The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan DoyleMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Month Read In: February 2022
Challenge:
N/A
Methodology: Audiobook read by Stephen Fry, via Audible
Genre- Mystery: Private Detective
Characters: As the second of the Sherlock Holmes novels, we get more of his process, how he sees the world, how Watson translates that to the rest of the world. Secondly, I really do not understand how Watson and Mary fell so fast for one another. Googly eyed for no foundational reasoning. Bollucks. Still an 8.
Atmosphere: Again we are in bloody, bogged London, but the story does take it into reminiscences of the past war in India and the world "dear" Mary's father lived in prior to his death. Another 8.
Writing: 9. See Plot notes.
Plot: This was a jumbled mess of plot, although told in chronological order of revelation. Sherlock keeps so much to himself and loves lording it over his "friends". Poor Watson, being a hapless dinghy in the wake of Hurricane Sherlock, presents what he can, when he can. Thus, this is the genius of Conan Doyle's writing, that he can keep the plot in his head and piecemeal it to us when Sherlock wants it revealed. Simply because I hate this part of Sherlock's arrogant personality, plot is a 7, while writing is a 9.
Intrigue: It has occurred to me with this book that I love Sherlock not because of the writing or the stories themselves. Oh no. Sherlock himself, the larger than life entity we feel we know despite his never having existed in the flesh. It is his antics. It is his mind. It has nothing to do with the ho hum, diddly drum tales the author attempts to weave. It is Sherlock's reactions to the world around him, how he manages to suss out the truth behind the mystery and the half truths and the outright lies. (And yes, 'suss out' is British slang spelled correctly even though spell check says I'm misspelling something...) Intrigue is a 7.
Logic: I like to pride myself on being able to see the logic in nearly every situation. Sherlock is my muse in this. Here I had to label the logic of the book as mediocre. The good of course prevailed. But as I am not English, many of the Victorian English era vernacular is often lost on me and I must go back and listen multiple times (Stephen Fry's Audible narrated version. Of course.) and even look them up. I listened to the portion where Sherlock & Co. arrived at the house of Bartholomew Sholto several times because it sounded like they went into the house twice, when in fact it was a full door gate at the street side fence or wall, prior to walking up the walk to the house proper. This is not typically something in my neck of the woods. Also, quite a few times I sat and "looked" at Sherlock and incredulously asked the Benedict Cumberbatch looking gentleman in my head, "Whaaaat??!?, so I'm rating this a 6.
Enjoyment: What can I say? I still consider my enjoyment really good, thus rating it an 8 as there were minor problems, nothing major to detract from my enjoyment. Except maybe the love between Watson and Mary. That is still a rock in my craw, but everyone is allowed to love whom they love and who am I to say it is wrong? Therefore I cannot consider it a major flaw and except for how it changes Watson and Sherlock's living arrangements as time goes on, I suppose it is a moot point.
With the average of the categories coming in at a 7.57, it translates to an even 4 star rating. This is not surprising to me in the slightest. It's Sherlock and Me. That should be enough said.
Thank you and have a great night!
View all my reviews
Atmosphere: Again we are in bloody, bogged London, but the story does take it into reminiscences of the past war in India and the world "dear" Mary's father lived in prior to his death. Another 8.
Writing: 9. See Plot notes.
Plot: This was a jumbled mess of plot, although told in chronological order of revelation. Sherlock keeps so much to himself and loves lording it over his "friends". Poor Watson, being a hapless dinghy in the wake of Hurricane Sherlock, presents what he can, when he can. Thus, this is the genius of Conan Doyle's writing, that he can keep the plot in his head and piecemeal it to us when Sherlock wants it revealed. Simply because I hate this part of Sherlock's arrogant personality, plot is a 7, while writing is a 9.
Intrigue: It has occurred to me with this book that I love Sherlock not because of the writing or the stories themselves. Oh no. Sherlock himself, the larger than life entity we feel we know despite his never having existed in the flesh. It is his antics. It is his mind. It has nothing to do with the ho hum, diddly drum tales the author attempts to weave. It is Sherlock's reactions to the world around him, how he manages to suss out the truth behind the mystery and the half truths and the outright lies. (And yes, 'suss out' is British slang spelled correctly even though spell check says I'm misspelling something...) Intrigue is a 7.
Logic: I like to pride myself on being able to see the logic in nearly every situation. Sherlock is my muse in this. Here I had to label the logic of the book as mediocre. The good of course prevailed. But as I am not English, many of the Victorian English era vernacular is often lost on me and I must go back and listen multiple times (Stephen Fry's Audible narrated version. Of course.) and even look them up. I listened to the portion where Sherlock & Co. arrived at the house of Bartholomew Sholto several times because it sounded like they went into the house twice, when in fact it was a full door gate at the street side fence or wall, prior to walking up the walk to the house proper. This is not typically something in my neck of the woods. Also, quite a few times I sat and "looked" at Sherlock and incredulously asked the Benedict Cumberbatch looking gentleman in my head, "Whaaaat??!?, so I'm rating this a 6.
Enjoyment: What can I say? I still consider my enjoyment really good, thus rating it an 8 as there were minor problems, nothing major to detract from my enjoyment. Except maybe the love between Watson and Mary. That is still a rock in my craw, but everyone is allowed to love whom they love and who am I to say it is wrong? Therefore I cannot consider it a major flaw and except for how it changes Watson and Sherlock's living arrangements as time goes on, I suppose it is a moot point.
With the average of the categories coming in at a 7.57, it translates to an even 4 star rating. This is not surprising to me in the slightest. It's Sherlock and Me. That should be enough said.
Thank you and have a great night!
View all my reviews
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