The Boston Girl
Anita Diamant, 2014
Scribner
336 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781439199367
Summary
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Red Tent and Day After Night, comes an unforgettable novel about family ties and values, friendship and feminism told through the eyes of a young Jewish woman growing up in Boston in the early twentieth century.
Addie Baum is The Boston Girl, born in 1900 to immigrant parents who were unprepared for and suspicious of America and its effect on their three daughters.
Growing up in the North End, then a teeming multicultural neighborhood, Addie’s intelligence and curiosity take her to a world her parents can’t imagine—a world of short skirts, movies, celebrity culture, and new opportunities for women. Addie wants to finish high school and dreams of going to college. She wants a career and to find true love.
Eighty-five-year-old Addie tells the story of her life to her twenty-two-year-old granddaughter, who has asked her "How did you get to be the woman you are today." She begins in 1915, the year she found her voice and made friends who would help shape the course of her life. From the one-room tenement apartment she shared with her parents and two sisters, to the library group for girls she joins at a neighborhood settlement house, to her first, disastrous love affair, Addie recalls her adventures with compassion for the naïve girl she was and a wicked sense of humor.
Written with the same attention to historical detail and emotional resonance that made Anita Diamant’s previous novels bestsellers, The Boston Girl is a moving portrait of one woman’s complicated life in twentieth century America, and a fascinating look at a generation of women finding their places in a changing world. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—June 27, 1951
• Where—New York, New York, USA
• Education—B.A., Washington University; M.A., State University of New York, Binghamton
• Currently—ives in Newton, Massachusetts
Anita Diamant is an American author of fiction and non-fiction books. She is best known for her novel, The Red Tent, a New York Times best seller. She has also written several guides for Jewish people, including The New Jewish Wedding and Living a Jewish Life.
Early life and education
Diamant spent her early childhood in Newark, New Jersey, and moved to Denver, Colorado, when she was 12 years old. She attended the University of Colorado Boulder and transferred to Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, where she earned a bachelor's degree in Comparative Literature in 1973. She then went on to receive a master's degree in English from State University of New York at Binghamton in 1975.
Career
Diamant began her writing career in 1975 as a freelance journalist. Her articles have been published in the Boston Globe magazine, Parenting, New England Monthly, Yankee, Self, Parents, McCalls, and Ms.
She branched out into books with the release of The New Jewish Wedding, published in 1985, and has since published seven other books about contemporary Jewish practice.
Her debut as a fiction writer came in 1997 with The Red Tent, followed by the novels, Good Harbor and The Last Days of Dogtown, an account of life in a dying Cape Ann, Massachusetts village, Dogtown, in the early 19th century. Day After Night, is a novel about four women who survived the Holocaust, and find themselves detained in a British displaced persons camp. The Boston Girl, published in 2014, is the story of a young Jewish woman growing up in early 20th century Boston.
Diamant is the founding president of Mayyim Hayyim: Living Waters Community Mikveh and Education Center, a community-based ritual bath in Newton, Massachusetts.
She lives in Newton, is married, and has one daughter. (Adapted from Wikipedia. Retrieved 12/9/2014.)
Book Reviews
[A] gripping story of a young Jewish woman growing up in early-20th-century Boston. Addie Baum, an octogenarian grandmother in 1985, relates long-ago history to a beloved granddaughter.... This is a stunning look into the past with a plucky heroine readers will cheer for.
Publishers Weekly
Diamant offers impeccable descriptions of Boston life during [the] early years of the 20th century and creates a loving, caring lead character who grows in front of our eyes from a naive young girl to a warm, wise elder. Readers interested in historical fiction will certainly enjoy this look at the era, with all its complications and wonders. —Andrea Tarr, Corona P.L., CA
Library Journal
Addie is the daughter of Russian immigrants, the only one born in the New World but not the only one to disappoint her bitter, carping mother by turning out to be "a real American."... Enjoyable fiction with a detailed historical backdrop, this sweet tale is paradigmatic book club fare, but we expect something more substantial from the author of The Red Tent.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. Early on it is clear that Addie has a rebellious streak, joining the library group and running away to Rockport Lodge. Is Addie right to disobey her parents? Where does she get her courage?
