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rita_fab's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
smaravetz's review
I will re-approach Sherlock Holmes in a more compact format- I think there are more footnotes than stories in this volume! It is a beautiful book, with lots and lots of interesting background info & insight into the stories, but it's not exactly the kind of book you curl up in bed with(or if you do, it gives you a neck-ache)!
easolinas's review
5.0
Everybody knows him -- the pipe-smoking detective on Baker Street (with or without the movie-added deerstalker), who is able to deduce all sorts of things just by glancing at a person.
And if you want to get to know him, a good place to start is "The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes, Volume 1: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes & the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes." These two collections of short stories mingle human psychology with sometimes-bizarre mysteries -- and although the annotation is pretty dense, it is helpful.
The title character is a famous English detective who undertakes bizarre cases that the police cannot handle -- missing fiances, missing heiresses, Christmas turkeys with jewels, incriminating letters, speckled bands, missing racehorses, a Greek translator, sudden suicides, missing spouses, "dream jobs" with strange requirements, and a clash with the diabolical Professor Moriarty.
Sherlock Holmes mysteries come in two types:
1. The case is completely baffling, and Holmes is needed to unravel the knot of obscure clues.
2. The case seems straightforward, but Holmes is needed to connect seemingly unrelated clues to the crime in order to find the REAL perpetrator.
There are plenty of both kinds in this book, with a couple dozen cases that require Holmes' unique detecting skills -- it can be something as simple as locating a letter, or something as complex as foiling a robbery or criminal ring. Doyle's stately, dignified prose is heightened by moments of excitement or horror (" It swelled up louder and louder, a hoarse yell of pain and fear and anger all mingled in the one dreadful shriek"), and he wove in a lot of human psychology into Holmes' cases.
Holmes himself... is Holmes. Doyle didn't like his detective much, but Sherlock's knife-edged intellect and fascination with puzzles are strangely hypnotic -- even if you wouldn't like to be roomies with the guy, it would be amazing just to sit and watch him work. Watson is the perfect counterpoint for Holmes: he's not a genius but is definitely intelligent, warm-hearted and capable.
And how good is the annotation for this book? Well, the annotations are well-researched, detailed and full of fascinating historical/social/literary insights into Doyle and how he crafted these stories. In fact, they're too dense at times, leaving you wishing for a little more brevity in the annotation.
Even if you already have these short stories, "The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes, Volume 1: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes & the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes" is a must-have for fans of the Great Detective, because of all the extras packed into its pages.
And if you want to get to know him, a good place to start is "The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes, Volume 1: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes & the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes." These two collections of short stories mingle human psychology with sometimes-bizarre mysteries -- and although the annotation is pretty dense, it is helpful.
The title character is a famous English detective who undertakes bizarre cases that the police cannot handle -- missing fiances, missing heiresses, Christmas turkeys with jewels, incriminating letters, speckled bands, missing racehorses, a Greek translator, sudden suicides, missing spouses, "dream jobs" with strange requirements, and a clash with the diabolical Professor Moriarty.
Sherlock Holmes mysteries come in two types:
1. The case is completely baffling, and Holmes is needed to unravel the knot of obscure clues.
2. The case seems straightforward, but Holmes is needed to connect seemingly unrelated clues to the crime in order to find the REAL perpetrator.
There are plenty of both kinds in this book, with a couple dozen cases that require Holmes' unique detecting skills -- it can be something as simple as locating a letter, or something as complex as foiling a robbery or criminal ring. Doyle's stately, dignified prose is heightened by moments of excitement or horror (" It swelled up louder and louder, a hoarse yell of pain and fear and anger all mingled in the one dreadful shriek"), and he wove in a lot of human psychology into Holmes' cases.
Holmes himself... is Holmes. Doyle didn't like his detective much, but Sherlock's knife-edged intellect and fascination with puzzles are strangely hypnotic -- even if you wouldn't like to be roomies with the guy, it would be amazing just to sit and watch him work. Watson is the perfect counterpoint for Holmes: he's not a genius but is definitely intelligent, warm-hearted and capable.
And how good is the annotation for this book? Well, the annotations are well-researched, detailed and full of fascinating historical/social/literary insights into Doyle and how he crafted these stories. In fact, they're too dense at times, leaving you wishing for a little more brevity in the annotation.
Even if you already have these short stories, "The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes, Volume 1: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes & the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes" is a must-have for fans of the Great Detective, because of all the extras packed into its pages.
pivic's review
5.0
Finally. Finished.
The annotations are worth the price as a whole, totally. Despite the original writings being filled with racistic, nationalistic, anti-feministic and insane values, The Canon is still enjoyable, if one is able to see past these things. It's a brilliant collection, and I firmly recommend it. "The Case-book of Sherlock Holmes" is a bit dodgy as it's written at the very end of The Canon, when Conan Doyle basically wanted to stop writing about Holmes, which is very evident.
The annotations are worth the price as a whole, totally. Despite the original writings being filled with racistic, nationalistic, anti-feministic and insane values, The Canon is still enjoyable, if one is able to see past these things. It's a brilliant collection, and I firmly recommend it. "The Case-book of Sherlock Holmes" is a bit dodgy as it's written at the very end of The Canon, when Conan Doyle basically wanted to stop writing about Holmes, which is very evident.
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