Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Publisher: Harper Collins 1992 (1892)
Media Format: Book
Genre: Mystery
Selection Source: Textbook p.204
Reading Audience: Junior High+
Reading Recommendation: 4 ****
Curriculum Connection: none
Summary
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a compilation of 12 short stories. Sherlock Holmes is one of those stories that has been remade, redone, and spoofed so many times that even though I had never read it, I felt like I've known it my whole life. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the stories. Besides being the quintessential mystery series, it's a great friendship book. The cold and rational Holmes has little use for emotions that cloud his intellect (he doesn't seem to have the same worries about cocaine), but his affection for Watson is obvious every time Watson stops by. Holmes is always delighted to see him, and almost always has an adventure for him. Mostly, I was impressed by how fun the stories were. I had imagined them being much more stuffy. I loved an exchange between Holmes and Watson where Holmes told Watson that he needed his help. Watson said OK. Then Holmes asks, "you don't mind going to jail?" Watson replies, "not if it's a good cause." Of course, what really makes the stories is Holmes' ridiculous ability to make grand deductions from the smallest of clues.
Evaluation
These stories are a fun read for anyone 12 or older. I like how they show intellectualism as being a hip and Bohemian lifestyle. The one complaint I have about the short stories is that the clues Holmes uses aren't always available to the reader. I'm willing to overlook it, because Holmes draws from a deep body of knowledge that is also unavailable to the reader, so the reader would have little chance to come to the conclusions that Holmes does. If readers are looking for a modern Holmes allegory they can watch the television program House M. D. which was inspired by the Sherlock Holmes stories. Also, I expect a resurgence of popularity due to the Sherlock Holmes movie which will be released on Christmas of 2009.
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