I read the Sherlock Holmes stories a while ago, so I cannot really elaborate more than this. I need to remember to take notes as I read and then thoughtfully write out a review right after I finish the books before I forget both my impressions and the details of the story. Mysteries are hard to review anyway, I think.
I will admit to being a cheater and watching all the currently
available episodes of BBC's Sherlock long
before I picked up the marvelous original stories. However, since I am now an
ardent fan of the books (how can I not be?!), I think I am redeemed.
There are significant differences
besides the time period—and some of the stories are so much quicker to read
than I expected from the television series. I love how the T.V. series takes parts
from the books and mixes them up—it is brilliant.
I love having the plot unfold and every detail explained; in the
T.V. series it is hard to follow everything while in the stories the explanations of Holmes’
reasoning process is much more realistic.
A Study in Scarlet
The two part sequence surprised me, but I
liked it, it lent so much more interest to the plot. I love backstories and
long, complicated motivations (these seem to be lacking in the T.V. series).
After reading the backstory, I wasn't sorry for the victims—well I wasn't sorry
for the first, but the 2nd death was too horrific. I was sorry for the
vigilante (I don't wish to say murderer—I know he oughtn’t have
turned vigilante—but I completely
sympathized with him and believe that he wasn't as evil as a cold blooded
murderer [to put that more Biblically, I believe he had considerably more
common grace than a cold-blooded murderer]).
Oh, the scene when he finds out they are
gone! The horror is well built up in the story. I love the understated emotion.
It is always soo much more effective than blatant description and tons of blood
and gore—it is chilling and realistic and mysterious. All the hints and
whispers lend a greater edge than statements of description. I love that (maybe because I am not that
way?).
Labels: Classics Club, Literature Reviews