2018 reading challenge: A BOOK THAT IS ALSO A STAGE PLAY OR MUSICAL

[baronessekat]

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Totally not what I was expecting. I went in expecting another in the proto-gothic style of writing with the drawn out and boring narrative from beginning to end with a story that was just like all the movie and stage renditions of this story that I've seen hundreds of time. I knew the story. Who in 2018 doesn't know at least the references. It's in everyday lexicon.

I did not expect the story to be told from the point of view of the lawyer. I did not expect that Jekyll's story and reasoning behind the experiment would be told really just through a single letter. There was actually for me a lot lacking in the characters of Jekyll and Hyde, that maybe if I had never seen any of the movies or fallen in love with the Broadway musical, I might have been left wanting. Pop culture (by many definitions) has fleshed out much of the backstory and given more depth to these iconic characters, which in today's society is needed. However, I can see how it was a ground breaking idea when it was published so long ago and even now, it gives the reader something to think on in regards to "human nature"

Also, had they not said that Scott Brick was the narrator for this audiobook, I would have sworn it was Michael York. This was the first fiction read by Brick where I liked his reading voice. I usually much prefer him reading non-fiction.



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