The String of Pearls: Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street

I have a completely underrated spooky season read. Let me tell you about The String of Pearls: Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Synopsis

In the early years of the Victorian age, a newly literate class of readers turned to “penny dreadfuls” for escapist fun. Blood-curdling tales, published in installments and costing only a penny, offered gripping episodes of romance, mystery, and horror. The notorious penny dreadful Sweeney Todd: The String of Pearls recounts a young woman’s desperate search for her missing sailor sweetheart―a quest that ends in a Fleet Street barber shop, where the proprietor has an unsavory connection with a local baker and the secret ingredient to her delicious meat pies.

My Thoughts on Sweeney Todd

I loved my time reading this. Tim Burton’s version of Sweeney Todd has always been one of my favorites, so I was elated when I realized it was based on a book. It started out as a penny dreadful with an anonymous author. Keep in mind when reading that each chapter is a little self-contained story that links to the overall plot as a whole. There were a few places that had some odd stops and starts but ultimately it all came together.

This story was everything I love in classic horror. I’m a sucker for a good gothic tale. The atmosphere and setting are eerie from the beginning. Something’s off and I could feel it. Keep in mind the plot of the book is not the same as the movie. It’s a tad more subdued, but even though I knew the twist it still managed to take me by surprise. It also grossed me out in several spots so you might not want to read this one while eating. Just take my word for it, haha.

If you have some extra room on your spooky season tbr I think this would be an awesome addition.

My Rating: 4/5