Charlotte & Jamie
Charlotte Holmes is the descendant of Sherlock Holmes. Though is anybody out there (besides me) astonished at the fact that Sherlock managed to spawn children? I'd just as well believe that he somehow cloned himself rather than go through the icky ordeal of procreation.
Jamie Watson is the descendant of Dr. John Watson. Seeing as how John was a bit of a ladies' man, this part is more believable. Jamie is sent to a boarding school in Connecticut after acquiring a rugby scholarship. And lo and behold, that's where Charlotte happens to be!
Mycroft Holmes: Oh, Sherlock, what do we say about coincidence?
Sherlock Holmes: The universe is rarely so lazy.
- BBC's Sherlock "The Sign of Three"
Jamie has a strong fascination with his counterpart, Charlotte. He also hopes to be a writer like his ancestor, and wishes for a bond with Charlotte like his predecessor had with Sherlock. He finds out that Charlotte has been solving crimes for Scotland Yard since the age of 10 and has been well-trained in deductive and reasoning skills.
Fascinating, right? But I found it all SO dull. To me, this was essentially a retelling. Even with the change of setting, the contemporary time period (both of which had already been done before), the Holmes and Watson families, and changing Holmes to a female character, nothing felt fresh. Everything was recycled from the original Sherlock Holmes stories. Even down to the existence of the Moriarty family.
Friendship & Romance
My friend's little sister is named Jamie. So when I skimmed through the synopsis, I thought ooh, female friendship! Alas I realized that not to be the case. I always worry when either of the main characters are female. In fact that was the very reason why I refused to watch Elementary. I did not want a romantic dynamic to come into play at all. Luckily romance between Watson and Holmes did not come into play in Elementary (at least as far as I've watched). I sadly cannot say the same for A Study in Charlotte.
Luckily romance didn't play a central role in the story. But I found myself SO BORED. Honestly, I have very high standards when it comes to Sherlock Holmes. I need it to be clever. BBC's Sherlock did a wonderful job in modernizing Holmes and Watson, by creating strong yet likeable characters with a bond everyone can't help but root for, and updating the stories to fit the contemporary time period. And let's face it, Season 3 was basically fan fiction come to life *fans self*.
Last Thoughts
NOTHING surprised me in this book. The mystery should have intrigued me, but I just didn't care. I should have been cheering on the friendship that develops between Watson and Holmes but again, I couldn't care less. My favorite character was Milo, only because he was almost an exact replica of Mycroft (aka Mark Gatiss) from Sherlock.
I should have just re-watched Sherlock instead. I may give the next book in the trilogy a try when it releases next year. But I sure as hell won't be re-reading this one.
I've seen a lot of reviews for this saying the same thing. Too bad too because I would have read this as well. I love Sherlock!
ReplyDeleteNo interest whatsoever in reading this.
ReplyDeleteSorry. Was that mean? Lol.
I've never read nor seen Sherlock Holmes. So yeah. This doesn't interest me at all.
Aw, I am so sorry that this didn't work out for you! For some reason, this one seemed like something I wouldn't like, so I avoided, and I am kind of glad I did. I mean, when a mystery is boring and NOT mysterious, you know things are not going well. It's extra sad because you were so excited for it though :( Great review, now go treat yourself to a rewatch of Sherlock!
ReplyDeleteMe too! Ugh, still so bummed.
ReplyDeleteNot at all! Thanks for stopping by, Joy :).
ReplyDeleteThank you! My sister and I are re-watching the series now. SO EXCITED FOR SEASON 4!
ReplyDeleteI really dislike it when I can't connect to characters. When I don't care about them one way or another - it completely ruins a book.
ReplyDeleteI can sort of see Sherlock having a child but in a more clinically reserved kind of way. Sort of so he can observe the pregnancy and then test theories of behaviour and childhood psychology on his kid...
I read a great psuedo modernized version of Sherlock Holmes called Every Breath by Ellie Marney. I really liked it. It did have a slight romance between the leads but by no means did it take over the story.
Also - It's never a bad idea to re-watch Sherlock. Cause it's awesome.
Sorry for my rambling comment!
Never apologize for rambling! I'm like that too :). And I will check that book out!
ReplyDeleteI just finished this one on audio a couple of days ago - and like you I was far too bored. I liked that they tied in a few classic stories, but otherwise I was very underwhelmed. I was actually hoping a Lestrade descendant would appear. I think I would rather just rewatch Sherlock (or even Elementary)!
ReplyDeleteIt was just too OBVIOUS for me. I think it would have been more interesting if Charlotte were to reject her famous predecessor for example. Or just have Jamie be so obsessed with Sherlock, that he was the Sherlock of the group. Just something more to set it apart and make it more interesting. This might be a good introduction for a younger audience to get them to read the original Sherlock Holmes stories, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteOh no! It's such a shame you didn't like this book! I loved it so much :3 It is a retelling, but it's supposed to be? I mean, it says it is going to be and it kind of follows through with that - and then the gender role swapping mixed things up and made it a little more interesting. And I really liked the friendship dynamic between the two. This was one that kept me turning pages when I read it! I was addicted :3
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you could enjoy it Olivia! The second book is available on Edelweiss I believe (though I'm not sure if its just for the US).
ReplyDeleteI think some of it had to do with the fact that I read and watch SO MANY Sherlock Holmes inspired books/movies/shows. So I really need to be impressed and wowed. This hit the nail far too neatly on the head for me.
I am really bummed about it though. I was hoping to like it enough to buy my own copy. I adore the cover.