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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
Lady Sherlock, book 1.
I enjoyed this clever, feminist retelling of Sherlock Holmes.
Charlotte Holmes, despite her utterly feminine appearance, has a discerning mind and an unshakable determination to live her life on her own terms. As her alter-ego Sherlock, she investigates several suspicious deaths after her father and sister become prime suspects.
The mystery is a slow-burn, character-driven and filled with details of daily Victorian life.
I enjoyed this clever, feminist retelling of Sherlock Holmes.
Charlotte Holmes, despite her utterly feminine appearance, has a discerning mind and an unshakable determination to live her life on her own terms. As her alter-ego Sherlock, she investigates several suspicious deaths after her father and sister become prime suspects.
The mystery is a slow-burn, character-driven and filled with details of daily Victorian life.
1 Star
DNF at 35%
Wow. (And not in a good way.)
It is too early in the year to be slogging through a book this boring and unpleasant. There hasn’t been a single element in A Study in Scarlet Women that appeals to me, so I see no reason to continue forcing myself to read this.
This isn’t the first gender-switched Holmes story I’ve read, but the premise sounded intriguing. But this book was so… I’m not even sure which words to use. Dreary. Depressing. Dingy. Dull. And that’s just some of the D’s. When it comes to retellings, I always say that if you can’t bring something new and creative and better to the table, then don’t bother. What I read of A Study in Scarlet Women was so bad that it was definitely an insult to the original work. You’re talking about one of the most iconic characters in literature and a series that is a cornerstone of an entire genre. Don’t mess with that unless you’ve got a damn good reason to.
The biggest problem is the character of Charlotte Holmes (the female rewrite of Sherlock Holmes). She is utterly unpleasant. It isn’t like Sherlock was affable, but he was still loveable. He was flawed yet compelling. Hence why he is so iconic. (Ok, ok! I admit, I am totally thinking about Benedict Cumberbatch right now and smirking. But I swear I loved the series long before he took over the roll.) But Charlotte is downright unpleasant. It certainly didn’t help matters that the first time you meet her, she is purposefully caught having sex with a married man so that she can be ruined without being forced to wed. Calling her cold and calculating is an understatement of massive proportions. The brilliance of Holmes was not captured. She had no redeeming qualities. Charlotte was also vain and materialistic. She loves food but is obsessive about her weight, always worrying about having a double chin and fussing over her outfits.
I’ve read a variety of fiction that concerns strong women surviving in restricting times, but Thomas’s approach to the subject felt absolutely suffocating and nihilistic. And the author really ends up beating a dead horse on that aspect.
The narrators switch around sloppily. The story seems to be told from the perspectives of various people surrounding Charlotte, so the narrative feels disjointed and messy. Characters disappear without a word the second they are no longer necessary. There seems to be the setup for a romance, but I don’t care to know what becomes of that because Charlotte was so off-putting. I wasn’t particularly drawn to any of the other characters. The writing was not compelling. I didn’t even get far enough for the mystery part of the plot to truly kick in, so I have no idea if that gets better. Probably not though. This seems to be more about the process of her eventually becoming an investigator than the actual investigations. Even if this wasn’t a terrible retelling, the bad writing would make this book abysmal all on its own.
In short: convoluted, boring, unpleasant, and definitely not worth finishing!
NOTE: After writing this, I looked up some spoilers for the ending. Boy am I glad I DNF’d it!!! Everything described pissed me off. The character arc, writing, and plot conclusion all sound atrocious. If I had finished this, I have no doubt this would have ended up in my bottom five for the year!
RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 1 Star
Writing Style: 1 Star
Characters and Character Development: 1 Star
Plot Structure and Development: 1 Star
Level of Captivation: 1 Star
Originality: 1 Star
DNF at 35%
Wow. (And not in a good way.)
It is too early in the year to be slogging through a book this boring and unpleasant. There hasn’t been a single element in A Study in Scarlet Women that appeals to me, so I see no reason to continue forcing myself to read this.
This isn’t the first gender-switched Holmes story I’ve read, but the premise sounded intriguing. But this book was so… I’m not even sure which words to use. Dreary. Depressing. Dingy. Dull. And that’s just some of the D’s. When it comes to retellings, I always say that if you can’t bring something new and creative and better to the table, then don’t bother. What I read of A Study in Scarlet Women was so bad that it was definitely an insult to the original work. You’re talking about one of the most iconic characters in literature and a series that is a cornerstone of an entire genre. Don’t mess with that unless you’ve got a damn good reason to.