2. Addie’s mother refuses to see Celia’s death as anything but an accident, and Addie comments that "whenever I heard my mother’s version of what happened, I felt sick to my stomach" (page 94). Did Celia commit suicide? How might the guilt that Addie feels differ from the guilt her mother feels?
3. When Addie tries on pants for the first time, she feels emotionally as well as physically liberated, and confesses that she would like to go to college (page 108). How does the social significance of clothing and hairstyle differ for Addie, Gussie, and Filomena in the book?
4. Diamant fills her narrative with a number of historical events and figures, from the psychological effects of World War I and the pandemic outbreak of influenza in 1918 to child labor laws to the cultural impact of Betty Friedan. How do real-life people and events affect how we read Addie’s fictional story?
5. Gussie is one of the most forward-thinking characters in the novel; however, despite her law degree she has trouble finding a job as an attorney because "no one would hire a lady lawyer" (page 145). What other limitations do Addie and her friends face in the work force? What limitations do women and/or minorities face today?
6. After distancing herself from Ernie when he suffers a nervous episode brought on by combat stress, Addie sees a community of war veterans come forward to assist him (page 155). What does the remorse that Addie later feels suggest about the challenges American soldiers face as they reintegrate into society? Do you think soldiers today face similar challenges?
7. Addie notices that the Rockport locals seem related to one another, and the cook Mrs. Morse confides in her sister that, although she is usually suspicious of immigrant boarders, "some of them are nicer than Americans" (page 167). How does tolerance of the immigrant population vary between city and town in the novel? For whom might Mrs. Morse reserve the term "Americans"?
8. Addie is initially drawn to Tessa Thorndike because she is a Boston Brahmin who isn’t afraid to poke fun at her own class on the women’s page of the newspaper. What strengths and weaknesses does Tessa’s character represent for educated women of the time? How does Addie’s description of Tessa bring her reliability into question?
9. Addie’s parents frequently admonish her for being ungrateful, but Addie feels she has earned her freedom to move into a boarding house when her parents move to Roxbury, in part because she contributed to the family income (page 185). How does the Baum family move to Roxbury show the ways Betty and Addie think differently than their parents about household roles? Why does their father take such offense at Harold Levine’s offer to house the family?
10. The last meaningful conversation between Addie and her mother turns out to be an apology her mother meant for Celia, and for a moment during her mother’s funeral Addie thinks, "She won’t be able to make me feel like there’s something wrong with me anymore" (page 276). Does Addie find any closure from her mother’s death?
11. Filomena draws a distinction between love and marriage when she spends time catching up with Addie before her wedding, but Addie disagrees with the assertion that "you only get one great love in a lifetime" (page 289). In what ways do the different romantic experiences of each woman inform the ideas each has about love?
12. Filomena and Addie share a deep friendship. Addie tells Ada that "sometimes friends grow apart…But sometimes, it doesn’t matter how far apart you live or how little you talk—it’s still there" (page 283). What qualities do you think friends must share in order to have that kind of connection? Discuss your relationship with a best friend.
(Questions issued by the publisher.)
A Foolish Consistency
Andrea Weir, 2014
Cedar Forge Press
342 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781936672738
Summary
When a trip to the emergency room on Christmas Eve brings Callie Winwood together with Will Tremaine, the man she once thought she’d marry but has not seen in twenty-five years, their chance meeting reignites feelings each has harbored for more than two decades.
Their journey toward one another is anything but simple, however. Following the death of his wife, Joanna, two years earlier, which he believes he caused, Will has devoted himself to his two young children.
As Will and Callie struggle with their own personal histories of love and loss, they must also navigate the complex emotions of Will’s children who still grieve for their mother. At the same time, they must struggle with Joanna s family, who refuse to accept that she is gone, and will do anything to avoid facing the truth.
Just as Callie and Will find happiness at last, they are forced apart when a scandal threatens to unravel their respective families. Putting their children above all else, Callie and Will separate—willingly but painfully—until an unexpected ally intervenes.
