Take a photo of a barcode or cover
daniyoung 's review for:
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
by Robert Louis Stevenson
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.