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nicoleankenmann's review against another edition
5.0
Audiobook: 11hr 41m
Fact and fiction are skillfully woven into this fast-paced exploration of Arthur Conan Doyle's missing diary and the days in his life there chronicled. Half the story follows the famed author, at the brink of 1900, shortly after he killed off Sherlock Holmes; every other chapter takes place in the roughly-present era of pre-COVID nerd conventions where strangers could meet and still read each other's facial expressions, sans mask.
The Sherlockian is a well-crafted caper and will be a romp worth reading for anyone who's ever had a literary crush on the deer-stalker hat (or his maker).
Fact and fiction are skillfully woven into this fast-paced exploration of Arthur Conan Doyle's missing diary and the days in his life there chronicled. Half the story follows the famed author, at the brink of 1900, shortly after he killed off Sherlock Holmes; every other chapter takes place in the roughly-present era of pre-COVID nerd conventions where strangers could meet and still read each other's facial expressions, sans mask.
The Sherlockian is a well-crafted caper and will be a romp worth reading for anyone who's ever had a literary crush on the deer-stalker hat (or his maker).
amibunk's review against another edition
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I thought the line between fiction and biography was wonderfully thin and well blurred inside this novel. It was difficult to know when one ended and the other began. It was almost like reading a stunningly well executed Dan Brown novel, only much better written, and without much Catholicism in it
. I also found the alternating point of view to be quite compelling (unlike several of the reviewers.) The fictional character, Harold, was quite a foil to the other character, Arthur Conan Doyle. The reader reaches the point by the end of the novel when he must ask, "Who is the actual hero in this book?" I believe that each reader would have a different answer to that question.
I recommend it to those who love Sherlock Holmes, literature, detective stories, and other writers of the late Victorian era.
. I also found the alternating point of view to be quite compelling (unlike several of the reviewers.) The fictional character, Harold, was quite a foil to the other character, Arthur Conan Doyle. The reader reaches the point by the end of the novel when he must ask, "Who is the actual hero in this book?" I believe that each reader would have a different answer to that question.
I recommend it to those who love Sherlock Holmes, literature, detective stories, and other writers of the late Victorian era.
chrisbaker1981's review against another edition
4.0
Very good book. Great mystery with a great ending.
lavoiture's review against another edition
3.0
I'd say more like 3.5, to be honest. I liked it, but it never really hooked me so much that I didn't want to stop reading. Still, interesting story.
quietdomino's review against another edition
2.0
I finished this book because it was of professional interest--but with my civilian hat on I can only recommend it to people who are interested in seeing two sets of cardboard cutouts attempting to solve two of the world's dullest mysteries.
balletbookworm's review against another edition
3.0
I find this book very...meh (wish I could give half-stars, since it wasn't quite "this book is not good" but it wasn't quite "this book is OK" because I view 3-stars as "OK" and 2-stars as "not good" with 1-star as "I want to set this on fire"). The Sherlockian wound up keeping the bathroom counter company because the constant alternating chapters between 2010 characters/mystery and 1900 characters/mystery got on my nerves - making it an excellent book for reading while on the pot. One chapter at a time.
I couldn't decide if the main character was Harold or Arthur.
I was interested in the 1900s mystery....for a while. The diary mystery wasn't very interesting. And then the ending....I've read a lot of reviews that loved this book but it just wasn't anything to make me jump up and down. It was just "whatever" and I love Sherlock Holmes stories. Maybe I expected too much.
I couldn't decide if the main character was Harold or Arthur.
I was interested in the 1900s mystery....for a while. The diary mystery wasn't very interesting. And then the ending....I've read a lot of reviews that loved this book but it just wasn't anything to make me jump up and down. It was just "whatever" and I love Sherlock Holmes stories. Maybe I expected too much.
melledotca's review against another edition
4.0
Lotta fun, though not exactly rocket surgery. Thought it weakened at the end. Will definitely make you want to go and read the original Holmes stories.
roseannmvp's review against another edition
3.0
VERY Slow Reading.....interesting to a point but getting draggy past the mid-point. Would not recommend to anyone seeking the fast-paced vigor of a Holmes story. It is nothing like it, and more of a "blah" than I expected. Oh well....
goofnaggle's review against another edition
5.0
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book... and it by far encouraged me to have to read (and begin) Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous works especially that of Sherlock Holmes. I thought it was an interesting and unique point of view and I particularly liked how it showed both a current and glorified historical versions of stories that meet in the middle. The ending was not quite what I hoped to have wished for, but it only reinforces the the central idea of the book that is "Is the mystery sometimes more pleasurable than the solution?" Are you sure that finding out the true answer will be as forever satisfying as wondering about the true answer?
fallingletters's review against another edition
3.0
Originally posted 23 January 2011 on Falling Letters.