A Foolish Consistency explores the damage—emotional and otherwise—wrought by unacknowledged fear and grief, as well as the futility of trying to control the uncontrollable. Yet, it is also a passionate love story, and a statement on the power of hope, the importance of forgiveness, and, ultimately, the joy of redemption. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—N/A
• Raised—San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA
• Education—University of California, Santa Barbara
• Currently—lives in Santa Barbara, California
Andrea Weir is an accomplished journalist whose work has appeared in newspapers and magazines across the country and around the world. Born in Boston, she grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area then completed a bachelor’s degree at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She and her husband continue to live in Santa Barbara, where they raised their two daughters, Rebecca and Catherine.
An avid reader and writer since adolescence, Weir composed her first stories in grade-school notebooks, and has kept a journal since she was 14. She has led writing workshops for high school juniors and seniors, and seminars on journaling for writers of all ages.
A Foolish Consistency is Weir’s first novel. (From the publisher.)
Visit the author's website.
Follow Andrea on Facebook.
Book Reviews
[Weir] expertly juxtaposes the sadness of loss with the joy of new beginnings ... [s]he also explores the idea of blended families with insight and finesse.
Kirkus Reviews
Weir [goes] to the next level by not glossing over the delicate choices involved in starting over at love and commitment.
µµµµ - Foreword Clarion
[A] rich, compelling love story that is anything but foolish … a complex romance for literate grown ups.
Seasons Magazine
Discussion Questions
1. The point of view shifts from first-person to third-person. What purpose does the shift serve?
2. Will and Callie each believe they have failed at their respective marriages. Why?
3. Was it a good idea for Will to tell the Hallorans about his relationship with Callie so early on?
4. Eleanor and Rowan are determined to keep Will from getting involved with Callie. What are their individual motivations?
5. What did Callie mean when she told Will she and her brother felt invisible as children?
6. What does Callie accomplish by going to Joanna’s grave?
7. Lizzy knows that Eleanor and Rowan have the wrong idea about Ben’s behavior toward her when they met in San Sebastian. Why doesn’t she correct them?
8. Did Callie and Will do the right thing by ending their relationship for the sake of their children?
9. What is the significance of Chase finally standing up to Eleanor?
10. Why was it important that Lizzy be the one to make Eleanor see the truth?
(Questions courtesy of the author.)
The Winter Boy
Sally Wiener Grotta, 2014
Pixel Hall Press
495 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780988387195
Summary
Reminiscent of Margaret Atwood, Mary Doria Russell and Ursula K. LeGuin, The Winter Boy explores important political and social issues within a dynamic, character-driven otherworld, wrapped up in masterful storytelling.
The Valley of the Alleshi is the center of all civilization, the core and foundation of centuries of peace. A cloistered society of widows, the Alleshi, has forged a peace by mentoring young men who will one day become the leaders of the land.
Each boy is paired with a single Allesha for a season of intimacy and learning, using time-honored methods that include dialog, reason and sexual intimacy. However, unknown to all but a hidden few, the peace is fracturing from pressures within and beyond, hacking at the very essence of their civilization.
Amidst this gathering political maelstrom, Rishana, a young new idealistic Allesha, takes her First Boy, Ryl, for a winter season of training. But Ryl is a “problem boy” who fights Rishana every step of the way.
At the same time, Rishana uncovers a web of conspiracies that could not only destroy Ryl, but threatens to tear their entire society apart. And a winter that should have been a gentle, quiet season becomes one of conflict, anger and danger. (From the publisher.)
Download a free excerpt.
Author Bio
Sally Wiener Grotta is a consummate storyteller, reflecting her deep humanism and appreciation for the poignancy of life. As an award-winning journalist, she has authored hundreds of articles, columns, essays and reviews for scores of glossy magazines, newspapers, journals and online publications. She has also authored numerous non-fiction books. Her fiction includes the critically acclaimed novel Jo Joe.
A member of the American Society of Journalists & Authors, Sally Wiener Grotta is a frequent speaker at conferences, schools and other organizations on storytelling, creativity, the business of writing, as well as on photography and the traditional tradespeople of her American Hands narrative portrait project. She welcomes invitations to participate in discussions with book clubs (occasionally in person, more often via Skype, Google Hangout, or phone), and to do occasional readings. You can also connect with her on Facebook. (From the publisher.)
