I'm going to admit from the start that I'm not exactly a Sherlock Holmes fan--the closest I come to it is a deep and abiding love for Disney's The GreI'm going to admit from the start that I'm not exactly a Sherlock Holmes fan--the closest I come to it is a deep and abiding love for Disney's The Great Mouse Detective (if you don't at least like that movie, may I just point out that Vincent Price? Yes, I thought that might change your mind). I've never read any of the original stories except The Hound of the Baskervilles (a very, very long time ago), I haven't watched the various adaptations (unless you count a glorious Wishbone episode), nor read any other derivative works on the subject, so I'm not entirely sure what Sherlock Holmes (the stories or the character) is 'supposed' to be. I have absorbed a bit through cultural osmosis--cocaine use, violin playing, little to no tact or sensitivity, excellent deductive reasoning that borders on psychic powers. That said, I don't consider myself a good judge of measuring this against the original Sherlock Holmes stories. I leave that to the experts.
Therefore, I must judge this collection of tales on its own merits, as a more 'mainstream' audience member. I found it delightful! The mysteries were all intriguing, keeping me hooked as I pressed on, eager to unravel each one. There's humor, in Holmes's dry manner and unexpected naivety, and 'Watson's' good-natured attempts to keep him safe and on a fairly even keel (and his real name is a hoot), and sometimes in the resolutions (although these are just as often dark). There is also a good chunk of drama, but you're not bashed over the head with it--Holmes's past is more hinted at than verbalized, and while the other characters' are generally explored more, it's still done with enough delicacy that I didn't feel preached at, nor did I feel crushed by the weight of their troubles. Life sucks sometimes, and that's that. It's very matter-of-fact, and it works. At the same time, the characters don't turn this into a defeatist attitude--they still do everything they can to help, because just because life sucks sometimes doesn't mean you shouldn't try to make it better and keep fighting the good fight. Better yet, it's all very real--these are real problems that real people can and do face, just not with that Holmes flair.
I found the plots interesting, I found the characters interesting, and the writing found exactly the perfect notes at the appropriate moments. There were a few typos (a misplaced letter here and there, a 'lead' instead of 'led' now and then), but they're negligible and easily overlooked. It doesn't detract from the enjoyment. I'd highly recommend this to just about anyone over the age of fourteen or so, as it's a romp with some weight. I don't know why more people haven't read it, but they should.
Merged review:
I'm going to admit from the start that I'm not exactly a Sherlock Holmes fan--the closest I come to it is a deep and abiding love for Disney's The Great Mouse Detective (if you don't at least like that movie, may I just point out that Vincent Price? Yes, I thought that might change your mind). I've never read any of the original stories except The Hound of the Baskervilles (a very, very long time ago), I haven't watched the various adaptations (unless you count a glorious Wishbone episode), nor read any other derivative works on the subject, so I'm not entirely sure what Sherlock Holmes (the stories or the character) is 'supposed' to be. I have absorbed a bit through cultural osmosis--cocaine use, violin playing, little to no tact or sensitivity, excellent deductive reasoning that borders on psychic powers. That said, I don't consider myself a good judge of measuring this against the original Sherlock Holmes stories. I leave that to the experts.
Therefore, I must judge this collection of tales on its own merits, as a more 'mainstream' audience member. I found it delightful! The mysteries were all intriguing, keeping me hooked as I pressed on, eager to unravel each one. There's humor, in Holmes's dry manner and unexpected naivety, and 'Watson's' good-natured attempts to keep him safe and on a fairly even keel (and his real name is a hoot), and sometimes in the resolutions (although these are just as often dark). There is also a good chunk of drama, but you're not bashed over the head with it--Holmes's past is more hinted at than verbalized, and while the other characters' are generally explored more, it's still done with enough delicacy that I didn't feel preached at, nor did I feel crushed by the weight of their troubles. Life sucks sometimes, and that's that. It's very matter-of-fact, and it works. At the same time, the characters don't turn this into a defeatist attitude--they still do everything they can to help, because just because life sucks sometimes doesn't mean you shouldn't try to make it better and keep fighting the good fight. Better yet, it's all very real--these are real problems that real people can and do face, just not with that Holmes flair.
