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A review by ecamaselli
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, John Escott
4.0
Well. That was a whole lot better than I expected.
I can't believe I loved this as much as I did. There is only one thing that brought this down from five stars to four (it will be explained further in this review), and I still feel like maybe I should give this 4.5. But I've been doing a lot of .5 star reviews lately so... here we are, I guess.
OK, so, what did I like about this book?
1) SETTING.
The dirty, 19th-century-London setting in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde reminisces both the dreariness of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and the intrigue of an Agatha Christie novel. Anyone who knows me knows that setting will make or break a book for me. And trust me when I say it made this one.
2) MYSTERY.
Y'all, I thought I knew what was going on. Truly, I did. And because of what I thought it was, I wasn't hooked right away. But as I slowly started to realize it was something different than I'd expected, I was at the edge of my seat just waiting to fugure it out. And that ending really had me... I didn't expect anything quite so dark or shaking from this novel at all. (That's a good thing.)
3) FREAKING PACING.
This book was almost the perfect length. There was a slow, dark feeling to it (see also: SETTING) that made the whole book so perfectly timed. There was always this sense that something big was about to happen. Anytime it did, it was done so that it left you wanting more. Every plot point was hit at the right moment, so that I was never bored, but it also never felt too fast. I loved it.
SO WHY ONLY 4.5?
Somehow, though I loved the pacing and the mystery so much, I could have done with a much shorter reveal. It was so long, in fact, that I found it really difficult to make it through that final chapter. It could have easily been half of that length, and the explanation still would have been sufficient enough, while leaving just a little bit up to the imagination.
This should not, of course, deter anyone from reading, but it is something to be mindful of going in.
FINAL THOUGHTS.
R.L. Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a masterpiece of a mystery. Complete with setting, intrigue, and structure, this book is perfect for fans of Mary Shelley, Agatha Christie, and A.C. Doyle.
--------------
For anyone who's curious, here's a link to the magnificent audiobook I used for this read. (Seriously, this audio is probably half the reason I loved this book so much.) Thank you, Steven Garnett, for the lovely experience reading this book.
—Elliana Maselli
Thursday, April 15, 2021
5:48PM
I can't believe I loved this as much as I did. There is only one thing that brought this down from five stars to four (it will be explained further in this review), and I still feel like maybe I should give this 4.5. But I've been doing a lot of .5 star reviews lately so... here we are, I guess.
OK, so, what did I like about this book?
1) SETTING.
The dirty, 19th-century-London setting in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde reminisces both the dreariness of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and the intrigue of an Agatha Christie novel. Anyone who knows me knows that setting will make or break a book for me. And trust me when I say it made this one.
2) MYSTERY.
Y'all, I thought I knew what was going on. Truly, I did.
Spoiler
I thought it was something to do with blackmail or money... in case you're curious.3) FREAKING PACING.
This book was almost the perfect length. There was a slow, dark feeling to it (see also: SETTING) that made the whole book so perfectly timed. There was always this sense that something big was about to happen. Anytime it did, it was done so that it left you wanting more. Every plot point was hit at the right moment, so that I was never bored, but it also never felt too fast. I loved it.
SO WHY ONLY 4.5?
Somehow, though I loved the pacing and the mystery so much, I could have done with a much shorter reveal. It was so long, in fact, that I found it really difficult to make it through that final chapter. It could have easily been half of that length, and the explanation still would have been sufficient enough, while leaving just a little bit up to the imagination.
This should not, of course, deter anyone from reading, but it is something to be mindful of going in.
FINAL THOUGHTS.
R.L. Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a masterpiece of a mystery. Complete with setting, intrigue, and structure, this book is perfect for fans of Mary Shelley, Agatha Christie, and A.C. Doyle.
--------------
For anyone who's curious, here's a link to the magnificent audiobook I used for this read. (Seriously, this audio is probably half the reason I loved this book so much.) Thank you, Steven Garnett, for the lovely experience reading this book.
—Elliana Maselli
Thursday, April 15, 2021
5:48PM