Biavlerens lærling eller Om dronningens udskilning (1994)

I first read The Beekeeper's Apprentice when it came out shortly after it came out in the 1990s, and remembered it appreciatively enough to give it another go when I found it in a Little Free Library. It's just as good as I remembered, rich and subtle and written in a style much closer to accessible literary fiction than to your typical mystery-thriller, with plenty of rewards for those who engage their imagination and read carefully enough to fill in details that, as often as not, aren't mentioned explicitly. I was especially impressed to see real psychological astuteness in scenes that involve survivors of childhood trauma. I have to assume that Ms. King is such a person herself; otherwise I can't imagine how she could know what she does about that particular psychic wounds that the violent loss of a parent, for example, can inflict.

Which is not to say that this book is in the least grim. On the contrary, its overall tone is one of seriousness leavened by ironic wit. In a very literary way, the novel takes its time developing the main character, Mary Russell, from a brilliant but naive 15-year-old full of bravado to a young woman of twenty who worked to develop and structure her wild intelligence; come to terms with with the challenges that arise when you're a female orphan in a world where only men can vote, make law, or move about in full independence; and arrive nonetheless in a place where she is confident traveling the world and dealing with any rough characters she may find. Her mentor-partner, Sherlock Holmes, is instrumental in this, but this isn't a Holmes novel: it's a Russell novel. Holmes fanatics must be satisfied with their hero's appearing on nearly every page--but as a supporting player.

I'm not a hundred percent convinced by King's portrayal of Holmes, but that's mainly because Conan Doyle's vivid conception of Holmes doesn't convincingly conjure him as a real, breathing, vulnerable human being, and King must make him one in order to tell her story right. If perfect fidelity is your goal and you won't see it compromised even to facilitate the creation of a completely new and arguably more fascinating character, stick to Doyle, and leave Laurie King's Mary Russell novels to those of us who love literature more than any single character. ( )

I really enjoyed this book. It's about Sherlock Holmes and original character Mary Russell solving crimes in the '20s. I think this book is a worthy successor to the originals. I'm not going to pretend it has an incredible amount of literary merit, but it was fantastic fun. I'm thinking about giving a copy to my sister.

Edit: I have been informed that Holmes marries Mary Russell in later books. I did not realize that, and got more of a mentorship vibe from this book. I have also seen criticism that Mary Russell is unrealistic. To that I will say 1: if you don't like it you don't like it and that's fine, but


2: Mary is supposed to be just as smart as Holmes. That is her role in the story. She is his mentee, and the one taking his craft to the next generation. So she excels in intellectual and criminological pursuits just like Holmes. She has abysmal social skills and drives away friends (yes, she is good with traumatized kids, but that is because of her background; she has a much harder time with adults). She has very little practical skills: she can't cook or do any of the work on her farm, and spends money recklessly (at one point she buys an entirely new wardrobe even though she is supposed to be sheltering in place, and the clothes get destroyed before she even has a chance to wear them). She is incredibly arrogant and judgemental, especially in her treatment of Watson (although since she is also the narrator I understand if this comes across more as textual criticism of Watson than Mary). And she has a bad habit of jumping to conclusions.

Again, there are many flaws and weaknesses in this book (I thought the vilian was especially weak), but I overall enjoyed the ride. ( )

Fabulous series. I've read the series over and over - and reread this one after the most recent release regarding Mrs. Hudson's story. It was like coming home. Beach reading without shame. ( )

I stumbled over "The Beekeeper's Apprentice" and fell in love with it after only a few pages. As the audiobook was recorded in 2014 I thought I had discovered a hot new talent to share with the world. Then I noticed that I was reading the "20th Anniversary Edition" and realised that I was catching up with an author I should have been reading for year.

The upside of this is that there are twelve more books in the series already, so a feast lies ahead of me.

The beekeeper's apprentice of the title is Mary Russell. She is as old as the century (or at least she was when the book was written in 1994) and is looking back on her long association with Sherlock Holmes whom she first bumped into on the Sussex Downs in 1915, when she was a teenage girl recovering from a recent calamity and seeking refuge in books and long walks. Sherlock Holmes, in his fifties and allegedly retired, now lives in the country, keeping bees and writing papers on the topics such as how to disguise one's footprints.

The book spans a four-year period which lays the foundation for a long-term relationship between Russell and Holmes. During this time the two are involved in three "cases" plus a side trip to Palestine. While the cases and the means of solving them are very reminiscent of Conan Doyle's Holmes, the man himself is quite different. The Holmes Russell sees is older, more humane, and (eventually) more willing to share than his earlier self. Russell is intellect and focus, seasoned by guilt beyond her years and more than ready both to challenge and learn from Holmes. Russell and Holmes and the relationship between them are the heart of this book. The cases are there only to set that heart racing.

The pace of the book, while not as slow as the original Conan Doyle stories sometimes were, is still leisurely by modern standards. I think it is all the better for that. I liked the idea that Russell and Holmes, on a desperate search to find a missing girl, still take days to reach the scene of the crime so that they can arrive in disguise, using the right form of transport. The finally case includes a side-trip to Palestine of several weeks. It is not strictly necessary to the plot and we find out very little about the assignment that Russell and Holmes have been on but their passage through the desert is uses to season and strengthen their relationship in ways that seem authentic to me.

If you are already a fan of Holmes then this book revisits that universe in a way that invigorates and refreshes while still honouring and building on the original (Think what "Dark Knight Rises" did for Batman or what "Into Darkness" did for Star Trek). If you've never read Conan Doyle this book will still carry you along on its merits and may even tempt you to try some of the "original" material for yourself.

I suspect that this is a love/hate book. If the style of writing doesn't grip your imagination and win your heart by the end of Book 1 of the novel, then this is not for you. If, like me, you are entranced, then another eleven or so books lie in your future. ( )

King gets the character of Holmes down to his bones. And Mary is a fun, occasionally petulant, female partner who is every bit as intelligent as her detective tutor. There are some parts that require a bit of active suspension of disbelief, but as a lifelong reader of Sherlock Holmes stories, this was both a trip down memory lane and an introduction to a new series. Thoroughly enjoyable. ( )