I found the plots interesting, I found the characters interesting, and the writing found exactly the perfect notes at the appropriate moments. There were a few typos (a misplaced letter here and there, a 'lead' instead of 'led' now and then), but they're negligible and easily overlooked. It doesn't detract from the enjoyment. I'd highly recommend this to just about anyone over the age of fourteen or so, as it's a romp with some weight. I don't know why more people haven't read it, but they should....more
**spoiler alert** This book is proof that the book isn't always better. I enjoyed the movie so much more - the plot improvements, the character arcs, **spoiler alert** This book is proof that the book isn't always better. I enjoyed the movie so much more - the plot improvements, the character arcs, the development of an actual ending - all of that made the movie a much more enjoyable experience than this book.
Also, this is only my opinion, and obviously not a popular opinion, but this book is lauded as a satire - if that's the case, then I can only say that I don't feel this author has the skill to successfully pull off a satire. To me, it only came off as a worship of excess....more
**spoiler alert** I largely skimmed the whole last half. The characters didn’t feel like themselves, despite the attempts at describing their actors' **spoiler alert** I largely skimmed the whole last half. The characters didn’t feel like themselves, despite the attempts at describing their actors' typical body language, and I ended up feeling like the author didn’t like Watson at all, or else just can't write women. Particularly with the "Watson is useless until it's time for a cat fight" climax. Either way, it didn’t feel like the show and I got bored halfway through, so not for me. ...more
Well...you can tell it was a first novel, let's put it that way. But to be completely fair, I also don't feel like I was part of the target audience. Well...you can tell it was a first novel, let's put it that way. But to be completely fair, I also don't feel like I was part of the target audience. However, this is a site for opinions, so here's mine.
This was slow - too slow - and dull. Don't get me wrong, I like a nice slow pace, but I also shouldn't feel like the first 90% of the book could have been the first 40%, which was definitely how I felt. I like a slow burn as much as the next person, but this wasn't so much a slow burn as it was like attempting to grill a steak by leaving it on the counter for several days. It definitely could have had less intro, more post-hookup, and that would have been cool.
The characters were kind of wet blankets, though, largely because of the glacial pace - every single one of them took the entirety of the book to quit whining and do something. It just got frustrating after a while. Also, they were all freaky, creepy stalkers in one way or another - actually, I kind of felt like they deserved each other in that sense.
And at the end of the book, I know it was meant to be cute, but I was like "stop naming movies!!!" I like mentioning other things, too, but sheesh, there are limits, and that just blew past mine, so it didn’t come off cute to me.
The prose was good, though, so I'd be willing to give this author another shot, maybe just not another straight romance....more
I'm bored of it already - don't get me wrong, the cat narrator is a sweetheart, but the pace is glacially slow and I feel like I've already got it allI'm bored of it already - don't get me wrong, the cat narrator is a sweetheart, but the pace is glacially slow and I feel like I've already got it all figured out, so I'm calling Rule of 50 and quitting. Despite being a cat lover, I don't think I was part of the target audience here....more
Eh...not my genre. The narration was good (of course), good enough to keep me going through the whole thing, but I didn’t like the story, or the charaEh...not my genre. The narration was good (of course), good enough to keep me going through the whole thing, but I didn’t like the story, or the characters, or the conclusion. I don’t like books that make me feel like I've already read them because I guess everything ahead of time, which was the case here. But like I said, not my genre of choice. I really only picked it in the first place because of length and Richard Armitage.
Side note, sort of: epilogues are terrible and should be banned, I'm beginning to think. I've never read one that didn’t leave a bad taste in my mouth for one reason or another. If I ever write one, you have my permission to ask me, 'What were you thinking?!' at loud volume....more
Given what I thought I knew about this book from cultural osmosis, I was very pleasantly surprised by the actual book. It's much more complex than is Given what I thought I knew about this book from cultural osmosis, I was very pleasantly surprised by the actual book. It's much more complex than is usually presented. It's very atmospheric, too, and a perfect length.
