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A Monstrous Regiment of Women Laurie R King 9780006514947 Books

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A Monstrous Regiment of Women Laurie R King 9780006514947 Books

This novel focuses primarily on Mary Russell as she transitions from a student to a young woman coming into her majority with considerable personal wealth. Her years as a student carry over into the storyline as the reader spends much of the first half of the book immersed in a course like exploration of theology rather than the expected mystery, although sinister acts are referenced.
Mystery plays a secondary role in the book as does Holmes. When the sinister actions come into the story, I found them to be predictable. I cannot say the same for Holmes. He did surprise me with an unexpected development.
I do like the Russell and Holmes characters as well as their interplay which helped me get beyond the "elementary" aspects of the plot.
Miss King did provide me with a challenge to my vocabulary knowledge. I referenced my dictionary more times while reading this book than any other book I have read in recent memory.


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A Monstrous Regiment of Women Laurie R King 9780006514947 Books Reviews

I'm a long time Sherlock Holmes fan and finding this series of books was a very happy surprise. Laurie King is a very bright author with an intricate intellect and has done a masterful job of winding, or better, intermingling her stories through the fastidiously constructed history of the brilliant and clever fictional detective.
Some authors just write well naturally, and Laurie King is definitely one of them. The mental pictures that she creates with her words are so clear, it is as if there is a movie running in my mind's eye as I read. This book is no exception as it deftly sets the scene for the stories that follow it. My only reservation is that in this book, she runs the risk of Mary Russell being too strong a character; perfectly clever and invincible with no cracks in her shell. However, King overcomes that issue by Mary's falling in love with Sherlock -- if that can be called a weakness. It is at least a very human trait, and given Mary's eccentricity, the December-May relationship seems appropriate. In addition, it is heartwarming to see the very logical and cool headed Sherlock in a caring position. Again, more human. I can't wait to read the novels that follow to see how their relationship grows.
This was the first Laurie King book I read, and it inspired me to get all the others on Mary Russell. I love the characters, and the interplay between them. Having a female character give the almost insufferably arrogant Sherlock Holmes a run for his money is quite gratifying, and I love that she is a scholar and American and Jewish. She is often sartorially trans, and slips in and out of gender roles. Mary Russell is complex and wonderful character and the novels with her are full of, as far as I can tell, accurate historical, religious, and cultural references.
The book meanders a bit like the middle of a Russian novel. We occasionally lose sight of the central mystery (or even what the mystery is) for delving into Mary Russel's inner thoughts on reaching adulthood, her relationship with Sherlock, and passing touches on the role of women in post WWI Britain. Worth a read.
Laurie R. King is a new author for me. I read and enjoyed the first book and so ordered this one. Well written and, incidentally, very informative about fairly recent English history and a "woman's place" in that society. In this book, Mary Russell, the very smart but not conventionally pretty orphaned girl, who was placed with an aunt she intensely dislikes until reaching her "majority" is finally old enough to inherit and rid herself of the aunt. Others will relate the story line so I will not. I like this series because of the history and the characters, King's masterful setting of scenes, clothes - it plays like a movie (a good one) - in your head as you read. Never too bloody or gory. Not an ordinary mystery book. Really like these!
In this second novel of Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes, Mary is turning 21 and claiming her inheritance and her independence from her aunt. Mary begins to investigate the New Temple of God and its founder, Margery Childs, and finds renewed purpose and satisfaction from her work there. She also connects with her Oxford friend, Veronica Beaconsfield, and enlists Holmes's aide in solving multiple murders. By the time that Russell and Holmes have solved the murder cases and discovered the men who tortured Mary, they decide to marry and become life partners.

This was a very good read and I'm looking forward to reading future installments.
The other negative reviews are spot on. The "case" doesn't even appear until more than half way through the book. What comes before is an endless, boring exposition of theology, mysticism and feminism. Look up authors degrees to see why. It's like she got an audience hooked with the Beekeeper book so she could preach God and women.

The ending goes so strongly against the persona that Doyle established. One of the basic tenets of Holmes is that he has no place in his life for the female gender. This author insults Doyle by having Holmes

SPOILER

Marry someone less than half his age.

A promising series cut short by the author's need to proselytize her feminism and denigrate one of her main characters.
This novel focuses primarily on Mary Russell as she transitions from a student to a young woman coming into her majority with considerable personal wealth. Her years as a student carry over into the storyline as the reader spends much of the first half of the book immersed in a course like exploration of theology rather than the expected mystery, although sinister acts are referenced.
Mystery plays a secondary role in the book as does Holmes. When the sinister actions come into the story, I found them to be predictable. I cannot say the same for Holmes. He did surprise me with an unexpected development.
I do like the Russell and Holmes characters as well as their interplay which helped me get beyond the "elementary" aspects of the plot.
Miss King did provide me with a challenge to my vocabulary knowledge. I referenced my dictionary more times while reading this book than any other book I have read in recent memory.