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Title: A Monstrous Regiment of Women by Laurie R. King ISBN: 0-553-57456-6 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 December, 1996 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.04 (57 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Uneven, but still quite good
Comment: This is the second in a series of books, detailing the investigations of Sherlock Holmes and his assistant/partner, Mary Russell. The first book in the series (The Beekeeper's Apprentice) is, admittedly, a tough act to follow. This second novel falls somewhat short. Even so, it is well worth reading.
In this second outing, Mary Russell is writing her thesis at Oxford, while eagerly anticipating the day she will turn 21, come into her inheritance, and rid herself of her horrible aunt and other assorted hangers-on. She happens to run into a friend of hers from her early days at Oxford. Veronica has given up the life of wealthy, pampered lady, and now works for an organization dedicated to helping the underprivileged women of London. Strangely, wealthy members of this group have been dying under mysterious circumstances, leaving money to this group. This, of course, piques Russell's interest, and she investigates the group, its leader, and the deaths.
The middle portion of this book is largely given over to study of the feminist leader of the group. She is both a feminist, and an untrained theologian. She gives public sermons that mainly center around the meaning of "love" and the unequal power balance between men and women. To be completely honest, I found a good portion of these sermons to be tedious and a bit muddled. Although I understand Russell's interest, since she is studying theology at Oxford, these meandering sermons and instruction periods really did nothing to advance the plot.
But persistence has its rewards. In the final quarter of the book, attention is returned to the mystery at hand, and it becomes a 5-star book again. Russell gets to do a wonderful bit of undercover work, aided by Holmes' training in the art of disguise. If only the middle had been as good as the beginning and end, the whole would have earned another 5-star rating. As it is, a solid 4 stars.
Rating: 5
Summary: Monstrous Regiment A Fit Successor To Beekeeper's
Comment: I,as an avid reader of all Victoriana,was enchanted by Laurie King's Beekeeper's Apprentice. Her grasp of the Victorian world is quite remarkable. Upon reading the next in the series,A Monstrous Regiment of Women,I was ,once again,transported into the world of Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes. A reader of Holmesian fiction,but not an absolute purist,I was engaged by seeing Holmes in situations not entirely of his own making. The age difference between Holmes and Russell was not uncommon for the Victorian period and,so,was not as uncomfortable for me as it has been for some readers. Their involvement with aspects of the women's Suffrage Movement was interesting in that Holme's views on women have always been somewhat misogynistic. To plunk him down in the middle of the Movement presented some interesting moments. Some of the plot devices were predictable but it was still a book with enough twists to make me keep turning pages long after I should have been asleep. I recommend it to anyone interested in the Victorian period as well as those who can take their Holmes with a grain of salt.
Rating: 4
Summary: Is the book feminist?
Comment: This Mary Russell mystery has as a central character Margery, who saw in the plight of the "surplus women" in England after WWI a call from God for her and other women to help the poor. Margery was a feminist, as was the main character, Sherlock Holmes's apprentice, Mary. All the chapter headings are quotations which put women "in their place"--quotations from St. Paul, the Church Fathers, and John Knox (the title was from him, opposing Mary Tudor being queen ["regiment" is used in the sense of "regime"]). However, Laurie King's character Margery could not successfully lead this church that she had started up. That is, the story-line, whether the author intended to or not (and I can't believe she was unaware of what she was doing), said that women indeed are incapable of leading a church. The story line thus disagrees with the main character! I'd like to know what Laurie King thinks.
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Title: A Letter of Mary by Laurie R. King ISBN: 0553577808 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 05 January, 1998 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King ISBN: 0553571656 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 July, 1996 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: The Moor by Laurie R. King ISBN: 0553579525 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 05 January, 1999 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: O Jerusalem by Laurie R. King ISBN: 0553581058 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 06 June, 2000 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Justice Hall by Laurie R. King ISBN: 0553581112 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 04 February, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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