I'd previously read The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902), but it was ten years ago. I can't even remember the basic plot, so I probably need to read it again in time. These don't necessarily need to be read in order, but my neuroticism wouldn't leave me alone otherwise. So, let the mysteries of Victorian London begin!

Holmes is a damn interesting and alluring character, who now became one of my favourites. He's sarcastic, inquisitive, and enthusiastic about his scientific experiments. Holmes in general just wants to do his thing, without letting anyone's expectations distract him, and doesn't feel the need to share everything about himself. This mysteriousness of course bugs the hell out of Watson, especially when Watson's social life is completely frozen. So, he has to come up with something, like pondering what the hell Holmes is up to and what is he about.

At first Watson is highly suspicious of Holmes's amazing skills of perception, but finally humbles in front of his awesomeness. Holmes himself knows he's a good detective, and isn't shamed to say it aloud. Scotland Yard is just full of incompetent asses. This isn't particularly cocky, because the reader already knows by now that Holmes is unbeatable in crime solving. Watson may seem pointless storywise, but I liked him as the (sometimes painfully clueless) narrator, not as a character per se. Hopefully he doesn't turn into a mere ego booster, but then again I wouldn't mind if there were just me and Holmes.

Doyle's prose is by no mean remarkable, but I don't expect it to be in a crime story. Descriptions of London are pretty much nonexistent, but somehow I still felt like I was there. I guess it says something about the author's skills, although my edition had both 19th century photographs and illustrations to demonstrate the locations, plot points, and special Victorian objects and things to help set the mood.

The murder illustrates Holmes's theory about how even the weirdest and most complex crime is very simple, and the other way round. The sensationalist newspapers stir the case with all kinds of theories from socialism to political refugees, but the real motive turns out to be the age-old one, seen thousands of times before. However, it's so entertaining to follow the deductions, that simplicity doesn't matter, and actually the criminal evokes thoughts of what's right after all.

The structure was a major disappointment, though. Part one was great, but Part two had a flashback that lasted five chapters, and it interrupts the plot almost completely. The flashback does show the background of the characters that are involved in the case, but there's nothing that couldn't have been told in a smaller space. Now the flachback seems like a short story within a novel, and on top of it the style is completely different as well. The chapters after that are a bit boring, because the main points of the case are heard twice, although with different points of view. I do want to know what happened, of course, but not when there's excessive rambling. Maybe in the short stories the pacing is better, since the shortness demands getting to the point.

Waters's style has in here changed into a more straightforward one than for example in Fingersmith, which had nice plot twists and excellent descriptions of the time period. In this even the most mundane things are described with a simple style, and sometimes the story seems to get stuck.

When the spookiest part came, it sent shivers down my spine. Although after the scene the mood kind of collapsed into the same monotonic atmosphere it was before that and never recovered. Waters just squeezes all the juice from the story, and so isn't able to maintain the same eerie feeling throughout.

However, I do understand that this isn't supposed to be just a traditional ghost story. The decline of Ayres' social class and the changing of the post-war world are nicely dealt with in small scenes and in the deterioration of the mansion.

Romance was also there, but all these themes made the book only halfway there, like the author couldn't decide which way to go, and the effect of the mystery itself severely diluted. I did appreciate the references to classic literature, all of which I didn't even realize before I read from Wikipedia. I also liked Roderick a lot, and wished there was more of him.

Somewhere after three hundred pages giving up crossed my mind, but in the end I was glad I didn't. During the final pages threads were tied together, even though nothing was fortunately forced to the reader by explaining too much. The story was left ambiguous, and that always gets more points from me.

I myself believe that there was only one solution to the mystery. This solution is actually suggested at several points from start to finish, but only the passage right at the end made me realize what had happened. The meaning of even the smallest events and something certain characters had said started to become clear. The last few sentences were actually quite creepy, and so the ending was perfect for the story.

Interesting read about the days when the Western civilization ran out of space and decided to turn to China. Really nice descriptions scattered around here and there but in about halfway through it all became a bit exhausting and indifferent to me. The passion just wasn't delivered to the reader. If it had I would have probably given this a 5 star rating.

