Malvina G. Vogel

This is a butchered travesty of a great classic which doesn't deserve the treatment at the hands of this series. What is the point of re-writing such elegant prose? And the illustrator seems not to have read the book, with a Ratty who looks like a self-satisfied prosperous burgher instead of someone who messes about in boats. Badger looks like a cat, Mole is butt-ugly and wears a bowler hat and spats! I think not!
I've removed Grahame's name from my records as it has little to do with him.

This collection of short stories is a fantastic introduction to Sherlock Holmes. Each story presents a new mystery for the great and brilliant detective to solve, as told by his good friend Watson.

The first story, "A Scandal in Bohemia," rather brilliantly introduces The Woman, Irene Adler, one of the rare individuals to actually outsmart Holmes. Love her character.

"The Five Orange Pips" is another fantastic story, which includes mention of the KKK.

In general, I enjoyed each and everyone show more one of these stories, even the few in which I guessed the perpetrator of outcome. The stories do not always involve criminal cases and Holmes does not always catch his villain. I love that not all the stories have a clean resolution. Sometimes Holmes just doesn't bother giving the client justice as modern readers would expect a hero to do. Sometimes he is denied achieving resolution due to powers outside of his control. It all makes for great reading.

Holmes is such an enigmatic and interesting character. His addiction to cocaine is mentioned but not expanded upon. His ego and love of revealing his cleverness is clear. I didn't notice Watson's annoyance with these qualities (except for once), so much as I noticed his awe over Holmes' mind and intelligence. In fact, Holmes seemed to be a bit less put-offing here than I've seen in shows or movies.

Anyway, the writing is great and concise, the characters are interesting, and the mystery reveals are fun — I'll definitely be reading more Holmes stories in the future. show less

Growing Up! Young David Copperfield, orphaned as a child, abandoned by a vicious stepfather, must learn to make a life for himself. In Charles Dickens' brilliant novel, we learn of David's early harsh years. . . his adoption by his eccentric aunt. . . his betrayal by a childhood friend. . . the pressures of starting a career. . . immature, young love. . . and finally career success and personal happiness. Charles Dickens' sensitive portrayal of David's early years has made David Copperfield show more one of the world's most beloved novels. show less

What made this book fascinating to me was the realization that the author never went to war, but supposed what it would have been like for the protagonist in the situation that he drew up for him, and seemed to have nailed it after cross-checking his fictions with Union soldiers - who knew the facts

A century later, the psychological reactions of the main character to his personal trauma checks out with research, specifically that of survivors who endure mostly or entirely unscathed despite show more horrors occurring around them. Malcolm Gladwell has shone a spotlight on such circumstances, and the young boy's mental outcome during and after bears out with the studies on the subject.

It also helps that Crane had an ear for dialect, ala Elmore Leonard's well-drawn out and expertly-spoken characters.

Sometimes a classic actually does impress you. show less