what he believes has happened to him... so much so that he takes in a show in between!
*A Case of Identity*
Not really a difficult one to solve this...the cases which aren't based around murders or real wrong-doings tend to be quite easy to solve...
Again the case relies on the fact that the client is more than a little daft for being taken in by something ridiculous - in this case the lady in question does not notice that her missing sweetheart and her step-father are one and the same... hmmm...
*The Boscobme Valley Murders*
Really enjoyed this one. Great litte mystery. This is an extended tale compared to the others, and features Detective Lestrade, who I always like to see! This tale is more in-depth than the others so far, and centres around an innocent man being condemned for murder.
Love what Holmes does for the culprit, showing him compassion and willing to let people believe that he hadn't completed the case in order for the man to walk free. Interesting side of Holmes.
*The Five Orange Pips*
Bit of a frustrating one for Holmes and Watson, as the client they aim to save ends up being killed, and the culprits themselves are not brought to justice. Although Holmes does his deducing and completes the case in his own head and relates it to Watson, the loose ends are not tied up. Watson states this at the start of his journal entry, and highlights that not all the cases are entirely straightforward to solve.
*The Man With The Twisted Lip*
Again, focusing on the idea of disguise and deception. One thing that sometimes gets left out in adaptations is that Holmes is very good at disguises, and other characters attempt it as well. Holmes doesn't seem to do much deducing in this one, rather it is a showcase of how appearances can be deceiving.
I didn't work this one out before the surprise twist, so I was genuinely surprised at the ending.
*The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle*
Quite whimsical in it's approach, this story revolves around a large and precious stone found inside a Christmas goose. Bit mystified as to why, again, Holmes lets the criminal go... but I suppose he is not so interested in the apprehension of the crook once the fun of the chase is over.
*The Adventure of the Speckled Band*
Probably the best so far in 'Adventures..' Much more detailed and thought through, very rounded story which ties up nicely. There's a bit more horror, the terrifying Dr Roylott, the mysterious noises and the murders in the night, and the culmination is fantastic.
I have to add that the part where Holmes and Watson sit in silence in the dark room to wait out the criminal, not knowing what awaits them in the darkness, is probaly my favourite part of the whole book. Very scary, and reminded me of how scared I was watching the BBC Sherlock remake of Hounds of Baskerville. This is Doyle at his best. And Holmes' stoic resolution of the case and his guilt for the culprits fate is a great insight into the character.
*The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb*
Watson introduces this case as one where Holmes has 'fewer openings for those deductive methods of reasoning by which he acheived such remarkable results...'
This is mainly told by the client, almost from start to finish, but its a fascinating one and quite in the vein of Gothic horror which was being written by Doyle's contemporaries (i.e. Dracula, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde etc); from the pale-faced thin Lysander Stark, to the wild young girl who lives at the house, to the gothic house which is the setting, and the secret contraption within.
The fire at the end reminded me of 'Rebecca' by Daphne DuMaurier, I have no idea if she was inspired by this.
*The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor*
Another funny little tale, a case of embarrassment for the client, and some odd little bits of humour which made me smile - for example, Holmes' retort when the Lord remarks, rather egotistically, that he surely can't have had so Noble a client before and Holmes replies that he has in fact down-graded, as the last Noble client he served was a King! (Scandal in Bohemia)
*The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet*
Thoroughly enjoyed the build up in this one, a bit more complicated and mysterious, and the close is very clever. Again the criminal escapes, but the treasure is recovered.
*The Adventure of the Copper Beeches*
A good one to end on.
This tale begins with Holmes complaining about the lack of substance to his current cases, (very well re-told in the BBC's Sherlock when he snipes at cases about 'Lost Rabbits' and such) He presumes this next case to be equally as dull, but in fact it turns out to be very interesting indeed. I love it when the case requires Holmes and Watson to go out on an adventure together, and again they venture off to discover the strange secret within another country house.
I love the way Doyle points out here (through Holmes) the creepy aspect of the remote countryside. The isolation and the relative distance from other civilisations make it an ideal place to carry out depraved crimes, remarks Holmes, and he finds it far creepier than the city. Very interesting point.
'Adventures' is the definitive Holmes & Watson - A collection of strange and interesting tales which fully establish our dynamic duo - the Holmes & Watson canon - and their relationship as partners in crime solving.
Watson picks out the cases that stick out in his memory, for one reason or another, be it their light-hearted amusing nature, or because of their dark and disturbing roots. Some are capers in recovering stolen treasure, and others in solving murder.
These short stories are the fun before 'the fall'...
Here are my thoughts case-by-case..
* A Scandal In Bohemia*
"To Sherlock Holmes she is always *the* woman..."
