The Childhood of Sherlock Holmes: The Butler's Tale

by Mona Morstein

A butler who shared years of employment with the Holmes family draws a clear portrait of Sherlock as a child. Read about Sherlock’s precocious and unsettling older brother Mycroft. Revealed at last is... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1880090791
• ISBN13: 9781880090794
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Galde Press
• Length: 340 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Creative, consistent, wonderful, impactful

I've read numerous Sherlockian pastiches, all I could get my hands on. This was among the very best. Focusing on an investigative reporter in London circle late 1800's uncovering the story of the childhoods of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes. Extremely well-written, insightful, intelligent. Lays the foundation, believably, for precursors to Sherlock and Mycroft's "temperment", their brotherly bond and more. Most excellent. I'd warrant Arthur Conan Doyle would heartily approve.

Marvelous Book!

I could not put this book down until I realized it was going to be over too soon, and so I vowed to just read a few chapters a night. What fun! I truly felt I was reading about real people. The author mentions Jeremy Brett's masterful interpretation of SH as an inspiration, and I really could see a childhood version of Brett as her young Sherlock. Likewise, I always found Charles Gray as Mycroft truly repulsive, and here I reacted in almost the same manner to young Mycroft, although I felt kinder toward him and more guilty for my response to him. I found their extraordinary personalities and the family story to be totally believable and a good and plausible background to their later lives. As for the place and time, I believe the author did an excellent research job. I am a dreadful nitpicker by nature (I just can't help myself) and I can only quibble about 2 things (Sherlock's aunt buys him "sweaters" - - an American term in modern England and I suppose also in 19th C. England - - and the butler complains about a new member of the household not being introduced to him - - he's a servant, and a formal introduction would have been unimaginable). And believe me, when I find only two minor things to quibble about, that means the author did a fantastic job. And I do not want to give anything about the story away, but one of the reasons I hesitated to read this book originally is that many authors have suggested that Sherlock and Mycroft had a cold, evil monster for a mother and I expected/dreaded finding that here - - not the case. Thank you for that, Ms. Morstein! I am so, so sick of mothers (and women in general) being blamed for everybody's personal problems that I must say it was a tremendous relief the author did not choose that tiresome route and instead came up with something much more believable and touching to explain Sherlock's solitude.

An excellent story

The author truly gives you a feel for what the childhood of Holmes might have been like and how those events shaped the person that he became. It is apparent from the book that the author has a good grasp of the feel and voice of the period, unlike many authors of Sherlockian and other period stories. This book is definitely worth reading.

Wonderful!

I am not a 'Sherlockian,' but I found this book to be a great read. I couldn't put it down, and I have now started reading the originals after reading this book!

Outstanding!

This is no ordinary pastiche. It deals with the childhood of Sherlock Holmes, and we find out why Holmes is the eccentric, Bohemian man he is as an adult.Dr. Morstein has woven an extraordinary tale; entirely believable, engrossing, and impossible to put down. You have never read a pastiche like this--an incredible book!