The biggest problem is the character of Charlotte Holmes (the female rewrite of Sherlock Holmes). She is utterly unpleasant. It isn’t like Sherlock was affable, but he was still loveable. He was flawed yet compelling. Hence why he is so iconic. (Ok, ok! I admit, I am totally thinking about Benedict Cumberbatch right now and smirking. But I swear I loved the series long before he took over the roll.) But Charlotte is downright unpleasant. It certainly didn’t help matters that the first time you meet her, she is purposefully caught having sex with a married man so that she can be ruined without being forced to wed. Calling her cold and calculating is an understatement of massive proportions. The brilliance of Holmes was not captured. She had no redeeming qualities. Charlotte was also vain and materialistic. She loves food but is obsessive about her weight, always worrying about having a double chin and fussing over her outfits.
I’ve read a variety of fiction that concerns strong women surviving in restricting times, but Thomas’s approach to the subject felt absolutely suffocating and nihilistic. And the author really ends up beating a dead horse on that aspect.
The narrators switch around sloppily. The story seems to be told from the perspectives of various people surrounding Charlotte, so the narrative feels disjointed and messy. Characters disappear without a word the second they are no longer necessary. There seems to be the setup for a romance, but I don’t care to know what becomes of that because Charlotte was so off-putting. I wasn’t particularly drawn to any of the other characters. The writing was not compelling. I didn’t even get far enough for the mystery part of the plot to truly kick in, so I have no idea if that gets better. Probably not though. This seems to be more about the process of her eventually becoming an investigator than the actual investigations. Even if this wasn’t a terrible retelling, the bad writing would make this book abysmal all on its own.
In short: convoluted, boring, unpleasant, and definitely not worth finishing!
NOTE: After writing this, I looked up some spoilers for the ending. Boy am I glad I DNF’d it!!! Everything described pissed me off. The character arc, writing, and plot conclusion all sound atrocious. If I had finished this, I have no doubt this would have ended up in my bottom five for the year!
RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 1 Star
Writing Style: 1 Star
Characters and Character Development: 1 Star
Plot Structure and Development: 1 Star
Level of Captivation: 1 Star
Originality: 1 Star
So what if Sherlock Holmes was actually the pen name of Charlotte Holmes, a woman? What would a brilliant woman in British society in the early 1900's do to keep herself occupied?
This is the premise of A Study in Scarlet Women, and I feel that it went well. I will admit, I have never read any of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original Sherlock Holmes novels, but I am quite familiar with the genre as a whole. I enjoyed the writing style, I liked the choice of narrator for the audio version, and I will definitely be looking for more stories by this author.
This is the premise of A Study in Scarlet Women, and I feel that it went well. I will admit, I have never read any of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original Sherlock Holmes novels, but I am quite familiar with the genre as a whole. I enjoyed the writing style, I liked the choice of narrator for the audio version, and I will definitely be looking for more stories by this author.
Great story and I love the main character! I also love all the supporting characters too. My only complaint is that I had trouble keeping some of the peripheral characters apart, probably because I listened the audiobook and some of names were similar. Onto the sequel…
Not...great, but easy to get through if you need a distraction. It tried to do a lot and ended up feeling similar in plot to the Anthony Horowitz "new Sherlock" book. I might read a couple more in the series but only because of lower standards for books due to social distancing.
Really enjoyed this! The romance didn't work for me (I don't go for the "adultery but it's okay because the married couple doesn't love each other" trope), but the rest was great.
This was so much fun and a fabulous pick for the autumn readathon! The exposition was a little long but when it picked up midway through it was vastly compelling. I loved the alternating perspectives and insights into inspector Treddles' (loved him) investigations into Charlotte's tips. The feminist themes were well integrated into the story, and Charlotte and Livia well represented. I love a book that "tells the real story" with a clever twist and this was lovely.
Sherry Thomas is a favorite romance author of mine and I’ve been dying to read this book since it was first mentioned on a Smart Bitches podcast featuring the author. The Sherlock Homes series of books is a frequent subject for fan fiction and Ms. Thomas puts a decidedly female spin on the detective.
The story’s heroine is Charlotte Holmes, a young single woman with outstanding deductive abilities. Despite multiple seasons and a few marriage proposals, she just wants to lead a solitary life. When she attempts to achieve that solitude by ruining herself, her attempt boomerangs when it is made quite public, ruining her and casting aspersions on her family.
