Comments | bookretorts: A Study in Scarlet (with spoilers after the cut)

paperlibrarian in bookretorts

A Study in Scarlet (with spoilers after the cut)

Jan 03, 2014 12:44

I really enjoyed this story, until the awful middle, which just makes you feel like you started all over again with a completely different story.

( Cuttastic! )

mysteries

Comments 5

bookblather January 11 2014, 02:36:25 UTC

Ugh, I completely agree. What is up with the random Mormons? Completely threw me the first time I read it, and I don't think I returned to Sherlock Holmes until several years later.

paperlibrarian January 11 2014, 14:08:05 UTC

Maybe for the sensationalism? IDK, it reminded me of Dickens and the spontaneous human combustion thing in Bleak House. Here's something all sorts of vague that people will LOVE to read about, like how Mormonism works and how people can just blow up without notice!

mabith January 17 2014, 17:53:28 UTC

I had totally blocked the mormon nonsene from my memory. Wow. I did a really distracted re-listen and I don't think I enjoyed it as much this time.

I like Holmes but I don't LOVE him. In some ways I like the silly, somewhat awful, Basil Rathbone movies the best of Holmes. They're ridiculous and great because of that. Also I'm a bit bitter than Doyle felt he had to keep doing Holmes and thus didn't write more for Professor Challenger (whose books are so ridiculous and hilarious and weird).

Though maybe it goes back to me not being much of a mystery reader. I just got hooked on the BBC adaptation of Henning Mankell's Wallander books so maybe I'll give those a go. (In the adaptation the struggle with the job and such is all external and not just internalized anger + alcoholism like you usually get in those shows, it was refreshing.)

paperlibrarian January 18 2014, 16:26:06 UTC

The only other Doyle I have is some big book I'm not going to get to in the next year, likely.

We've been discussing on Facebook here and there how the character is unlikable. He's such a jerk to everyone. It's funny cuz I didn't really remember that, but the adaptation got it quite right.

mabith January 18 2014, 16:44:43 UTC

Yeah, he never seems in it to help people exactly... The super-geniuses are made to be uncaring I guess.

Perhaps that's why, while I like Holmes, I don't love him in the way that I really care for Poirot or even Nero Wolfe (who isn't particularly polite, but has his orchids and gourmet meals).