I was so eager to read the one and only tale of the woman who beat Sherlock Holmes! It was a little shorter than I expected it to be, and I was a little disappointed that, evidently, a lot of the myth of Irene Adler has come from popular fiction re-tellings rather than the originals... yes, all the building blocks are there - Irene is very clever, second-guesses Sherlock's 'acting' skills and understands what is really going on, and is one step ahead of him always. She does outwit Holmes - pointing out not so subtly that he is not perfect at everything... and loved what she left behind for him to remind him, and that he kept it as his reward for solving the case!
*The Red-Headed League*
I found this story very funny - I hope that is the intention! It's great because there are a lot of scathing and humorous remarks from Holmes. Also the actual premise of the case I found hilarious, basically makes a mockery of the 'client' who Holmes finds to be preposterously stupid for what he believes has happened to him... so much so that he takes in a show in between!
*A Case of Identity*
Not really a difficult one to solve this...the cases which aren't based around murders or real wrong-doings tend to be quite easy to solve...
Again the case relies on the fact that the client is more than a little daft for being taken in by something ridiculous - in this case the lady in question does not notice that her missing sweetheart and her step-father are one and the same... hmmm...
*The Boscobme Valley Murders*
Really enjoyed this one. Great litte mystery. This is an extended tale compared to the others, and features Detective Lestrade, who I always like to see! This tale is more in-depth than the others so far, and centres around an innocent man being condemned for murder.
Love what Holmes does for the culprit, showing him compassion and willing to let people believe that he hadn't completed the case in order for the man to walk free. Interesting side of Holmes.
*The Five Orange Pips*
Bit of a frustrating one for Holmes and Watson, as the client they aim to save ends up being killed, and the culprits themselves are not brought to justice. Although Holmes does his deducing and completes the case in his own head and relates it to Watson, the loose ends are not tied up. Watson states this at the start of his journal entry, and highlights that not all the cases are entirely straightforward to solve.
*The Man With The Twisted Lip*
Again, focusing on the idea of disguise and deception. One thing that sometimes gets left out in adaptations is that Holmes is very good at disguises, and other characters attempt it as well. Holmes doesn't seem to do much deducing in this one, rather it is a showcase of how appearances can be deceiving.
I didn't work this one out before the surprise twist, so I was genuinely surprised at the ending.
*The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle*
Quite whimsical in it's approach, this story revolves around a large and precious stone found inside a Christmas goose. Bit mystified as to why, again, Holmes lets the criminal go... but I suppose he is not so interested in the apprehension of the crook once the fun of the chase is over.
*The Adventure of the Speckled Band*
Probably the best so far in 'Adventures..' Much more detailed and thought through, very rounded story which ties up nicely. There's a bit more horror, the terrifying Dr Roylott, the mysterious noises and the murders in the night, and the culmination is fantastic.
I have to add that the part where Holmes and Watson sit in silence in the dark room to wait out the criminal, not knowing what awaits them in the darkness, is probaly my favourite part of the whole book. Very scary, and reminded me of how scared I was watching the BBC Sherlock remake of Hounds of Baskerville. This is Doyle at his best. And Holmes' stoic resolution of the case and his guilt for the culprits fate is a great insight into the character.
*The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb*
Watson introduces this case as one where Holmes has 'fewer openings for those deductive methods of reasoning by which he acheived such remarkable results...'
This is mainly told by the client, almost from start to finish, but its a fascinating one and quite in the vein of Gothic horror which was being written by Doyle's contemporaries (i.e. Dracula, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde etc); from the pale-faced thin Lysander Stark, to the wild young girl who lives at the house, to the gothic house which is the setting, and the secret contraption within.
The fire at the end reminded me of 'Rebecca' by Daphne DuMaurier, I have no idea if she was inspired by this.
*The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor*
Another funny little tale, a case of embarrassment for the client, and some odd little bits of humour which made me smile - for example, Holmes' retort when the Lord remarks, rather egotistically, that he surely can't have had so Noble a client before and Holmes replies that he has in fact down-graded, as the last Noble client he served was a King! (Scandal in Bohemia)
*The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet*
Thoroughly enjoyed the build up in this one, a bit more complicated and mysterious, and the close is very clever. Again the criminal escapes, but the treasure is recovered.
*The Adventure of the Copper Beeches*
A good one to end on.
This tale begins with Holmes complaining about the lack of substance to his current cases, (very well re-told in the BBC's Sherlock when he snipes at cases about 'Lost Rabbits' and such) He presumes this next case to be equally as dull, but in fact it turns out to be very interesting indeed. I love it when the case requires Holmes and Watson to go out on an adventure together, and again they venture off to discover the strange secret within another country house.
I love the way Doyle points out here (through Holmes) the creepy aspect of the remote countryside. The isolation and the relative distance from other civilisations make it an ideal place to carry out depraved crimes, remarks Holmes, and he finds it far creepier than the city. Very interesting point.