In short succession, three seemingly unrelated persons are murdered and two of those murders are tied, at least by rumor to Charlotte’s family. A mysterious correspondent, Sherlock Holmes, sends a letter alleging that the three murders are related. We quickly learn that Sherlock is Charlotte’s alter ego, and the story progresses from there.
The story is intricately plotted, and fans of Sherlock’s ability to deduce almost everything about a person from a few simple observations will be pleased. Ms. Thomas’ writing is such a pleasure to read and she fleshes out the characters so well.
My only disappointment was that I did not care for how the underlying murder was resolved, but I don’t want to say too much because it would give away the ending. A wonderful book. 4.5/5
The story’s heroine is Charlotte Holmes, a young single woman with outstanding deductive abilities. Despite multiple seasons and a few marriage proposals, she just wants to lead a solitary life. When she attempts to achieve that solitude by ruining herself, her attempt boomerangs when it is made quite public, ruining her and casting aspersions on her family.
In short succession, three seemingly unrelated persons are murdered and two of those murders are tied, at least by rumor to Charlotte’s family. A mysterious correspondent, Sherlock Holmes, sends a letter alleging that the three murders are related. We quickly learn that Sherlock is Charlotte’s alter ego, and the story progresses from there.
The story is intricately plotted, and fans of Sherlock’s ability to deduce almost everything about a person from a few simple observations will be pleased. Ms. Thomas’ writing is such a pleasure to read and she fleshes out the characters so well.
My only disappointment was that I did not care for how the underlying murder was resolved, but I don’t want to say too much because it would give away the ending. A wonderful book. 4.5/5
I thought this was a lot more fun than I expected! I think about half the POV characters could be cut to tell a more cohesive, but less complete, story but it was a nice read!
I admit I wondered if The Study in Scarlet Women was in fact a historical mystery as I initially settled into it. The author spends quite a bit of time setting up the characters and their situations, letting us into just who and how Charlotte Holmes became the mysterious and well-renowned Sherlock Holmes (because women just didn't do that kind of thing then--not if they wanted to be taken seriously). That is not to say I did not enjoy that aspect of the novel. I did. It was just a bit slow during the first portion, but it eventually did pick up speed.
Charlotte Holmes has never quite felt like she fit in with the other women of the upper class society she was raised around. A sharp mind, excellent memory, a wish to never marry (despite her father's most adamant wishes), nor does she want to run a household in the traditional sense. She wants to make her own way in the world as an independent woman. And so she does the only thing she can think of: ruin her reputation and run away.
Charlotte has always been good at deduction and solving riddles. She finds she has a knack for solving crimes as well. She is the first to see connection between three seemingly separate murders, one of which has cast suspicion on her own family. With the kind-hearted widow, Mrs. Watson, a determined police inspector and and old friend, Charlotte sets out to find the real killer and clear her family name.
I enjoyed this twist on the Sherlock Holmes canon with both Holmes and Watson being women. The opening of the novel pulled me right in--oh my gosh what a fun beginning that was! Charlotte is a formidable character, and I adored Mrs. Watson. The mystery was interesting, although sometimes it felt like it was secondary to all else that was going on in the novel. I am definitely interested in continuing with this series and seeing what Mrs. Watson and Holmes get up to next.
Charlotte Holmes has never quite felt like she fit in with the other women of the upper class society she was raised around. A sharp mind, excellent memory, a wish to never marry (despite her father's most adamant wishes), nor does she want to run a household in the traditional sense. She wants to make her own way in the world as an independent woman. And so she does the only thing she can think of: ruin her reputation and run away.
Charlotte has always been good at deduction and solving riddles. She finds she has a knack for solving crimes as well. She is the first to see connection between three seemingly separate murders, one of which has cast suspicion on her own family. With the kind-hearted widow, Mrs. Watson, a determined police inspector and and old friend, Charlotte sets out to find the real killer and clear her family name.
I enjoyed this twist on the Sherlock Holmes canon with both Holmes and Watson being women. The opening of the novel pulled me right in--oh my gosh what a fun beginning that was! Charlotte is a formidable character, and I adored Mrs. Watson. The mystery was interesting, although sometimes it felt like it was secondary to all else that was going on in the novel. I am definitely interested in continuing with this series and seeing what Mrs. Watson and Holmes get up to next.