Reading 1001 discussion

4 stars

When Sir Charles Baskerville dies under mysterious circumstances presumably involving a legendary hound roaming the moors, Holmes and Watson are consulted to protect the young heir arriving from America. While Holmes is tied up in London, Watson keeps him posted on people and events. The story is told by Watson, partly as he recollects events and partly in a series of letters he sent to Holmes.

I have the audio edition of the full Sherlock Holmes performed by Stephen Fry. He reads these books with just the right touch of humor to make them fully enjoyable. I particularly liked this one with the it's touch of the surreal and the usual resolution at the end.

I finished reading The Hound of the Baskervilles. It is a Sir Arthur Conan Doyle classic with a touch of humor, quite a lot of intrigue, a touch of play with supernatural possibilities and a wonderful plot that keeps you guessing until the end. The story is told by a quite competent Dr. Watson who is communicating with Holmes via letters and also taking notes in his diary. Dr. Watson in this story is so much better than the baffled portrayal of him done for TV. Holmes is such a unique character as he doesn't care about whether the sun goes around the earth or the earth around the sun but can get quite excited about clues such as cigarette ashes. I gave it 4 stars for simple reading satisfaction.

The Hound of the Baskervilles first chapter is titled. Mr. Sherlock Holmes as previous to this book, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had grown tired of the detective and had sent him to his death but his readership would not let him go and begged for more and so we have this book which was supposed to have occurred prior to his death. The story is about the Baskervilles who live in the the southwest part of England in the moors. The Baskervilles family has been victims of untimely and violent deaths and there is a legend that the hound seeks to kill off the Baskervilles because of a misdeed of one of the early wild Baskervilles. Sir Charles dies mysteriously and there are footprints of a hound nearby. Sherlock Holmes sends Watson to accompany Henry Baskervilles, the heir to the estate, as he goes to take hold of his inheritance. The moor is sinister with its Grimpen Mire, escaped convict and howls of some unknown beast.

Holmes is a rational detective who solves crime by using his reasoning. Dr. Watson is a man of science as well though not as astute as Holmes. These stories reflect the advance of science. The myth of the hound and supernatural speculations reflects the interest in spiritualism that also occurred during this time. The story is enjoyable and often considered to be the author’s best work. I give it 5 stars because it was a good read, interesting story and contributed to future detective novels as well as many movies and TV shows. read 2013

read Jan. 2021

This is the third of the four Sherlock Holmes novels. I’ve now re-read all four of these novels as an older adult, and interestingly this is the one that I seemed to remember the most. Perhaps because it wasn’t a new story to me, I was able to enjoy Watson’s reports to Holmes more (rather than being frustrated by Holmes not being in the novel much).

This is another novel that was serialized, and Doyle did it well. Of course, he wrote a lot of short stories about Holmes so coming to the point and holding the reader’s interest in short form was his strength. The plot was interesting, and Doyle really developed the ‘hound from hell’ for all it was worth – and what a hound! That part was particularly ingenious (and scary). 4*

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
4 stars

This is my first Sherlock Holmes book that I have read and I rather enjoyed it. The adventures of Holmes and Dr. Watson were entertaining. I think this book has stood the test of time and I look forward to reading Doyle's other book on the list.

“Queer place, the moor!" said he.
"But what is it?"
"The peasants say it is the Hound of the Baskervilles calling for its prey. I've heard it once or twice before, but never quite so loud."

"Bogs make queer noises sometimes. It's the mud settling, or the water rising, or something.”

"The longer one stays here the more does the spirit of the moor sink into one's soul, its vastness, and also its grim charm."