It also gave me a lot of academic type analysis thoughts that I'm not educated or articulate enough to posit here, but I was happily surprised by how much it made me think.
All in all, I very much enjoyed it, though I didn’t expect to....more
I enjoyed it, but it kind of dragged in some spots. The ending was a bit strange, but I think I liked it? I'm not sure. It's a little different from tI enjoyed it, but it kind of dragged in some spots. The ending was a bit strange, but I think I liked it? I'm not sure. It's a little different from the play.
Still love Richard Armitage narrating. That got me through the draggy parts....more
That was unexpectedly fun - light and amusing, but interesting enough to hold my attention.
Also, I don't like audiobooks, generally speaking, but I maThat was unexpectedly fun - light and amusing, but interesting enough to hold my attention.
Also, I don't like audiobooks, generally speaking, but I may like them when Richard Armitage is narrating. I didn't get annoyed once. His voice is very nice.
I had a few minor complaints, but all in all, I liked it quite a bit more than I expected to....more
Whew! That was rough! But now I can hardly wait to read the third book.
It really dragged in the middle, but once I got through that.... The ending is Whew! That was rough! But now I can hardly wait to read the third book.
It really dragged in the middle, but once I got through that.... The ending is harrowing and uncertain and I don't know how to describe why I liked it so much other than to say that this book and its predecessor leave me with a particular feeling that can't be duplicated. The first one was better, I thought, but I still like this one very much. I wasn’t expecting it to go where it went, but not in a bad way....more
This is my long-overdue review. It's been over a month since I read it, but fortunately, I don't need to recall specific details for this particular oThis is my long-overdue review. It's been over a month since I read it, but fortunately, I don't need to recall specific details for this particular opinion....
I enjoyed it. It wasn't really 'scary'--this isn't that kind of horror. I felt like all of the characters were 'human,' so that even when I hated them, I understood them, which is a rare quality in any book. It put me in an odd position of sort of rooting for the villains, kind of.... I don't know how to explain it without spoilering all over the place, and I really don't like explaining entire books in my reviews, so we'll just settle for saying that it's a very interesting examination of human nature. It's a fast read as well as being interesting, so I highly recommend it if you're looking for a last-minute Halloween read....more
I liked this book well enough. It's the first one by this author that hasn't made me cry!
If there was anything that bothered me about it, I would say I liked this book well enough. It's the first one by this author that hasn't made me cry!
If there was anything that bothered me about it, I would say it was just that it dragged at some points? I felt sometimes like it was never going to get where it was going. There's a reason books like Lassie Come-Home and The Incredible Journey run on the short side.
But overall, it's a good book that I would happily recommend to anyone who loves dogs, or at least reading about them. Certain parts are quite funny, and as always, Cameron writes from a dog's perspective perfectly. It's a worthwhile read....more
You know how sometimes you start reading a book and you start developing expectations? You pick up things from the summary, from other people's reviewYou know how sometimes you start reading a book and you start developing expectations? You pick up things from the summary, from other people's reviews, and you start to build that anticipation, like oh, this is going to be good, I can tell. And then all too often, you're let down, and the book falls short, and you've got another to add to the 'disappointment' pile?
This book was not like that. This book was that rare creature that lived up to my expectations. This book was everything I wanted it to be.
I can think of no higher praise than that, except possibly that it's on my Kindle, and I don't usually buy a hard copy of books I've bought on Kindle, since the whole idea is to save money. This time, I think I'm going to make an exception. I loved it so much I want to hold it in my hands--for real, this time.
If I have a criticism, it might be that the ending was a little too abrupt for my tastes, but it didn't spoil the enjoyment at all, so it doesn't really matter. The pacing was measured--not too fast, not too slow. The highs and the lows were pitched just right. It was probably as close to perfect as a book can be. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy and fairy tales....more
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