Oxford Bookworms 3. Last Sherlock Holmes Story

by Rosalie Kerr and Michael Dibdin

Book Overview

This award-winning collection of adapted classic literature and original stories develops reading skills for low-beginning through advanced students. Accessible language and carefully controlled... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0194230074
• ISBN13: 9780194230070
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Oxford University Press España, S.A.
• Length: 80 Pages
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.8" x 0.2" x 5.1"

Customer Reviews

A Slap in the Face

When I started reading this book, my initial response was: Wow! Michael Dibdin REALLY has the voice of Watson down perfectly! I’ve been reading a LOT of Holmes pastiches lately, but I’ve also been reading the Doyle Canon stories - aloud, to my 10-year-old daughter - so I’m pretty attuned to Watson’s “writing voice,” and Michael Dibdin does it, in this book, as well as any of the best of them. That’s the good. The not-so-good: This is a Jack the Ripper story. Somewhere there is a wannabe-original-Holmes-writer deciding that he or she will write an amazing, original Holmes-meets-Ripper story. Guess what? It’s been done to death, to hell, and back from the grave. I have a list of over a dozen published Holmes-meets-Ripper stories, and I’m sure there are more than that. It’s not an original idea. The really bad: This is an original spin on Holmes meeting the Ripper. I’m all in favor of originality, but - as an enthusiast (and aspiring writer) of Sherlock Holmes stories, I HATED THE ENDING. I was profoundly disappointed - it sucks. It’s skillfully done, but it sucks. Do this with any other detective, but not my Sherlock Holmes. It doesn’t just depart from the Canon - after such a promising beginning. It spits in the Canon’s face. If you dare to read it - if you like Sherlock Holmes - you will probably hate it too. I won’t say - exactly - that I wish I hadn’t read it. But I will say I wish Michael Dibdin, with all his writing skill, had chosen to end this story a different way. I guess the problem boils down to this: This book is the sort that will attract mostly Sherlockians as readers. And Sherlockians are the ones most likely to find it infuriating, or at least disappointing. The author, as he was finishing this book, seems to have been too impressed with his own cleverness to ask himself whether readers would really come away from this book happy that they had even opened it. It offends its target market Five stars for skill. Zero stars for satisfaction. It cheats the reader. The final rating of two is only because of the author’s high skill

Shocking and Quite Good

As many other reviewers have noted, this is a book that hinges on an unexpected event that occurs halfway through the novel. So as not to spoil the surprise (which is what makes this novel so fun) I am not going to mention this shocking event.I will mention how much fun this novel is. The first 130 pages are a common Holmes pastiche. It's enjoyable, but nothing spectacular. We get to see Holmes' typical brilliance, Watson's affable loyalty, and Lestrade's bumbling ineptitude as Holmes hunts Jack the Ripper. This isn't a new idea. Holmes has hunted the Ripper in several other books. But the shocking & unforeseen ending sets this book apart from the others.When I read the 'surprising passage' I was stunned. I had to put the book down for a few moments to gather my thoughts. Then I continued and couldn't put the book down until I was finished. Dibdin has created a stunning piece of work that belongs in every Holmes aficionados library. This is a book that has generated quite a bit of criticism from Holmes loyalists however. It doesn't portray the Great Detective in the best light. Those who enter the book without any preconceived notions of What a Holmes Story Should Be Like, will find an enchanting, exciting and above all, wonderful Sherlock Holmes pastiche.I enjoyed this book tremendously. Highly recommended.

Defending Dibdin

As an ardent Sherlockian I am clearly in a minority in thinking this book stunning. Far from criticising the liberties Dibdin takes with Holmes, I applaud him for his interpretation - surely better than preserving the character in aspic. In brief then, Holmes is pitted against the Ripper, but this narrative has the feel of a gritty documentary, as compared to the white-washed 'screenplay' of the original stories. Dibdin skillfully extrapolates what was always present beneath the surface, if we're honest. Of course such a mind would be precariously balanced, of course the showy deductions would occasionally fail, and of course Holmes' Moriarty fixation is dangerously close to a persecution complex. What Dibdin attempts to do here is present us with a 'true' manuscript, beqeathed in Watson's Will, of his final 'adventure' with Holmes. All the old elements are in place, but very different, we feel as though someone has drawn back a veil. The ending of this book has been much criticised in other reviews, chiefly because of it's lack of a 'double-bluff' twist. But I think I'm giving nothing away when I say that the very lack of a double-bluff is in itself the plot twist, the writer plays games with our expectations by dangling the most blatant of clues throughout the book, then answering them in the most shocking way. Essentially it's power comes from precisely the faith we have in Holmes, and this in the end makes it a respectful work, NOT a hatchet-job. Love it or hate it, few seem to be ambivalent. Read it!

Disturbing.. yes, but very exciting too!

Great book! This book always draws fierce responses from hard-core Sherlock fans. But in the end , its a great book; extremely readable and it has character. The author creates an environment of intrigue and mystery. Once you start, you just can't put it down.. Amazing stuff!

My eyes bulged for 30 minutes after I finished!

What a shocker! I had read one other Dibdin work before (The Tryst) also good, but didn't know quite what to expect from this one. Dibdin did an excellent job weaving in snipets from "The Final Problem" and other stories. Though many die-hard fans will be miffed, one has to hand it to Dibdin for a creative exercise pulled off successfully and turned into a great novel. What a super way to end the book, with the same quote as in "The Final Problem." Quite a read!

Holmes with a Twist (and a few stabs and slashes)

I was spellbound by this book. It's certainly not for the faint-hearted, but if you're a fan of Holmes this one's worth reading.