Visit Sally on Google+ and on her blog,
Follow Sally on Facebook.
Book Reviews
A Bookwatch Reviewers’ Choice
[A] very rewarding read that raises your self-awareness in a way that only great books do… A literary triumph.
Dr. Babus Ahmed - Ajoobacats blog
The Winter Boy by Sally Wiener Grotta is a deeply thoughtful book. The comparisons to Margaret Atwood and Ursula K. LeGuin are apt. It reads more like literature than fantasy or Science Fiction… I found The Winter Boy very engrossing. I enjoyed the experience of reading the book and felt enriched by it when I was done.
Kelly Jensen - SFCrowsnest
The Winter Boy is highly readable. It captures the reader's interest immediately and swiftly carries him or her through the incredible story.
Alma Bond - Midwest Book Review
Sally Wiener Grotta has written an intriguing tale with a unique premise…. deeply enthralling.
Lynn Worton - Book Reviews by Lynn
Quite unlike anything else I have read, this second book from Sally Wiener Grotta is multi-faceted, complex and wholly intriguing.
Gaele Hince - I am Indeed
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I particularly liked the development of the characters and their response to the lessons they learned. Although set in a time that is not our own, many of the insights offered throughout the story have relevance to our world and our own humanity. I loved the myths and legends that were used as part of Ryl’s training. The Winter Boy is also a suspenseful tale and I always returned to my reading, eager to find out what would happen next….This is a story that will stay with me for a long time; thank you Sally Wiener Grotta for writing such a wonderful, thought provoking story.
Angela Thomas - Fantastic Books
The Winter Boy is a study on human character, and an interesting lesson on the psychology of the pupil as well as the teacher…. The prose is lyrical, though straightforward. There are elements of philosophy, spirituality, and sensuality that are thought provoking, disturbing, even. It is a deep, all-encompassing story, well imagined and exotic.
Michelle Bowles - What Is That Book About
Discussion Questions
1. If you were to create a culture or society from scratch, with the hope of it being one of peace, how would you have gone about doing it?
2. What fatal flaws did the Alleshine world have? Or are the flaws within human beings?
3. How many names have you had in your lifetime? How did they represent different relationships or different aspects of you and your life at the time?
4. What do you think of Kiv? What do you think of she did what she did? Was it entirely out of love for the Peace, or other more personal reasons - or both? What would you have done, if you felt the way she did?
5. What do you think of the idea of using sexuality and intimacy to teach young men how to be leaders? How have the deep bonds you have shared with special people in your life changed you? What did you learn from them? Was the depth of your learning and alteration related to the depth of the relationship?
6. If you were an Allesha or Alleman, what would you do to save the Peace?
7. What do you think of the Guardian Alleshi? Are they necessary? Or do they subvert the essence of the Alleshine Peace?
8. Can you save lives by taking lives? Does preparing for war assure that there will be a war? Or does the nature of humanity require always being ready to protect yourself and your loved ones?
9. What do you think would have happened to Jinet if she hadn't become an Allesha?
10. What makes her the right fit for Ryl? Would Ryl have become an Alleman with some other Allesha? Was there anything unique about their pairing, or was it the system of training that gave him what he needed to mature?
11. How would you define Ryl/Dov's love for Tayar? What are the differences and similarities to his love for Lilla? Can one man love two women? Can a boy be in love with a woman older than his mother?
12. Do you blame Mistral for starting a war? What would you have done in a similar situation?
13. Was Caith wise or foolish to confront Kiv about her plans? Why? If you were Caith, would you have released the guns?
(Questions courtesy of the author.)
Here
Richard McGuire, 2014
Knopf Doubleday
304 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780375406508
Summary
From one of the great comic innovators, the long-awaited fulfillment of a pioneering comic vision.
