Garment of Shadows
alyssanoelxox says:
I don't know how to rate this book. Up until the last chapter, I would have said this was one of my favorite of the Mary Russell series. I loved the setting and the rich atmosphere. The setup, while quite a stretch, was a fun scenario from which to examine Mary and Holmes's relationship. The historical context is probably rather dry and overly detailed, but it's a part of history I find quite fascinating. All in all, many of the elements I quite enjoy in King's well researched... romps... But the ending was so abrupt, and so frustrating, it totally threw me out of my enjoyment of the book. The last chapters include a reveal that has huge implications for the relationship between Mary, Holmes and several characters who we have gotten to know and care about over the course of the series. The fallout of those ramifications could be their own book, and certainly needed several chapters to address it satisfyingly. Instead, once the mystery is solved; the emotional ramifications are totally dropped and everyone moves on... This has been a frustrating element in several of King's books ('Monstrous Regiment of Women' comes to mind), but given that it happened with characters who had only recently been introduced for the duration of one book, the abrupt resolution (or lack thereof) was less impactful. Not so here.
mayflower987 says:
Another great mystery about Sherlock Holmes and wife Mary Russell. This one involved intrigue in North Africa and included some interesting characters. Based loosely on the history and the fight over Morocco among the French, Spanish, Berbers, tribes and finally the British governments involvement. Controlling natural resources being the ultimate goal. Well, really money and greed being the ultimate goal. Characters were complicated and many. Idir was a lovable young boy that seemed the main character in the web of deceit and proved rather a hero of the story. I have read many of Laurie R. Kings Sherlock books and enjoyed them all. This book I found particularly difficult to keep the main characters straight. So many of them as with the towns and territories. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the story and the history or as much of that history as I could keep sorted out.
SANDRA says:
Always enjoy Mary Russell novels. With this book I've begun reading out of sequence, which for me is kind of a weird thing having never done it before, but I feel silly not being able to enjoy so many of the books when either one or another is missing from the library. Why deprive myself of the pleasure of Russell and Holmes' company just because the next one in the order they were written isn't available but five others are? Seems silly to me. And since I began reading the Deadpool comics out of sequence I've decided that I can handle doing it with this series as well. And the experiment was a success. Sure, there are references to other books in the series here. Even recurring characters. But that didn't dispel from the pleasure of this book's story. So I've happily become "one of those."
nicole2000 says:
3 starsAnother of my not favs, but probably because for so much of it, Mary doesn't know who she is, and it's just PAINFUL! It took me longer to read, because I just. didn't. know. where. it. was. headed.But all's well that ends well - and there are good bits in between. My prejudice aside, this book was WAY BETTER than the pirate stuff in the book before - good story built off rubble, IMO.MoreLess
I don't know how to rate this book. Up until the last chapter, I would have said this was one of my favorite of the Mary Russell series. I loved the setting and the rich atmosphere. The setup, while quite a stretch, was a fun scenario from which to examine Mary and Holmes's relationship. The historical context is probably rather dry and overly detailed, but it's a part of history I find quite fascinating. All in all, many of the elements I quite enjoy in King's well researched... romps... But the ending was so abrupt, and so frustrating, it totally threw me out of my enjoyment of the book. The last chapters include a reveal that has huge implications for the relationship between Mary, Holmes and several characters who we have gotten to know and care about over the course of the series. The fallout of those ramifications could be their own book, and certainly needed several chapters to address it satisfyingly. Instead, once the mystery is solved; the emotional ramifications are totally dropped and everyone moves on... This has been a frustrating element in several of King's books ('Monstrous Regiment of Women' comes to mind), but given that it happened with characters who had only recently been introduced for the duration of one book, the abrupt resolution (or lack thereof) was less impactful. Not so here.
mayflower987 says:
Another great mystery about Sherlock Holmes and wife Mary Russell. This one involved intrigue in North Africa and included some interesting characters. Based loosely on the history and the fight over Morocco among the French, Spanish, Berbers, tribes and finally the British governments involvement. Controlling natural resources being the ultimate goal. Well, really money and greed being the ultimate goal. Characters were complicated and many. Idir was a lovable young boy that seemed the main character in the web of deceit and proved rather a hero of the story. I have read many of Laurie R. Kings Sherlock books and enjoyed them all. This book I found particularly difficult to keep the main characters straight. So many of them as with the towns and territories. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the story and the history or as much of that history as I could keep sorted out.
SANDRA says:
Always enjoy Mary Russell novels. With this book I've begun reading out of sequence, which for me is kind of a weird thing having never done it before, but I feel silly not being able to enjoy so many of the books when either one or another is missing from the library. Why deprive myself of the pleasure of Russell and Holmes' company just because the next one in the order they were written isn't available but five others are? Seems silly to me. And since I began reading the Deadpool comics out of sequence I've decided that I can handle doing it with this series as well. And the experiment was a success. Sure, there are references to other books in the series here. Even recurring characters. But that didn't dispel from the pleasure of this book's story. So I've happily become "one of those."
nicole2000 says:
3 starsAnother of my not favs, but probably because for so much of it, Mary doesn't know who she is, and it's just PAINFUL! It took me longer to read, because I just. didn't. know. where. it. was. headed.But all's well that ends well - and there are good bits in between. My prejudice aside, this book was WAY BETTER than the pirate stuff in the book before - good story built off rubble, IMO.MoreLess
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