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donnawr1's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not a detective story reader and have never read any of the Sherlock Holmes books, so this book didn't resonate with me very much. I enjoyed parts of it and parts of the writing, and I think the premise was interesting. I assume that readers who loved Sherlock Holmes would get more out of it than I did. I found myself bored in much of the book and would have stopped in the beginning if not for it being our book club choice. It did improve as time went on, but I didn't feel like the cases were all that interesting or their resolution particularly cunning. I also found Mary Russell to be annoying more often than someone I was sympathizing with. I found Holmes to be most interesting, but I'm not sure I liked him as someone slipping up frequently. But it's always nice to be exposed to something out of one's usual genres and we did have a good discussion about it in book group. I did like it, but not my favorite, and I can see why others have really enjoyed it.
macyashby's review against another edition
5.0
A very fun adventure with post-retirement Sherlock Holmes.
cheerbrarian's review against another edition
3.0
The first pick for my library book club came in with a whimper. Overall, we (self included) didn't really like this book. This was an interesting endeavor because King takes Sherlock's Holmes out of retirement, and back into the fray, with the addition of the plucky Mary Russell, a whip smart teenager who befriends Holmes and keeps him on his toes. In addition to Holmes there is the familiar cast of characters: Mrs. Hudson, Watson, and Mycroft. Watson is more secondary as Russell serves to fill his place as the right hand of Holmes.
I think what King did is extraordinary. She captures the tone and pacing of Doyle perfectly, as confirmed by those in book club that have read a lot of the original work. Personally, I'm a Holmes fan. Though I haven't read a lot of the original material, I'm familiar with many iterations: Star Trek Next Generations Moriarity episodes, Robert Downey Jr as Holmes, and Cumberbatch as Holmes. That was part of the issue for me because all of these versions of Holmes were warring in my brain. In addition, what works in short serials, like Doyle originally intended, draaaaaags in a full length novel. It took a long time to get anywhere.
I liked the female protagonist and that there wasn't really a romantic angel to the relationship between Mary (15) and Sherlock (50s). BECAUSE EWWWWW. But others in the book club thought they sensed some overtones. Eww. And then, the piece de resistance, is that someone who has read more in the series said that they may end up together and THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS. And why I will never read any more in this series.
If you want to read something that puts new life into an old classic, I would suggest taking "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" a spin and leaving this one on the shelf.
I think what King did is extraordinary. She captures the tone and pacing of Doyle perfectly, as confirmed by those in book club that have read a lot of the original work. Personally, I'm a Holmes fan. Though I haven't read a lot of the original material, I'm familiar with many iterations: Star Trek Next Generations Moriarity episodes, Robert Downey Jr as Holmes, and Cumberbatch as Holmes. That was part of the issue for me because all of these versions of Holmes were warring in my brain. In addition, what works in short serials, like Doyle originally intended, draaaaaags in a full length novel. It took a long time to get anywhere.
I liked the female protagonist and that there wasn't really a romantic angel to the relationship between Mary (15) and Sherlock (50s). BECAUSE EWWWWW. But others in the book club thought they sensed some overtones. Eww. And then, the piece de resistance, is that someone who has read more in the series said that they may end up together and THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS. And why I will never read any more in this series.
If you want to read something that puts new life into an old classic, I would suggest taking "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" a spin and leaving this one on the shelf.
pswords72's review against another edition
5.0
Intriguing, witty, engaging story. If you like Sherlock Holmes, this is a must read.
artemischief's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.75
heatherems's review against another edition
4.0
Happily surprised by how fresh and fun this series is! The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King has been on my TBR list for a LONG time. This series is conceptualized to have occurred after the original stories of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, has ended. So, this occurs later in Holmes's life, after he has "retired". He meets a teen named Mary Russell on the hills and dales of England, they form a friendship and then he takes her under his wing and recognizing a mind as brilliant as his own, begins to teach her in the fine arts of detection and logic. The characters are warm, believable and well-developed. There is character development AND mystery! Intelligent writing, a staunch feminist bent and humor too! I'm so pleased that there are many more books in this series. Recommended for mystery fans who like more character development and are intrigued with the idea of what happens to Sherlock Holmes in his later life.
missposabule's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the majority of this book (despite it at times feeling like a fanfic), but was frustrated at the end when the main villain whom Russell and Holmes were up against turned out to be Moriarty's daughter the whole time, AND she was also insane, which was why she was targeting them. It felt a bit cliched, and it was too bad that the story had to end on that note.
Also, I did happen to know beforehand that Russell and Holmes get married later in the series, which given the age difference of several decades between the two of them, made it difficult to enjoy their interactions. If their relationship had been kept strictly plutonic then I would have enjoyed this book a lot more.
Also, I did happen to know beforehand that Russell and Holmes get married later in the series, which given the age difference of several decades between the two of them, made it difficult to enjoy their interactions. If their relationship had been kept strictly plutonic then I would have enjoyed this book a lot more.
maryannmc's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyed this much more than I anticipated. Really do think I will read book 2.
papayastar's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
2.25
kristin_roemer's review against another edition
2.0
Man, I feel like I slogged through this book. Stylistically, it seemed pretty similar to the original Holmes books I love, but I could not. Get. In. To. This. At. All. Also the story was ruined for me when I picked up and read the back of one of the later books in the series and saw "Mary Russell and her husband, Sherlock Holmes...". I'm sorry, she is 19 in this book and he is 56. I don't think so. From there on out, I was skeeved out any time I saw that Holmes "murmured" something to her (although they don't get together in this book).