Richard McGuire’s Here is the story of a corner of a room and of the events that have occurred in that space over the course of hundreds of thousands of years. With full-color illustrations throughout. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—1957
• Where—New Jersey, USA
• Education—N/A
• Currently—lives in New York City, New York
Richard McGuire is an illustrator, graphic designer, comic book artist, animator, children's book author, musician and toy designer. His illustrations have been published in the New York Times, The New Yorker, Le Monde, and other publications. He is a founding member and bassist for the band Liquid Liquid. His bass line from the song Cavern is considered one of the most sampled bass lines of all time.
His short story "Here" is perhaps the most lauded comic book story from recent decades. An updated book-length version of Here, along with a digital version, was published in 2014. (Adapted from the publisher.)
Book Reviews
Getting from here to there can be hard enough. But it has taken Richard McGuire 25 years to do something even more complicated: get form here to here….the book promises to leapfrog immediately to the front ranks of the graphic-novel genre.
Schuessler Jennifer - New York Times
(Starred review.) Expanding on an influential piece that first appeared in Raw in 1989, McGuire, best known for his illustrated children’s books, explores a single patch of land (apparently in Perth Amboy, N.J.) over the course of millions of years.... [A] masterful sense of time and...power of the mundane....
Publishers Weekly
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, nascetur neque iaculis vestibulum, sed nam arcu et, eros lacus nulla aliquet condimentum, mauris ut proin maecenas, dignissim et pede ultrices ligula elementum. Sed sed donec rutrum, id et nulla orci. Convallis curabitur mauris lacus, mattis purus rutrum porttitor arcu quis
Library Journal
(Starred review.) Later spreads flash with terrible and ancient supremacy, impending cataclysm, and distant, verdant renaissance, then slow to inevitable, irresistible conclusion. The muted colors and soft pencils further blur individual moments into a rich, eons-spanning whole. A gorgeous symphony.”
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
Use our LitLovers Book Club Resources; they can help with discussions for any book:
• How to Discuss a Book (helpful discussion tips)
• Generic Discussion Questions—Fiction and Nonfiction
• Read-Think-Talk (a guided reading chart)
(We'll add specific questions if and when they're made available by the publisher.)
Moriarty
Anthony Horowitz, 2014
HarperCollins
304 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780062377180
Summary
Internationally bestselling author Anthony Horowitz's nail-biting new novel plunges us back into the dark and complex world of Detective Sherlock Holmes and Professor James Moriarty—dubbed "the Napoleon of crime"—in the aftermath of their fateful struggle at the Reichenbach Falls.
Days after Holmes and Moriarty disappear into the waterfall's churning depths, Frederick Chase, a senior investigator at New York's infamous Pinkerton Detective Agency, arrives in Switzerland. Chase brings with him a dire warning: Moriarty's death has left a convenient vacancy in London's criminal underworld. There is no shortage of candidates to take his place—including one particularly fiendish criminal mastermind.
Chase is assisted by Inspector Athelney Jones, a Scotland Yard detective and devoted student of Holmes's methods of deduction, whom Conan Doyle introduced in The Sign of Four. The two men join forces and fight their way through the sinuous streets of Victorian London—from the elegant squares of Mayfair to the shadowy wharfs and alleyways of the Docks—in pursuit of this sinister figure, a man much feared but seldom seen, who is determined to stake his claim as Moriarty's successor.
Riveting and deeply atmospheric, Moriarty is the first Sherlock Holmes novel sanctioned by the author's estate since Horowitz's House of Silk. This tale of murder and menace breathes life into Holmes's fascinating world, again proving that once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however im- probable, must be the truth. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—April 5, 1955
• Where—Stanmore, Middlesex, UK
• Education—University of York
• Awards—Lancashire Children's Book of the Year Award
• Currently—lives in London, England
Anthony Horowitz, OBE is a prolific English novelist and screenwriter specialising in mystery and suspense. His work for children and teenagers includes The Diamond Brothers series, the Alex Rider series, and The Power of Five series (aka The Gatekeepers). His work for adults includes the novel and play Mindgame (2001) and two Sherlock Holmes novels, The House of Silk (2011) and Moriarty (2014). He has also written extensively for television, contributing numerous scripts to ITV's Agatha Christie's Poirot and Midsomer Murders. He was the creator and principal writer of the three ITV series—Foyle's War, Collision and Injustice.
