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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5/5
How the characters were written didn’t feel perfect to me but it was extremely interesting to read anyway. It’s incredible this exists/has survived. Unironically I might prefer Bright Blue Ink on AO3.
How the characters were written didn’t feel perfect to me but it was extremely interesting to read anyway. It’s incredible this exists/has survived. Unironically I might prefer Bright Blue Ink on AO3.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book is in two parts: part one, a "previously-unpublished" case, and part two, a rewriting of the Final Problem/The Empty House. The twist in the case was unique and fun, and I wish Piercy had given more attention to the mystery (my perennial complaint with Holmes pastiches); likewise, the twist in her rewrite of Holmes's return was clever but underplayed.
I liked her portrayals of Holmes and Watson, and the slash was central but never gratuitous. (Unless you think that sort of thing is gratuitous in the first place, which, let's face it, is fair.)
Upon rereading in December, before I send the book to a new home in Finland, I was able to sit back and enjoy the prose a little more.
I liked her portrayals of Holmes and Watson, and the slash was central but never gratuitous. (Unless you think that sort of thing is gratuitous in the first place, which, let's face it, is fair.)
Upon rereading in December, before I send the book to a new home in Finland, I was able to sit back and enjoy the prose a little more.
A friend of mine recommended this to me. I thought it was very cute - really more the sort of thing I'd read on AO3 than what I typically read in published fiction. The mystery in the first story wasn't the best, but it's not really about the mystery, so I forgive it. I was particularly interested in the ways the story reflects on what it was to be gay in the 1980's; for example, one's lover dying young and one being restricted from collecting their belongings by homophobic family was a particularly pertinent issue.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A wonderful reimagining and retelling of Sherlock Holmes' tales, focusing on Watson's love for Holmes. The prose is beautiful, feeling very accurate to the original stories, and the discussion of homosexuality in the Victorian period seems to me realistic and serious. This novel is bold for its time but also very subtle and gentle. It's also very, very sad -- but don't fret, it ends well.
Divided into two stories, we begin with an original mystery where Watson's personal life and the case mingle. It was fun to follow along and to figure some things out a bit before Watson does (but not before Holmes), and I found the characters interesting and likeable.
The second story is a retelling of "The Final Problem" and to some extent "The Empty House". While much of it feels like a re-treading of the original story and the events that took place around the Reichenbach falls, I found it to be a necessary second glance at a known story, presented here in a totally new light. But what I loved most of all was the original ending of this story, which was incredibly moving but still subtle and tacit, giving readers what they've been longing for while also leaving much off-page.
Divided into two stories, we begin with an original mystery where Watson's personal life and the case mingle. It was fun to follow along and to figure some things out a bit before Watson does (but not before Holmes), and I found the characters interesting and likeable.
The second story is a retelling of "The Final Problem" and to some extent "The Empty House". While much of it feels like a re-treading of the original story and the events that took place around the Reichenbach falls, I found it to be a necessary second glance at a known story, presented here in a totally new light. But what I loved most of all was the original ending of this story, which was incredibly moving but still subtle and tacit, giving readers what they've been longing for while also leaving much off-page.
I don't know, maybe it's because I'm so used to fanfiction? But nobody fucked anybody in this book. There was a chaste kiss. I was disappointed.
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced