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The Beekeeper's Apprentice
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Bonnie G.
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rated it 3 stars
Aug 04, 2016 05:59AM
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As a Jewish Feminist I loved that this book centered around a Jewish feminist, so I was sad to feel no affinity at all for Mary as a character. I also found King's Sherlock less appealing than Conan Doyle's Sherlock. My theory on the reason for this is the absence of Watson. Watson humanized Sherlock. The way he told the stories made Sherlock interesting, beyond his freakish puzzling skills. Without Watson's loving portrayal Sherlock was a bit dull, and his oddness less charming and more just odd. And Mary too could have used a more loving biographer. She came off as obsessive (in a way that fits the profile for an intrepid detective) and smart, but otherwise not that interesting. I would love to have heard more about her pull to theology, particularly Jewish theology (minor beef here, she refers to the Torah as the "Jewish Bible." It is not, and no theologian would use that phrase.) It would have been interesting to know more about Mary's relationship with her horrid family too. Sherlock's family dynamic is part of the Conan Doyle stories for a reason. It helps flesh out this character. Watson would know that.
And while we are in the subject of Watson, boy, did he get screwed! King writes him as a sweet, stupid, bumbling sycophant. I don't know what Watson did to her, but she is still really pissed. Watson is no dummy, and he never was. He was the stories' heart in many ways. With him marginalized, the stories lack humanity, IMO to their detriment.
Again, I still enjoyed this, and some of my issues with the characters might be addressed in later books in the series, but the issues above is why this was a 3 rather than a 4 for me. If of interest, here is my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... Looking forward to hearing what others thought!
Oh man, I read this in high school and it blew my young mind. I wish I'd seen earlier that this was August's pick; I really wonder what I'd think of it now, older and wiser. I think I loved it because it was one of the first books I read that really did intrigue well. I also at that point had not read any of the original stories.Anyway, that is the perspective of someone who has not read the book in 15+ years
I agree that this was a fun, light read, and I enjoyed it more than I expected to. I'm not typically a mystery reader, unless there's some other hook for me (such as Egyptology and historical setting in the Amelia Peabody books), and I've read very little ACD. I liked Mary more than I expected to, though, and I liked playing along.I agree that Watson was very poorly served. His reduction in favor of Mary as a perfect partner for Sherlock wasn't justified; there can be two such partners! I also would have liked to have more of Mary's Oxford friends involved, but I appreciate the commitment to narrative focus.
I thought the resolution of Mary's emotional state after her injury was too pat. She read a letter and cried and then all was well -- very Hollywood.
Although it was a nice read, I wasn't hooked enough to want to read the rest of the series. Reading some reviews of the next book confirmed this series isn't quite for me, but I'm glad to have given it a try.
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Sarah, I totally agree about Mary's recovery, thanks for mentioning that. On a related note, I also don't read much mystery, but I really enjoy the Louise Penny Inspector Gamache series, if you are interested in trying more in this genre.
I'm still waiting to get it off loan at the library- but seeing these comments makes me ready to start!
I'm so disappointed that I'd accidentally left this book in my cart on B&N! I thought I'd ordered it and went to see why I hadn't received it. D'oh! It's now on its way. Hoping to get it soon so I can join the discussion.
I loved this but the conceit of the author being sent the manuscripts really got on my tits.I'm on to the fourth or fifth of the series because I liked these so much. I thought the understanding of WW1 life was very good, and I liked the way she was able to change Holmes' character to suit her needs with a "oh well Watson and Doyle sensationalised it" handwave.
Alicia wrote: "I thought the understanding of WW1 life was very good"I loved that aspect, especially the narrative about the war's effect on Mary's generation.
I read this book YEARS ago, and have been reading the series as they're published, so I decided it was time for a re-read. So far it's super info dumpy, but strangely compelling. If I were editing it, I would have cut out a ton of stuff. But I keep picturing this incarnation of Sherlock as looking like the Robert Downey Jr. one, so that's helping. :)
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A little RDJ makes everything better. Also, I agree that some additional editing would have been welcome.
Bonnie wrote: "Michelle wrote: "I read this book YEARS ago, and have been reading the series as they're published, so I decided it was time for a re-read. So far it's super info dumpy, but strangely compelling. I..."I totally got sucked back in - I'd forgotten how it ended, and it definitely gave me a lump in my throat. I think the key thing is that it's really not a piece of detective fiction, it's more a coming of age story. If I remember correctly, the rest have a more traditional mystery structure, but they can be maddeningly non-linear. I'm going to have to re-read the series, that's all there is too it! One of the more recent instalments, Pirate King, is one of my favourite books of all time...
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Perhaps it was because it spoke to my inner girl sleuth, or maybe it was due to the "poor orphan girl" (fact: I used to daydream of being an orphan...or adopted...or both). The point is, the book was a fun, easy read and it came at the perfect time. While I understood the need to keep the awful aunt in the background, I feel a bit cheated that she wasn't more of a problem for Mary and Holmes. Of course, there's plenty of time to revisit her in the future.
All the tiny faults of the story (aunt, recovery after being shot, the obviousness of the Moriarty connection) weren't enough to set me off. In fact, I've already ordered more in the series.
Brava to whoever put this up for a vote!
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I've started re-reading the whole series, because it's been so long I've forgotten a lot, and I'm not sure why I find it so gripping when I find Mary so unrelatable. That's the real mystery here! :)
I liked the book and to be honest I never heard of this series. I will be reading the rest of them for sure.
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I totally agree! I don't understand why I enjoyed this when I really felt nothing for Mary.
I got halfway through and have to return it to the library, I like it, but it didn't really engage me. I'll put it on hold again and maybe try to finish it then.
I thoroughly enjoyed this. I had never heard of this series, and casually mentioned it to my sister, who had not only heard of it, but had read each one f the books. She then loaned me her copies of the next few in the series. Serendipity!
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I commented on this at GFY itself and then thought it was kind of cheating not to comment here, albeit late.I made it through to the end of this book, thanks to waiting for a family member at various medical appointments. I wouldn't exactly call myself a Conan Doyle purist, but even so, the treatment of Watson in this book really put me off. This Watson was an even bigger dunderhead than the Nigel Bruce portrayal in the Rathbone movies. Watson, who Holmes in the Conan Doyle stories, depended on for his bravery. Watson, who by all accounts was at very least a competent doctor. And Watson, who, by his observations of Holmes' brilliance is the representative of us the audience. Watson didn't need to be so diminished to prop up Mary Russell.
Nonetheless, I'm glad this was a recommended book because this series has been on my mental to-read list for a while. Now I know.
