Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: 100th Anniversary Collection Paperback – May 11, 2018

Reading Robert Louis Stevenson's classic The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, I was reminded of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Both novels involve the idea of tampering with science in a controversial way and expecting positive results. Much like Victor Frankenstein learns that you can't "play God," Dr. Jekyll comes to realize the dark side of experimentation gone wrong. Neither character has the resolve to own up and take responsibility of their actions until things are well out of hand.As much as the novel illustrates how the results of science can turn awry, the story also questions duality within oneself. In the novel, the rational side (Jekyll) of a man is tempted into various forms of sin and sinister behavior (Hyde). One side soon becomes the more dominant of the two, and there is a struggle to escape from this dark side. When Jekyll becomes Hyde, he erupts into various forms of grotesqueness. Hyde is physically repulsive, but also repulsive in character. Hyde in many ways is an outlet for Jekyll to experience unrelenting freedom and "do as he pleases", despite the costs or consequences. It's ironic that this newfound "freedom" for Jekyll's other self actually turns into a form of a prison, where he has to physically isolate and hide himself from society to protect others.There are many morals this novel delves into and investigates. There are also many thinking points about human psychology and human nature. In many ways, this novel is groundbreaking and innovative, ahead of its time. It's easy to see why this novel has spawned countless film adaptations and productions, remaining quite popular and part of our pop culture.Not only that, but this novel is just a great book, well written and with so many different elements. It has exceptional moments of suspense, mystery, philosophy, science, and a darkly Gothic atmosphere to lure you in.Stevenson's novel is one to read, and then come back to and read again.

Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson wrote this story and it was first published in 1896. It is told in the third person by an attorney, Gabriel Utterson, who was both a friend of and lawyer of a well-respected physician, Dr. Henry Jekyll. Mr. Utterson becomes concerned about his friend when given Dr. Jekyll's will that leaves everything to a strange man named Edward Hyde. Mr. Utterson becomes curious about Mr. Hyde and investigates him. When he finds horrifies him. While Henry Jekyll is kindly, jovial, and dedicated to helping others in this community, Mr. Hyde seems utterly without any redeeming characteristics and is prone to despicable acts. When Mr. Utterson asks his friend why he would leave his estate to such a person, Dr. Jekyll will not answer.What is the relationship between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? What are the horrible things that attorney Utterson will find as he gradually uncovers the truth? Why is Dr. Jekyll protective of Mr. Hyde and dedicated to making sure he ends up cared for? What secrets does Dr. Jekyll have? Is Dr. Jekyll really good person everyone thinks them to be?The story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is intriguing and complex. The characters are well-drawn and evolve over the course of the story. The pace of the story can be described as moderate, with a few rapid developments spaced across long periods of buildup. The word-choice is sophisticated, as is the vocabulary. What I did not like is the fact that Robert Louis Stevenson was very prone to use complex, compound sentences with a plethora of semicolons. Some of the sentences seem to run on, the paragraphs were often quite long, and it was not unusual to go more than two pages without a paragraph break. When that occurred the author came off as long-winded.I had never read this book before but I had read other pieces by Robert Louis Stevenson. I was able to get this one free as an e-book and, while I did enjoy the story, I am not sure that I would want to pay for it. If you have not read it and are curious, I suggest you visit your local library.Thank you for reading my review, which I previously posted on a now-closed site.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a story that almost everyone on the planet has heard about whether they've read this story, heard about it in passing, or a reference in pop culture. It's a story that people have been talking about for over a century.This book has always been one of those books I felt like I needed to read, just to get a glimpse of what made this story so popular for this long, and even though I already knew the gist of it, what I read lived up to expectation.The story is told through about three different perspectives if my memory serves correct. The Lawyer (Mr. Utterson), Lanyon, and Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde). And it starts off with a tale of the evils of a guy named Mr. Hyde. Utterson has heard of that name before and so he goes home to remember where he heard it from. Mr. Hyde is then linked to Dr. Jekyll because of Jekyll leaving everything to this evil ogre of a man in his will. Utterson grows suspicious and continuously asks about this Hyde character. He even goes to Jekyll, but Dr. Jekyll doesn't reveal the true nature of Mr. Hyde and their relationship to one another.This book keeps you guessing (even though you most likely already know the deal with Jekyll and Hyde), but in the final chapter, everything is revealed from the perspective of Dr. Jekyll himself... also Mr. Hyde.It was a quick and interesting read that kept me engaged even though it is admittedly very wordy -for lack of a better word. It's also very shocking to know that this story was written in the late 1800s. This story aged very well. It really is a timeless classic.