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emilyatoz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Kidnapping, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Drug abuse, Terminal illness, Blood, Car accident, and Death of parent
gfzgfx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse
cascadienne's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, and Police brutality
bookwyrmknits's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
The plot was interesting, and it was a reminder to myself that I should trust my mystery book instincts more... I had a hunch about the whodunnit, but since the characters weren't considering that angle at all, I let myself forget about it.
I guess I just never got hooked on the characters as presented in this book. I didn't connect with Mary Russell in a way that compelled me to keep reading, and Holmes and Watson both felt close enough to their original versions that there was nothing "new" there for me to discover. (Perhaps in later books I would connect more with the characters, but that hasn't happened yet.)
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Car accident, Death of parent, and Cultural appropriation
cj13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, Dementia, Kidnapping, and Car accident
Moderate: Child death, Misogyny, and Death of parent
aestass's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and War
Minor: Xenophobia
leahegood's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Mary Russel is an oprhaned young woman with a brilliant mind. Through a chance meeting, she becomes the apprentice, protige, and surrogate daughter of the now retired Sherlock Holmes. As she grows and proves her capabilities more and more, she learns that Holmes is not as retired as he seems, and becomes more and more deeply embroiled in the mysteries and adventures that define Holmes's life.
Thoughts
I am skipping a star rating for this story because it was far enough outside of my preferred genre and writing style that I simultaneously enjoyed it and couldn't wait for it to be done and over with. I expect readers of cozy mysteries and literary fiction would enjoy it throughourly as it was a good story and beautifully told, it just moved a bit too slowly for me. I read it to fulfil a prompt to read a book published in 1994.
I do love the idea of taking a well-known literary figure and continuing or expanding upon their story from a different viewpoint. The author imagines a girl that is enough Holmes's intellectual equal to strip away the hero worshipping tone of Watson, and someone with a daughter-like relationship to reveal a more tender side to the typically impreturbable persona. This was, for sure, my favorite element of the story.
I also quite enjoyed the elements of the story set in Oxford since I have a friend studying there and recognized many of the locations mentioned in the narrative.
Content
Romance: None, though a few eyebrows are raised by the friendship between Holmes and Russell.
Violence: Kidnapping and injuries from a bomb and gunshots mentioned. Nothing graphic.
Language: A few mild curses scattered throughout the narrative.
Religion: Holmes is generally dismissive of religion while Mary Russell takes interest in her Jewish roots and studies the Jewish religion at Oxford.
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Death of parent and Injury/Injury detail
myworldtoread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Kidnapping and Death of parent
eamily's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Terminal illness, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Dementia, Medical trauma, and War