#NoPlaceLikeHolmes
#SherlockianDiscussion
QUESTION #2
Hello, Sherlockians~
Time for a little discussion about A STUDY IN SCARLET. I‘m not hiding the questions, so if you don‘t want to see them yet, don‘t look! 😃 There are 6 questions; respond whenever you wish! 🤩
erzascarletbookgasm, Cuilin, CogsOfEncouragement, AnneCecilie, Aimeesue, Librarybelle, mom2bugnbee, Read4life, StayCurious, CatLass007, Mollyanna, eeclayton, dabbe, IndoorDame, kelli7990, TheAromaofBooks, 5feet.of.fury, Tineke, Pageturner1, PageShifter, AllDebooks, AnnR, kimrenee, aroyseLibrarybelle Maybe that‘s why I struggled with the second part - the change in narrator. I think, overall, it made sense to divide the two sections of the story. I just struggled with the execution of it. 🤷🏻♀️ 3mo
AnnR This was the second time I've read A Study In Scarlett. During the prior read, I was completely lost with part 2. (Initially, I thought there was some type of mistake in my kindle version.) Ultimately, I found the transition jarring and actually wish Doyle had rewritten it at some point. (Sorry, probably an unpopular answer.) The backstory served a purpose but I didn't like it. 3mo
Aimeesue The transition could have been smoother maybe, but I‘m not sure how, without making it a far longer book. I found the second part interesting, though - my mother is now a Mormon, and I just don‘t understand some parts of that religion at all. (edited) 3mo
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Read4life @AnnR I had completely blocked part 2 from my memory of reading this. It may be an unpopular answer but I agree with you. 3mo
IndoorDame This was my first time reading this one, and I was completely shocked by the turn it took in part 2. But I was kinda pleased by that. Stories rarely surprise me that thoroughly and tie it all together effectively in the end. 3mo
CatLass007 @IndoorDame I agree with you. The difference between “civilized” London and the American Wild West is a jarring comparison. But I believe it is an effective way of telling this story. I enjoyed the mystery and I find the second part heartbreaking. A murderer‘s motivation is, in this case, easy to empathize with. 3mo
kelli7990 I didn‘t like Part 2 that much. I liked Part 1 better. I think breaking it up into a second part worked because the way Part 2 was written is completely different than Part 1. I wasn‘t expecting to learn about the history of the Mormon Church. I‘m disappointed because I was thinking that it was going to be more of a murder mystery kind of like Part 1 was but it wasn‘t. 3mo
TheAromaofBooks I really could have used some kind of transition or notice that we were switching gears. I even flipped ahead to make sure we ended up back in London at some point because I thought there was some kind of misprint in my book, the switch was so jarring. It did make sense to divide the story in that way, but I think it would read better with notification that we were delving into backstory lol 3mo
AnneCecilie I felt completely lost at the beginning of the second part, and wondered what it did there and was a little sorry that I didn‘t get an explanation to how Sherlock solved. It comes nicely together in the end. But feeling lost for such a long time during a relatively short book, is never fun. 3mo
erzascarletbookgasm The first time I read the book, I was put off by part 2. This is my second time reading, I understand why the backstory is necessary but I feel it need not be so in-depth. Also, like the others said, the transition is jarring. 3mo
CogsOfEncouragement I adore Watson. I've read a few Sherlock books and just love these characters. I also love me a now-it-all narrator! I enjoyed my reread of this mystery. No complaints. 3mo
dabbe @Librarybelle Books with completely different narrators and even writing styles are challenging for me. It's like I'll get the hang of one of them, and then when it goes to another, I'm like 😳? Books with many different narrators drive me bonkers! 😂 3mo
dabbe @AnnR No need to ever be sorry! All viewpoints are valid! I agree that the switch was jarring--just like the craggy rocks in Utah! 😂 3mo
dabbe @Aimeesue That's interesting re: your mother. Did she know someone who was Mormon? I found it interesting, too, but the first time I ever read it, I was like 😳? 😂 3mo
dabbe @Read4life Your brain was trying to protect you from that part! 😂 3mo
dabbe @IndoorDame Especially when even the writing style was so different; the 2nd part read like a history book for me. 🤗 3mo
dabbe @CatLass007 I rooted for Jefferson Hope and “hoped“ he'd get his revenge. I also liked that he didn't have to suffer in jail that long. His and Lucy's story was indeed a heartbreaker. 🤗 3mo
dabbe @kelli7990 It was like a history lesson, wasn't it? Lots of good mysteries lie ahead! 😃 3mo
dabbe @TheAromaofBooks It's weird. I kind of liked the jarring because it reflected the harsh landscape of the wild and untamed west. You had to hang in there, though, for it to slowly start to make sense. Quite a way to start the FIRST Holmes story ever, isn't it? 🤗 3mo
dabbe @AnneCecilie You make an excellent point. You do kind of hang there for a while, thinking “What on earth is going on?“ As a reader, I like to know EVERYTHING as I'm reading, not necessarily at the very end. 🤗 3mo
dabbe @erzascarletbookgasm I've often wondered if Doyle wanted to impress us with his so-called learning of the wild west. He did want to write nonfiction and didn't like that Sherlock ended up being the writing he is remembered most for (besides that fairy thing). 🤗 3mo
dabbe @CogsOfEncouragement I love that: a #knowitallnarrator! 🤩 3mo
CatLass007 @dabbe Fairy thing? 3mo
CrystalE02 I think that is why I enjoyed the first part better than the second part. I enjoyed Watson's narrative better than the 3rd person narrative. 3mo
AllDebooks @CatLass007 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-55187973.amp 3mo
AllDebooks I was gripped by the second half more. The back story set in the wilderness of America added extra weight to the desolation to Lucy and Jefferson's plight. 3mo
CatLass007 @AllDebooks Thank you. I have heard about this hoax before but I didn‘t remember or didn‘t know that Conan Doyle was involved. 3mo
dabbe @CatLass007 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottingley_Fairies 🤩 3mo
dabbe @CrystalE02 The 1st part was so much more personal, wasn't it? Watson even talks about his life and hardships, too. I feel like he's openly honest as well. 🤗 3mo
dabbe @AllDebooks Excellent choice of word: “weight“. You can almost feel the high crags looming over them when they almost died of starvation and lack of water. 3mo
CatLass007 @dabbe Thank you! 3mo
dabbe @CatLass007 🤩😍😃 3mo
aroyse Omigosh! Just like AnnR - I thought that my edition had a printing error 😂. I think Doyle‘s audiences might have been more appreciative of part 2 as the descriptions of the “Wild West” would have been more exciting for them. And the Mormon religion would have been completely foreign to more readers - I wonder how many thought he made up the whole religion…. 3mo
dabbe @aroyse I bet quite a few may have thought it was made up. It might even have seemed like a fantasy to them at the time. 3mo
Mollyanna I definitely enjoyed Part One more than Part Two. I felt Part two was disjointed and didn‘t fit with part one. Plus as others have said, Dr. Watson is the far superior narrator. His impressions, opinions and reactions definitely add to the story. 2mo
dabbe @Mollyanna It's always interesting when a person realizes that it's through Watson's eyes that we hear the tales. Before I read these, I always thought it was Sherlock. Most of us agreed that Doyle went a bit too far in Part 2; he seems to get his writing to be more concise in the short stories. 🤩 2mo
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