Personal life
Horowitz was born in Stanmore, Middlesex, into a wealthy Jewish family, and in his early years lived an upper-middle class lifestyle. As an overweight and unhappy child, Horowitz enjoyed reading books from his father's library. At the age of eight, Horowitz was sent to the boarding school Orley Farm in Harrow, Middlesex. There, he entertained his peers by telling them the stories he had read. Overall, however, Horowitz described his time in the school as "a brutal experience," recalling that he was often beaten by the headmaster. At age 13 he went on to Rugby School and discovered a love for writing.
Horowitz adored his mother, who introduced him to Frankenstein and Dracula. She also gave him a human skull for his 13th birthday. Horowitz said in an interview that it reminds him to get to the end of each story since he will soon look like the skull. From the age of eight, he knew he wanted to be a writer, realizing "the only time when I'm totally happy is when I'm writing." He graduated from the University of York with a lower second class degree in English literature and art history in 1977.
Horowitz's father was associated with some of the politicians in the "circle" of prime minister Harold Wilson, including Eric Miller. Facing bankruptcy, he moved his assets into Swiss numbered bank accounts. He died from cancer when his son Anthony was 22, and the family was never able to track down the missing money despite years of trying.
Horowitz now lives in Central London with his wife Jill Green. They have two sons whom he credits with much of his success in writing. They help him, he says, with ideas and research. He is a patron of child protection charity Kidscape.
Early writing
Horowitz published his first children's book, The Sinister Secret of Frederick K Bower in 1979 and, in 1981, a second, Misha, the Magician and the Mysterious Amulet. In 1983 he released the first of the Pentagram series, The Devil's Door-Bell, which was followed by three more in the series until the final in 1986.
In between his novels, Horowitz worked with Richard Carpenter on the Robin of Sherwood television series, writing five episodes of the third season. He also novelized three of Carpenter's episodes as a children's book under the title Robin Sherwood: The Hooded Man (1986). In addition, he created Crossbow (1987), a half-hour action adventure series loosely based on William Tell.
Starting in 1988, Horowitz published two Groosham Grange novels, partially based on his boarding school years. The first won the 1989 Lancashire Children's Book of the Year Award.
The major release in his early career was The Falcon's Malteser (1986), which became the first in the eight-book Diamond Brothers series. The book was filmed for television in 1989 as Just Ask for Diamond. The series' final installment was issued in 2008.
Midcareer writing
Horowitz wrote numerous stand alone novels in the 1990s, but in 2000 he began the Alex Rider novels—about a 14-year-old boy becoming a spy for the British Secret Service branch MI6. The series is comprised of nine books (a tenth is connected but not part of it) with the final installment released in 2011.
Another series, The Power of Five (The Gatekeepers in the U.S.) began in 2005 with Raven's Gate—"Alex Rider with witches and devils," Horowitz called it. Five books in all were published by 2012
Horowitz also turned to playwrighting with Mindgame, which opened Off Broadway in 2009 at the Soho Playhouse in New York City. The production starred Keith Carradine, Lee Godart, and Kathleen McNenny; it was the New York stage directorial debut for Ken Russell
The estate of Arthur Conan Doyle selected Horowitz as the writer of a new Sherlock Holmes novel, the first such effort to receive an official endorsement. The resulting book, The House of Silk, came out in 2011, followed by Moriarty in 2014.
Horowitz was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2014 New Year Honours for services to literature.
TV and film
Horowitz's association with televised murder mysteries began with the adaptation of several Hercule Poirot stories for ITV's popular Agatha Christie's Poirot series during the 1990s.
Starting in 1997, he wrote the majority of the episodes in the early series of Midsomer Murders. In 2001, he created a drama anthology series of his own for the BBC, Murder in Mind, an occasional series which deals with a different set of characters and a different murder every one-hour episode.
He is also less-favourably known for the creation of two short-lived and sometimes derided science-fiction shows, Crime Traveller (1997) for BBC One and The Vanishing Man (pilot 1996, series 1998) for ITV. The successful 2002 launch of the detective series Foyle's War, set during the Second World War, helped to restore his reputation as one of Britain's foremost writers of popular drama.
