Scan barcode
leandrathetbrzero's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
↓ Similar Reads ↓
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
- Robert Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
- Dorothy L. Sayers’s Whose Body?
Sherlock Holmes, the world’s first consulting detective. Most people - whether they have read the original stories or experienced one or more of the adaptations - have a distinct image of the great detective in their mind. Deerstalker, pipe, and a magnifying glass at the ready. My love for the BBC’s Sherlock inspired me to start slowly working my way through Doyle’s original works, and I ended up adoring The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, a collection of short stories. Reflecting on my childhood days of reading, I actually think my first true experience with “Sherlock” was via Nate the Great, a children’s detective series by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat. Nate is the spitting image of Sherlock, I swear! Does anyone else remember that young determined sleuth and his dog, Sludge?
My determination to read Doyle’s novel-length stories stems from my progression in the Lady Sherlock series. With book 3 of the series in my personal library, it dawned on me that I may begin (or already have been) missing fun little nods to Doyle’s work hidden within the reimagined narratives. And while I rarely feel FOMO in real life, I definitely have in literature! So, I grabbed my combo copy of A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of the Four. The experience was a bit disappointing, I’m afraid.
First off, I did enjoy watching John’s first interactions with Sherlock. It was quite humorous to see his skepticism and weariness transform into admiration over the detective’s deductive skills. Sherlock’s flustered demeanor in response to John’s overt compliments warmed my heart, too, because we know he usually receives scorn and condescension. With that said, in A Study in Scarlet, there is a sudden jarring shift from late 19th-c. London to early 19th-c. American West. The reader becomes jarred still at the introduction of Brigham Young and his caravan of LDS members (Latter-Day Saints/Mormons). As someone who is actually from Palmyra, NY, the birthplace of Mormonism, I always chuckle when I remember that something I view as random hometown history is known and taught world-wide. The first Sherlock Holmes story references my hometown! How crazy is that?!
The inclusion of Mormonism, especially its archaic practice of polygymy during that time, becomes an integral part of the plot. My personal problem with this is how difficult it would be for the average reader to predict this turn in the narrative, but I do wonder what modern-day LDS members think about this dark take on the history of their religion. Doyle depicts the original Mormon settlers of Utah as quite sinister. As a storyteller, he can certainly be expected to dramatize certain scenes or themes, but I am sure not all of his accusations are unfounded. A dark reality to most modern-day religions is that they have archaic practices and atrocities attached to their pasts. This goes for Mormonism, Catholicism, Judaism, Islam, etc. Religions that do not acknowledge their pasts appropriately lose a significant amount of credibility, in my opinion.
Returning to A Study in Scarlet, the narrative remained compelling until we lose sight of John and Sherlock completely during our backtrack to events that occurred in the American west. Moreover, I found the solution for this story, as well as for The Sign of the Four, to be long-winded. This is not surprising as it matches the plotting style of detective fiction during the 19th century. However, I do think modern readers will tend to find it redundant and dragging in pace. Speaking of the second story within this two pack, I was far more disappointed with its plot. It relied heavily on racist biases and discrimination to explain some of the crimes committed, blaming a “savage,” aka a non-white, non-Eurpoean person. There was a moment of dark societal juxtaposition, however, when one of the culprits complains about his “hard” life as a white man being pushed around by dark-skinned police officers while abroad. I could not help but think with the greatest amount of sarcasm: the poor dear. *eye roll emoji*
What can I say? Some classics are better enjoyed through their modernized adaptations.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Animal death, Addiction, Violence, and Sexism
emsavors's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Colonisation, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gun violence, Gore, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexism, Violence, War, and Xenophobia
More...