Books I've Been Reading Part 1: Enola Holmes

[bloodyrosemccoy]

The Case of the Missing Marquess: An Enola Holmes Mystery by Nancy Springer

Enola Holmes is awesome.

Okay, it’s no secret that I love the hell out of Sherlock Holmes. And while I am not dogmatic about what is canon and what is not, my love for the original stories means I will watch your attempts at reinterpreting Holmes with a fearsome look of cool appraisal in my eyes. Usually I will deem it unworthy and simply delete it from my mind.

But sometimes I’ll find something I like, and this time around that is Enola Holmes.

Nancy Springer’s portrayal of the younger sister (by at least two decades) of Sherlock and Mycroft is everything you’d ask of a Holmes. Enola’s intelligent, independent, multi-talented, and resourceful. And best of all, she does this all within the labyrinthine confines of Victorian England etiquette—a twist that earned Springer my undying respect.

This isn’t your average story of a 21st-Century tomboy displaced; this is historically accurate portrayal of a Victorian Suffragist, giving you everything from the writings by Mary Wollstonecraft to Enola’s mother’s preference to wear “rationals.” She also makes certain not to let Sherlock Holmes’s awesomeness eclipse his flaws—dude’s as dismissive of women in this story as he is in the originals. But this isn’t really his story—Enola does not barge into his canon and start mucking around, another thing I respect, so what we get is the story from one of the women he dismisses.

Enola’s resourcefulness draws heavily upon the ninjalike ability of women from that era to get around the social mores and ridiculous rules. She uses the language of flowers to communicate with her mother, and can read messages coded in the placement of postage stamps, of fans, and even of undergarments. She would never part with her corset—while she refuses to tighten it, it’s a perfect place to hide a dagger, serves as armor against others’ daggers, as well as having many other uses she points out through the story. It’s the details that get me—I go absolutely wild with glee when she turns something to her advantage.

And the story is good, too—putting Enola on the run from Sherlock (if he finds her, she is legally bound to follow the orders of her elder brother Mycroft, who wants to send her to boarding school) pits her wits against the world’s greatest detective—whom she idolizes. And she’s a terrific match—anyone who uses Holmes’s own failure to account for intelligent women to outsmart him wins extra super bonus points with me.

Oh, and it’s listed as juvenile fiction, but I want to make this clear—Springer doesn’t stop for slow readers. You’re expected to keep up with the references and the language, which is another way to earn my undying respect. She does hit you over the head a bit with the ciphers (YES, WE GET IT, IT'S "ALONE" SPELLED BACKWARDS), but for the most part she refuses to hold your hand. It's GREAT.

In conclusion, I loved the goddamn hell out of this book, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the series. I know not all Holmes fans will like the same thing, but if you’re into Sherlock, give this a shot.

Comments

[caprine.livejournal.com]

I must read this!

[fadethecat.livejournal.com]

I just last week finally got around to reading the second book in this series. It continues to be pretty awesome! And the series clearly isn't falling into any static patterns, either; things change between the beginning and the end of the book, to the point that Enola is actively going "Okay, this thing that I thought would work long-term won't, what should I do instead?" Which I really appreciate in a mystery series, as it's pretty darn rare for them to work that way, IME. Doubly so for a children's book.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

I just finished it tonight! I think we're seeing an actual arc--this series may not be one of them indefinite ones, it seems.

I was a little less into the split personality of Lady Cecily--seemed a little too bizarre. But on the other hand, it might have worked for a Holmes story--I seem to recall a Holmes story where the solution was completely impossible Mad Science. Good times.

[fadethecat.livejournal.com]

I found the solution...puzzling and a bit far-fetched. But since the interesting part was watching Enola work it out, that didn't bother me too much. I was more interested in what she was doing than the case she was solving, anyway. (And I love the realizations she came to about mistakes she'd made earlier; it makes her both clever and authentically still a teenager to not get everything right the first time through.)

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

Exactly--I accepted it because it wasn't the main point, and because I was enjoying Enola's deductions enough that I was willing to forgive an odd solution.

Damn, she's starting to get as observant as her brother now. It's becoming even more fun!

I like the insecurities that plague her, too--her distress over worrying her brother (and his worrying at all!) was touching, but I think my favorite thing was how the attempt to kill her hurt her feelings. It's something a lot of writers seem to gloss over, but if you're young and naive, even if you're smart enough to prepare for an attack, actually being attacked for the first time is a real shock. It makes her a much more understandable character to me.

[ellixis.livejournal.com]

This sounds delicious. I must track it down.

[westrider.livejournal.com]

OK, I gotta get me some of that!

[chairman-wow.livejournal.com]

This isn't the sort of thing I would usually seek out, but with a recommendation like that it's definitely going on my to-read list.

[jill-calico.livejournal.com]

You know, I remember picking this up at the library a while back and thinking, "Mm. Not today," and putting it back down. But I will definitely grab it next time.

[viizou.livejournal.com]

I remember reading about hardcore Holmesologists (not sure they call themselves exactly that, I'm translating from French), and was impressed by how serious a fandom it is. I'm not sure how they feel about this kind of fiction, but this one sounds really well-made, from what you say. I'll keep it in mind.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

*grin* After being a Star Wars fan, NOTHING fazes me. I get to the point where I'll decide that parts of the canon I don't like (for whatever reason) simply Do Not Count. I decided long ago that reinterpretation and retelling are pretty much standard for stories, so all I have to do is pick the parts I like.

Things that Do Not Count still afford me amusement, though. Last year some movie critic discovered that there would be homosexual undertones in the new Holmes movie, and wrote an outraged article demanding, basically, "Whoever heard of a GAY SHERLOCK HOLMES?" To which the internet laughed and said, "Dude, that predates the very web by DECADES!"