He devised the 2009 ITV crime drama Collision and co-wrote the screenplay with Michael A. Walker. Horowitz is the writer of a feature film screenplay, The Gathering, released in 2003 and starring Christina Ricci. He wrote the screenplay for Alex Rider's first major motion picture, Stormbreaker. (From Wikipedia. Retrieved 12/1/2014.)
Book Reviews
Thrilling and compelling, with a stunning twist, this is written as if Conan Doyle were at Horowitz’s shoulder, and is—in my view—the finest crime novel of the year.
Daily Mail (UK)
In this skilfully executed follow on, Horowitz takes up the Conan Doyle baton and creates a suitably stylish and twisty detective story.
Sunday Mirror (UK)
Is there nothing Anthony Horowitz touches that doesn’t turn to gold? ...He captures Conan Doyle’s narrative technique to perfection. Gory murders, honest thieves, brilliant disguises, breathless chases and red herrings abound.
Daily Express (UK)
Though Horowitz dishes up the gore and violence with relish, he also offers all the tropes one might expect from a Holmes yarn, including baffling coded messages, impossible murders and clever red herrings... its plotting just as brilliantly gnarly but its tone more self-aware and laced with in-jokes.
Financial Times
A page-turning novel for all ages that continues the story of Sherlock Holmes’s greatest enemy…crammed with references to some of [Doyle’s] best-loved stories.
Independent (UK)
In this disappointing follow-up to Horowitz’s brilliant first Holmes pastiche, The House of Silk (2011), Sherlock Holmes appears only in passing, in a prologue in which narrator Frederick Chase, a Pinkerton operative, details the plot holes in Watson’s account of the fatal encounter between the great detective and the Napoleon of crime.... [A] pale shadow of Holmes and Watson.
Publishers Weekly
Horowitz's mystery bona fides are impeccable.... Here he reimagines what happened after the presumably lethal scuffle between Holmes and Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls.
Library Journal
(Starred review.) A stunning riff on the Holmes-Moriarty clash. It’s full of allusions to the Holmes cannon that Sherlockians will congratulate themselves for spotting, then wince moments later when Horowitz gently reveals the prank.... Horowitz spins his tale in pitch-perfect Watsonian prose…setting readers up for a finale that is truly jaw-dropping.
Booklist
(Starred review.) A Sherlockian pastiche without Holmes and Watson? Yes indeed, and it's a tour de force quite unlike any other fruit from these densely plowed fields.... Readers who aren't put off by the Hollywood pacing, with action set pieces less like Conan Doyle than the Robert Downey Jr. movies, are in for a rare treat, a mystery as original as it is enthralling.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
(We'll add specific questions if and when they're made available by the publisher. In the meantime, use our generic mystery questions.)
GENERIC DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Mystery / Crime / Suspense Thrillers
1. Talk about the characters, both good and bad. Describe their personalities and motivations. Are they fully developed and emotionally complex? Or are they more one-dimensional heroes and villains?
2. What do you know...and when do you know it? At what point in the book do you, the reader, begin to piece together what happened?
3. Good crime writers are skillful at hiding clues in plain sight. How well does the author hide the clues in this work?
4. Does the author use red-herrings—false clues—to purposely lead readers astray?
5. Talk about plot's twists & turns—those surprising developments that throw everything you think you've figured out into disarray. Do they enhance the story, add complexity, and build suspense? Are they plausible? Or do the twists & turns feel forced and preposterous—inserted only to extend the story.
6. Does the author ratchet up the story's suspense? Did you find yourself anxious—quickly turning pages to learn what happened? How does the author build suspense?
7. What about the ending—is it satisfying? Is it probable or believable? Does it grow out of clues previously laid out by the author (see Question 2). Or does the ending come out of the blue? Does it feel forced...tacked-on...or a cop-out? Or perhaps it's too predictable. Can you envision a better, or different, ending?
8. Are there certain passages in the book—ideas, descriptions, or dialogue—that you found interesting or revealing...or that somehow struck you? What lines, if any, made you stop and think?
9. Overall, does the book satisfy? Does it live up to the standards of a good crime story or suspense thriller? Why or why not?
(Generic Mystery Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)
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