Plot Synopsis:
A man seeks the help of Sherlock Holmes, as he believes the family he helps care for is cursed by a supernatural entity known as the hound of the Baskervilles.
Positives:
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are iconic characters for a reason. It feels like, no matter the story or the medium that story is told in, their dynamic always seems to work. I think the setup for the mystery is interesting. There is something to be said about a character like Sherlock Holmes being a skeptic, and being approached by someone who legitimately believes this supernatural curse is true.
Mixed:
Something I always seem to have mixed feelings on when it comes to Sherlock Holmes stories is the decision to tell them in the first person from Watson's perspective. It feels very limiting to me. The actual mystery itself is also something I have very complicated feelings towards. As mentioned in the positive section, I think the setup works. However, as the book went on, I was actually finding that mystery wasn't really doing much to hold my attention. A lot of this could be from the book's writing style. It comes off as very dry a lot of the time. The reason I don't have this in the negative section is because I think some of my struggles come from a generational thing. This is a case where I find it harder to engage with a story published in the early 1900s when I am reading it in 2026, when literature has changed quite a bit.
Negatives:
The main negative I have is that a lot of the supporting characters don't feel particularly developed. This feels especially true of the female characters in the book. Now, the one caveat I will give is this: That could easily be because the book is a product of it's time.
Final Thoughts:
The easiest way I can describe the book is this: It's a classic. It's one of the most famous Sherlock Holmes stories ever. So, naturally I felt like I read the book with a certain amount of hype and expectations. In the end, the book just didn't quite meet them for me.
2.5 / 5
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