sirarthurconandoyle

The Adventure of the Dying Detective | Arthur Conan Doyle

#NoPlaceLikeHolmes

@pageshifter @AnneCecilie @indoordame @librarybelle @theAromaOfBooks @Aimeesue @kelli7990 @5feet.of.fury @Read4Life @AnnR @mom2bugnbee @pageturner1 @eeclayton @erzascarletbookgasm @aroyse @dabbe @cuilin @mollyanna @Tineke @Larkken @StayCurious @kimrenee @AllDebooks

Cuilin @CogsOfEncouragement @catlass007 @CrystalE02 @curiouserandcurioser @Larkken @BeeCurious @Blackink_WhitePaper @Daisey @RayHallucinogen @Born.A.Reader @Chrissyreadit @Fr3NcHtOaSt @Anishalnkspill 2d

Librarybelle We‘ve talked about Holmes‘ growth as a human throughout the canon. I think this shows that under all of the frustrations and somewhat harsh criticisms of Watson, Holmes really cares for him and recognizes him as a friend. 2d

CogsOfEncouragement Oof. I understood at this point SH was faking illness and my heart still hurt for W hearing SH say: only a general practitioner w/very limited experience and mediocre qualifications. W was humble enough to move forward in getting help rather than concern himself with ego. It was a balm to read SH tell W he could only fool him at four yards, etc. and that W is only a bad liar, not a bad doctor. 2d

dabbe I guess what Holmes did to Watson in “The Final Problem“ (letting Watson think he was dead for three years) was much worse than what he did to him (and Mrs. Hudson) here. He took a big chance with both of them in the hopes that Smith would confess to the crime of killing his nephew. But that's the magic of these stories. By now we know SH's relationships with both Watson and Mrs. H are solid, and they actually help him nab the villain. 1d

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Cuilin

The Adventure of the Dying Detective | Arthur Conan Doyle

Librarybelle You have to suspect that Holmes is up to something, though as a reader, we‘re not quite sure what it is. I would say he fools Watson, but sometimes Watson isn‘t the keenest observer. As for Mrs. Hudson and Holmes‘ views on women, Watson lays them out at the start. Mrs. Hudson acts like a mother to Holmes; she‘s a nurturer. 2d

CogsOfEncouragement Two times SH shows too much energy for a dying man, and if Watson wasn‘t so very worried for his friend he would have seen through the nonsense. I can‘t fault Watson for caring too much. Plus, I enjoy when Doyle gives us clues in this way. Very entertaining. 2d

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CogsOfEncouragement Hudson and SH have a relationship established by him getting her out of a bad marriage, yeah? I‘ve always felt they have a history that allows SH much leeway in the annoyances Mrs. Hudson puts up with because it is SH. I don‘t think she would put up with such things from someone else. We have those relationships in real life I think. We give certain loved ones a pass here or there in their habits because we know they absolutely have our back. 2d

Cuilin @CogsOfEncouragement I love this interpretation of Mrs. Hudson. I agree. I think she understands Sherlock and therefore makes accommodations. 2d

Cuilin @Librarybelle As the reader I wanted to tell Watson “you know he‘s faking it right?” But I‘m aware that would not have been helpful to the plot. 2d

Librarybelle @Cuilin 😂 2d

dabbe My views on Mrs. Hudson might be warped due to the Cumberbatch SHERLOCK episodes. In those, she is one sassy lassie who adores Sherlock but doesn't take his BS without shelving out some of her own. I now see her in this way in the original canon, too, and I love their symbiotic relationship. 1d

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Cuilin

The Adventure of the Dying Detective | Arthur Conan Doyle

Librarybelle I liked this one, and maybe I was in the mood for a story that features Holmes using deception to catch the culprit. Once again, we the reader do not know much of the backstory until near the end of the tale, so we‘re kind of left feeling a bit surprised—why does Holmes want to entrap the culprit. But, we‘re also finding out the clues as Watson does, so since he tells the story, I suppose that makes sense! 2d

CogsOfEncouragement Another one where Doyle especially allows us to feel smarter than Watson. “In an instant, with a tigerspring, the dying man had intercepted me.” This sentence told me SH was faking an illness for some reason, and the trap for Culverton Smith soon became apparent. Nice touch to have Smith and Inspector Morton trying to hide smiles from Watson for very different reasons. An entertaining telling. 2d

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Cuilin @Librarybelle I liked this one too, brevity being the soul of wit. 2d

Cuilin @CogsOfEncouragement Very entertaining. 2d

dabbe Now that we've read over 40 (gasp!) of these and Doyle was riding the SH gravy train by now, it'd be so easy to be totally formulaic--which many detective stories can be. Here, he totally breaks the mold. No start in front of the fire at 221-B; we have Mrs. Hudson thinking Sherlock's dying! Wonder if people back then were feeling “The Final Problem“ vibes when they first read this one! Well done, Doyle. 1d

Read4life I enjoyed this one & liked how it opened with Mrs. Hudson. Well done, ACD! 1d

