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pedanther's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Colonisation, and Racism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Violence, War, Sexism, Body shaming, Drug use, Ableism, Death, Addiction, Classism, Gun violence, and Murder
Minor: Cannibalism, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Death of parent, and Fatphobia
hannahs_spooky's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Moderate: Xenophobia and Racism
Minor: Violence and Death of parent
softiejace's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Moderate: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death, Colonisation, War, Racism, Slavery, and Murder
Minor: Addiction and Cannibalism
stories's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Not to mention the impact that Love At First Sight has on narrator reliability.
Moderate: Alcohol, Classism, Colonisation, Racism, and Death
Minor: Racial slurs, War, Cannibalism, Drug use, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Murder
lizzieb29's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Racism and Drug use
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Death of parent, War, and Colonisation
chalkletters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
The Sign of Four was never one of my favourites, standing out mostly for introducing Mary Morstan. The structure is strikingly similar to A Study in Scarlet, both trundling along as Sherlock investigates the case until they find their prime suspect and inflict on him a long and slightly rambling interview to uncover the origins of the crime.
Interestingly, as happened when I read A Study in Scarlet, my empathy for characters outside of Sherlock and Dr Watson seems to have increased. In this case, I couldn’t help feeling that Mary’s claim on the treasure was pretty tenuous. There were reasons beyond Dr Watson’s marital ambitions to hope that she might not get her hands on it. The depiction of Tonga is also unfortunate at best, as I’m sure more educated people than me have adequately expounded.
Nothing about The Sign of Four struck me as particularly clever, so I’d go so far as to say it’s only required reading for the most die-hard Sherlock Holmes fans. It did include the scene where Sherlock performs his science of deduction on Dr Watson’s pocket watch, though, which prompted me to visit and enjoy the scene in Sherlock which it inspires.
(As much as I love this scene, I can’t give the book extra points because of it!)
Minor: Cannibalism, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Murder, and Racism