***
I really like the idea of Sherlock Holmes. After seeing the Robert Downey Jr. film, Moffat's Sherlock and reading Neil Gaiman's 'A Study in Emerald' I finally got around to reading A Study in Scarlet. I'm halfway through The Sign of Four right now. I've probably spent more time on Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes' Wikipedia pages than I have reading the actual books...Essentially, I like Holmes but I'm not one of those people who have read all the books and scorn adaptations. I like the characters and I like the community surrounding the books and I like all the analyzing of the stories and the real world facts and such. Just wanted to clarify that before I continue with my thoughts. I can't really speak to the accuracy or factuality of the story and I presume I would have enjoyed the book even more if I was more of a Sherlock fan, but I am enough of a fan to have enjoyed this story.
The Sherlockian tells two stories in alternating chapters. There is the story of what Arthur Conan Doyle was up to during the period for which his diaries are missing and the story of a new member of the Baker Street Irregulars trying to solve the mystery of a murder and the location of the missing diaries. I enjoyed both stories equally, which is something that doesn't happen often. They blended well with one another. Even if the characters and plot were sometimes dull or at least, not too exciting, the prose made up for it. Moore's prose is easy to read, smooth and flowing. I had fun reading this book. Even though it was a murder mystery, 'fun' is the adjective that keeps popping into my mind. Fun to read, easy to read, enjoyable to read. It was a murder mystery that someone like me, who normally despises murder mysteries, could enjoy. (Moore used the characters' first names! ;P) I could really appreciate the creativity that went into crafting this story, the explanations for what happened and why the diary went missing, etc.
As I just mentioned earlier, I enjoy reading about authors, how they lived and worked. I like the appeal of reading imagined stories about real people who lived such a long time ago. Reading about authors in a fictionalized novel makes them feel more real to me, oddly enough. You can hear various facts about someone like Conan Doyle but when you read a scene where he's chatting with Bram Stoker, I find it gives me a kind of magical feeling. The writing brings the old dead author to life, makes him feel like a real person. I like that a lot.
Overall, I enjoyed both the subject matter and the prose of this novel. I liked the connections to Sherlock Holmes and I liked that it focused on the author and not quite as much on the character. I would recommend this book if you have any interest in Sherlock Holmes, even if it is just a 'casual' interest as mine is currently. Interestingly, a lot of the story finds its roots in fact, especially the plot for the modern day story. There's a considerate afterword by the author that explains the fact from the fiction. Even if it was purely fiction, I would still recommend The Sherlockian. =)
***
I really like the idea of Sherlock Holmes. After seeing the Robert Downey Jr. film, Moffat's Sherlock and reading Neil Gaiman's 'A Study in Emerald' I finally got around to reading A Study in Scarlet. I'm halfway through The Sign of Four right now. I've probably spent more time on Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes' Wikipedia pages than I have reading the actual books...Essentially, I like Holmes but I'm not one of those people who have read all the books and scorn adaptations. I like the characters and I like the community surrounding the books and I like all the analyzing of the stories and the real world facts and such. Just wanted to clarify that before I continue with my thoughts. I can't really speak to the accuracy or factuality of the story and I presume I would have enjoyed the book even more if I was more of a Sherlock fan, but I am enough of a fan to have enjoyed this story.
The Sherlockian tells two stories in alternating chapters. There is the story of what Arthur Conan Doyle was up to during the period for which his diaries are missing and the story of a new member of the Baker Street Irregulars trying to solve the mystery of a murder and the location of the missing diaries. I enjoyed both stories equally, which is something that doesn't happen often. They blended well with one another. Even if the characters and plot were sometimes dull or at least, not too exciting, the prose made up for it. Moore's prose is easy to read, smooth and flowing. I had fun reading this book. Even though it was a murder mystery, 'fun' is the adjective that keeps popping into my mind. Fun to read, easy to read, enjoyable to read. It was a murder mystery that someone like me, who normally despises murder mysteries, could enjoy. (Moore used the characters' first names! ;P) I could really appreciate the creativity that went into crafting this story, the explanations for what happened and why the diary went missing, etc.
As I just mentioned earlier, I enjoy reading about authors, how they lived and worked. I like the appeal of reading imagined stories about real people who lived such a long time ago. Reading about authors in a fictionalized novel makes them feel more real to me, oddly enough. You can hear various facts about someone like Conan Doyle but when you read a scene where he's chatting with Bram Stoker, I find it gives me a kind of magical feeling. The writing brings the old dead author to life, makes him feel like a real person. I like that a lot.
Overall, I enjoyed both the subject matter and the prose of this novel. I liked the connections to Sherlock Holmes and I liked that it focused on the author and not quite as much on the character. I would recommend this book if you have any interest in Sherlock Holmes, even if it is just a 'casual' interest as mine is currently. Interestingly, a lot of the story finds its roots in fact, especially the plot for the modern day story. There's a considerate afterword by the author that explains the fact from the fiction. Even if it was purely fiction, I would still recommend The Sherlockian. =)