Cuilin @Read4life yes this one was good. 1d

Cuilin @dabbe I wondered that too, I bet it worried his loyal readers. 1d

kelli7990 I enjoyed this story. 1d

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LitsyEvents

The Adventure of the Dying Detective | Arthur Conan Doyle

Via @dabbe

#NoPlaceLikeHolmes @Cuilin
Good discussion yesterday, Sherlockians. Next up:
“(TAo) The Dying Detective.“ Discussion will be on 3/29 and will be led by @Cuilin.
Summary/analysis link (spoiler alert):

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wDe28JDm2-cpV2zqoU3ofknukb9BfrN6/view?usp=shari...

dabbe TY! 🤩🤩🤩 3d

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dabbe

The Adventure of the Dying Detective | Arthur Conan Doyle

#NoPlaceLikeHolmes @Cuilin @LitsyEvents

Good discussion yesterday, Sherlockians. Next up: “(TAo) The Dying Detective.“ Discussion will be on 3/29 and will be led by @Cuilin.

Summary/analysis link (spoiler alert): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wDe28JDm2-cpV2zqoU3ofknukb9BfrN6/view?usp=shari...

Have a good week. 😊

Librarybelle Thank you! 1w

dabbe @Librarybelle YW! 😊 1w

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Bookwomble

The Sherlock Holmes File | Michael Pointer

pick

I loved this book! Especially the account of the Holmesians' first road trip to Switzerland in full Victorian cosplay! Author, Michael Pointer, pictured, though he didn't state what character he represented.
Probably for Baker Street diehards only, but if you're a bit irregular then there's plenty to love.

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Bookwomble

The Sherlock Holmes File | Michael Pointer

One of the chapters is an account of the first Sherlock Holmes Society of London's pilgrimage to the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland in 1968.
The society Flickr account has an album of photos showing their journey, in costume, from London to Switzerland, including several luminaries of Holmesian studies. It was gratifying to find a couple of photos including Michael Pointer.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/shsl/albums/72157640063611234/
#Sherlocked

Bookwomble The photo shows the pilgrims meeting Adrian Conan Doyle at his Swiss home, Chateau de Lucens. Holmes is Society member Tony Howlett, and as Irene Adler, Dominique Joos, an actor hired for the role, who performed in a “whodunit“ scene at the Society banquet in Geneva. (edited) 2w

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Bookwomble

The Sherlock Holmes File | Michael Pointer

"If Conan Doyle had really meant business when he attempted to get rid of Sherlock Holmes, he should have killed off Dr Watson. That's the key to it. Without Watson there really can be no Holmes."

Pointer giving the good doctor his due recognition, both as a character & as a narrative device.

Of all the Watsons, Nigel Bruce's incarnation (despite the un-Canonical bumbling) is always the one that springs to my mind.
#NoPlaceLikeHolmes #Sherlocked

bibliothecarivs Okay, Bruce's Watson is the one that comes to mind, but which is your favorite portrayal in film/ television? 2w

Bookwomble @bibliothecarivs While Jeremy Brett is my favourite Holmes (though only a hair's breadth ahead of Basil Rathbone), and both Watson actors in that production were good, neither emanated the warmth of character that Bruce installed in his part. It's not always an accurate depiction, but captures Watson's faithfulness, dependability and vulnerability. So, it is Nigel Bruce for me 😊 2w

Bookwomble @bibliothecarivs Pointer's opinion of Bruce's Watson is: "regrettable"! I accept, myself, that he's not a good representation of Doyle's Watson, but I guess he seeped into my consciousness as a child. My least favourite Watson portrayals are Jude Law and Martin Freeman, as they always present to me as being themselves pretending to be the part they're playing, rather than actually being the part. 2w

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bibliothecarivs Fascinating. Thanks for sharing, my friend. 2w

dabbe Nigel & Basil! 🖤🖤🖤 2w

The_Book_Ninja I used to watch the Rathbone Sherlocks when I was a kid too and absolutely loved them. Imagine my surprise when I eventually read a book and there was no incredulous buffoonery from Watson. I now consider Bruce‘s Watson as beyond ridiculous 2w

Bookwomble @The_Book_Ninja Not at all accurate, but I'm still fond of him 😊 2w

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Bookwomble

The Sherlock Holmes File | Michael Pointer

I read " The Public Life of Sherlock Holmes" last week & enjoyed it enough that I bought the author's follow up, "The Sherlock Holmes File".
They do cover similar ground but from different angles, & the File is a larger format to better display the significantly greater number of illustrations. I imagine the material Pointer put together when researching the first book was enough to justify this one.
It focuses on the development of Holmes's ⬇️

Bookwomble ... appearance, props and personal characteristics, from Doyle's written description, to the early illustrations and the additions made by artists (deerstalker cap) and actors (Inverness cape and meerschaum pipe) to the now accepted figure of Holmes.
Despite the tanned dust jacket (which is fine for the price I paid), the book's in good order for its age (1976), and while I hadn't intended to read it immediately, it looks like that is happening! 2w

Bookwomble #NoPlaceLikeHolmes 2w

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