When I was driving, I heard an NPR interview with a murder mystery writer. The host was talking about murder mysteries (which I love) and said something like "Of course, I cut my teeth on Sherlock Holmes." I have never read any SH, and asked around and most people hadn't. Lane said she read Hounds of the Baskervilles in high school, but doesn't remember it.
I went to Amazon and for one cent, plus $3.99 shipping, I bought Volume one of the complete works... which includes short stories and three novels. So I guess I'll see what all the hoo-hah is about. The stories have survived for decades so there has to be something there.
2 comments:
I have read the vast majority of them and loved them. Many are just wonderful stories! But you will find the writing style a little too dated -- and the attitudes disturbing -- both sexist and classist. Sometimes enough to throw the book across the room. I think it's not a surprise you've never read them, because the sexist librarians of our youth gave Sherlock to little boys, but recommended Nancy Drew to little girls.
My recommendation instead of reading: watch Jeremy Brett playing Sherlock Holmes in the BBC TV series-- that show was extremely well done, and I just LOVED Jeremy Brett! To me he is the ideal Holmes, there will never be another better. (Okay, I admit that Benedict Cumberbatch as a modern-day Holmes is cool, but I really find Robert Downey Jr's version distasteful.)
If the book arrives in time, we'll have to discuss it at our next dinner. I never read Nancy Drew; I was a Cherry Ames girl. She was a nurse and each book she worked in a different place in different nursing and would solve a mystery. Of course, a man would always fall in love with her and she would reject him for her career. Oh yes, she was beautiful too.
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