Anyway, I've completed my first official book of the summer (now that it's finally here) and liked it enough to write a bit about it. As I have written before, I enjoy Sherlock Holmes stories. I think they are very entertaining, and very well-written, not to mention fairly groundbreaking. So many modern day detective stories are based on the Holmes-Watson model. So, I was eager to read The Sherlockian, a mystery about a modern-day man who studies the Sherlock Holmes stories, and his quest to find the lost diary of Arthur Conan Doyle. It is "historical fiction" (I place that in quotation marks because as a non-practicing historian myself I detest that phrase; it's fiction) in that it also tells the story of a mystery that Arthur Conan Doyle was trying to solve in his time. I found it a quick, entertaining read for fans of Holmes. Why am I writing about it now? Because I really liked the following quote from the book, which sums up why I enjoy the Holmes stories so much:
"Imagine the scene: It's pouring rain against a thick window. Outside, on Baker Street, the light from the gas lamps is so weak that it barely reaches the pavement. A fog swirls in the air, and the gas gives it a pale yellow glow. Mystery brews in every darkened corner, in every darkened room. And a man steps out into that dim, foggy world, and he can tell you the story of your life by the cut of your shirtsleeves. He can shine a light into the dimness, with only his intellect and his tobacco smoke to help him. Now. Tell me that's not awfully romantic?"
Go ahead. I dare you. For some reason, I really love Victorian England. I find the period fascinating. Sure, I love other eras of history too, but when it comes to pure culture and literature, something about the Victorian Era (English or not) just seems so rich and authentic. Anyway, not a bad book for a quick summer read.
Ha ha. Get it? The Holmes-ian pipe is a question mark. Clever!
1 comments:
Maybe I have a new book to read now... :) *muah*
THANKS!
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