Holmes and Watson come alive in short stories. Someone (who, I wish I'd recall) once said that if you only read Agatha Christie's short stories, and Conan Doyle's novels, you'd think both were terrible writers. It certainly seems true in Conan Doyle's case (from the two I've read thus far).

Either way, of the twelve stories in this collection, all of them are quite enjoyable. They showcase a slightly more even relationship between the two heroes, as well as featurnig a varied array of guest characters, and mysteries which Conan Doyle easily shifts from political intrigue, to international conspiracy, to simple mistaken identity. In fact, the only story that I don't think really works anymore is "The Five Orange Pips" - and this is only because it has dated to the point where the killer's identity was something new and curious in the 1800s, but is now quite commonly known by most Westerners, meaning that most readers will probably catch on from about page three.

After this, I have renewed vigour to move on to the 4th of Holmes' 9-book canon. We'll see! ( )

This is the first Sherlock Holmes I've ever read, though like many, I've seen various adaptations. I started with this book of short stories mostly because it was the one I owned. I've never been a huge fan of short stories, though, and while I wish now that I'd started by checking A Study in Scarlet out from the library, I'm still glad I've started reading Holmes in any form. The issue with reading this book of shorter mysteries, though, is that a lot of the clients start to blend together, as many of them talk and act similarly when they bring Holmes their case. I did spread the stories out, reading 3 at a time, then reading other books before coming back for more, and I think that helped some.

My view of Holmes and Watson, and even some of the other characters, started with an understanding based on some of the adaptations I've seen, and while Holmes was indeed standoffish and generally assumed he was the smartest one in the room, I didn't think he was quite as cold as I've seen him portrayed. A few of the cases were really interesting, while there were a couple that I thought had a much less intriguing solution. The introduction of Irene Adler wasn't at all what I expected, but I wonder if she'll be back in a future story. Overall, I enjoyed reading these vignettes, and have a feeling I'll appreciate even more the longer stories when I get to them. ( )

Questa è stata in realtà una rilettura, ma con Sherlock Holmes è sempre in piacere. In particolare, a Le avventure di Sherlock Holmes sono affezionata perché è uno dei primi libri che abbia mai letto in lingua originale.

In questa raccolta incontriamo due donne molto importati e che avranno un certo successo nell'immaginario collettivo: una è Mary Morstan, futura moglie del dottor Watson; l'altra è la Donna, come la chiama con grande rispetto Sherlock Holmes: sto parlando di Irene Adler, l'unica che sia riuscita a fregarlo.

Per il resto, abbiamo ancora il buon Watson nelle vesti di narratore degli intricati casi risolti dal suo prodigioso amico. Devo dire che, nonostante questa sia una rilettura, i ragionamenti di Holmes mi lasciano ancora a bocca aperta: sapevo come sarebbe andata a finire, ma nonostante questo non avrei saputo dire quali fossero gli indizi.

In conclusione, forse il mio racconto preferito della raccolta è L'avventura del carbonchio azzurro: io non so come sia venuto in mente ad Arthur Conan Doyle di coinvolgere pure un'oca nelle indagini di Sherlock Holmes... ( )

Excellent! My Watson & Sherlock crush continues. ( )

"Holmes," said I as I stood one morning in our bow-window looking down the street, "here is a madman coming along. It seems rather sad that his relatives should allow him to come out alone." ( )