The descriptions of wilderness were beautiful. So beautiful, that as an ardent hater of winter I started to forget the depressing coldness and darkness, and remember the magical moments. Subtle snowfalls, complex patterns of snowflakes and how they melt on your glove, crackling snow beneath your feet, clear ice on lakes etc. This is the kind of novel I probably wouldn't read, but when I heard the story was inspired by a Russian folktale, it immediately got me interested. I'd say Ivey utilized the tale well, but this still ended up as a "book between books", a novel that I don't feel like reviewing in detail. A nice little story about a childless couple in the Alaskan frontier, but that's it. Besides, the end was disappointing. It verged too much on the realistic side for me.

As short stories maybe not that satisfying, but they sure were gripping, and the whole idea incredibly interesting. Although the first story was also frustrating, because I'd have loved to read an entire novel on the club!

Alaotsikko kertoo enemmän näytelmän sävystä, joten spiritismistä kertova teos ei vaikuta yhtään oudolta realismia liputtaneen kirjailijan tuotannossa. Canth tutustui 1890-luvulla spiritismiin, eikä ilmeisesti ottanut sitä todesta. Canthin salongissa kyllä harjoitettiin spiritismiä, mutta istunnot olivat vain hauskaa seuraleikkiä.

Spiritistinen istunto on mielenkiintoinen aihe, mutta harvoin siitä saa oikeasti viihdyttävää kohtausta elokuvaan tai kirjaan. Istunnon osallistujat ovat usein aika samantyyppisiä, esimerkiksi lehtori Virtala on tässä se kiintiöepäilijä, joka yleensä potkitaan pois istunnosta häiritsemästä henkien kanssa kommunikointia. Virtala saa jäädä, mutta jatkaa epäilyjään ja haluaisi ottaa selkoa mitä huoneessa todella tapahtuu.

Kohtaus kehittyy Helmin ja Rennen rakkauden ympärille. Rouva Tallqvist, Helmin täti, on höyrähtänyt henkimaailman juttuihin ja antaa henkien ohjailla myös läheisten elämää. Jos henget haluavat Helmin ja meedio Orellin menevän kihloihin, niin näin sen pitää myös mennä. Neiti Törne taas ei halua kuulla hengiltä mitään epämiellyttävää, vaan ainoastaan sellaisia asioita, joita tämä itse toivoo tulevaisuudeltaan. Henkiä epäillään pahansuoviksi, kun ne eivät kerro "totuutta". Herra Orell vaikuttaa teatraaliselta, niin kuin yleensä istuntojen meediot, mutta tämä jää silti mysteerihahmoksi, koska missään vaiheessa ei kerrota miten Orell saa henkien koputukset aikaan. Miksi tämä ei myöskään reagoi mitenkään siihen, että Renne koputtelee uunin luona? Orellinhan on pakko tietää koputusten olevan huijausta. Rouva Tallqvistinkaan käytös ei ole uskottavaa, koska tämä muuttaa lopussa aivan liian nopeasti mielensä.

Tämä on ensimmäinen näytelmä Canthilta, johon tartuin kevyen lukemisen toivossa, mutta eipä ihan täyttänyt odotuksiani. Spiritistinen istunto ei ole yhtä tunnettu kuin muut Canthin näytelmät, eikä se ole mikään yllätys. Nimensä mukaisesti näytelmässä on vain yksi näytös, ja lukemisessa meni vain muutama minuutti. Tiedä sitten minkä pituinen tämä lavalla on, mutta aiheen käsittely jäi vähän pinnalliseksi. Olisin kaivannut myös hieman enemmän pureutumista siihen, miten tällaisiin uusiin suuntauksiin suhtauduttiin Suomessa. Liisa-palvelijan muodossa sitä vähän käsitelläänkin, mutta pidemmässä näytelmässä sitä oltaisiin voitu käsitellä laajemminkin. Hetkittäin ihan hauska näytelmä, mutta kaiken kaikkiaan aika yhdentekevä.