Well, I'd say its for completists only, given that the premise is that Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are gay, and most of the book is about Watson pining in unrequited love for Holmes. That's going to be a dealbreaker for a lot of readers, which is understandable. The stories of the Sherlockian Canon are about the deep friendship between the two as much as they are about crime-solving, and most fans don't like to see that friendship tampered with. I happen to be a completist, and owner of such books as The Sexual Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (crap) and In Bed With Sherlock Holmes (fascinating), as well as plenty of other questionable Sherlockiana (Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula, anyone?). This book was published in 1988, long before Robert Downey Jr. and Benedict Cumberbatch made Sherlock Holmes sexy and before shabbily-written Sherlockian fan fiction became a niche genre of what used to be called 'pastiche.' Piercy believes that ACD wrote Sherlock Holmes to be 'coded' gay, a theory that's been kicking around Sherlockian circles for some decades now, perhaps going back to Rex Stout's tongue-in-cheek essay of 1941, "Was Watson a Woman?" But gay Holmes wasn't given much more credence than any other crackpot theory, such as Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler were the parents of Nero Wolfe or Professor Moriarity was Holmes' maths tutor. (Clearly we Sherlockians have too much time on our hands). But with Holmes' success in recent pop culture, there is a much larger audience for books like My Dearest Holmes. The book's premise is admittedly hard to fit into the actual Canon; Conan Doyle wrote Dr. Watson to be unambiguously attracted to women, and Piercy's retconning Mary Morstan into a lesbian who marries Watson to pose as his beard is completely implausible. Yet Piercy captures the style of the original stories quite well. It's not a bad read, and the characters ring true. The mystery in the first section is capably handled, if not quite as good as ACD, but who is? The angst of Watson's pining does start to get a bit tiresome, though. But it's definitely more of a romance than a mystery, so I guess angst is to be expected. And Piercy does respect Canon Holmes' attitude towards love, which is that it's rubbish that would destroy the clarity of his deductive reasoning, which most readers interpret as asexuality (although I am not convinced asexuality is the same thing as aversion to love). Nothing explicit here, the story is practically G-rated, but nonetheless, this is gay Holmes and Watson, which will no doubt be offensive to some fans. It's too bad Piercy didn't write any other pastiche, as she does have a knack for writing in the style of Conan Doyle and overall I think her talents would have been better applied to a mystery pastiche than an angsty romance.
I loved this book. As simple as that. I loved it probably more than I should have, this book been written by someone different from Conan-Doyle.I always thought reading Sherlock Holmes that the relationship between him and the good doctor was deeper than a normal relationship between friends would be. It goes without saying that deeper doesn’t mean necessarily romantic. But it was nonetheless an idea that allowed me to read this book open minded and ready to discover the author point of view on these two characters I love so much. As it turns out, is a vision so realistic that you get caught in the middle of it.Because every word and every feeling could be one described in the original books. Because been the only one to share emotions, to show emotions, it’s what the original Watson does all the time anyway, while his great friend seems always to hide behind his genius and his pragmatic mind.It’s bitter-sweet and It’s very sad, unrequited love always is. And Watson’s point of view is most of the time heartbreaking. Every conversation it's raw and honest and points to a love that seems to be there but mostly unwanted on Mr Holmes’ part. Holmes who fights with everything he has in himself to stay detached. Who is not ready to put them in danger (let's not forget it was illegal at the time to love another man) for something as passing and frivolous as human emotions. Sherlock is maybe one of the most complicated characters ever written, and therefore the hardest to retell. And if in some moments it seems that the author was almost in awe of him, so much so as to leave him a little too shadow less, it’s a point of view that doesn’t last long.The idea of the story put by Watson on hold because of the historical time they lived in, is really good. The relationships between the principal characters and the marginal one like Mary and Mycroft, original e new. Everything is set perfectly to justify a love story that we’ll never be sure was designed to be that way.What’s more It doesn’t hurt that the investigations and the development of the Moriarty story is very spot on and precise. All in all it was an excellent read. The author knows what she’s doing and knows the characters and in the end you wish you’d know a little bit more about what happened next to the Sherlock and Watson.
Do You like book My Dearest Holmes (2007)?
This book will most likely remain unread by people who can't conceive of any other sort of relationship between Watson and Holmes other than platonic friendship - and that's a pity, because they're missing out on a good book. It's certainly better written than most of the pastiches I read, and with more respect for the characters. Indeed, it is very IN character, somehow. Expect nothing terribly shocking (like smut, ha) but expect lots of angst... The first part (story) is a very Conan Doyle-esque case where the reader is, as usual, a step behind Holmes and many steps ahead of Watson (actually, Watson is so dim in this one that you're left wondering if Holmes may not be right that sentiment befuddles the mind); and so we learn of Watson's feelings for Holmes, presumed to be unrequited. The last story is like a first draft of The Final Problem - You thought you knew what the final problem was? You were wrong ;) - of which the published version is the final cut, slightly tweaked and much abridged. One of the cool things is how this book provides explanations for the little details that ACD has overlooked and fans have been wondering about. Another cool thing is that the style closely resembles ACD's. The author navigates the issues between Holmes and Watson with both lucidity and sensitivity and provides clever explanations whenever steering from what is universally accepted as canon. I recommend this book to all Sherlockians, and let the chips fall where they may :)
—blushenka
This is pretty much Harlequin Romance meets Sherlock Holmes, recorded in Doctor Watson's voice as so many of the original cases were. The book is divided into two halves. The first, a mystery worthy of Conan Doyle himself, in my opinion, but interwoven with an insight into the relationship, or lack thereof, between Holmes and Watson, and set shortly before the events of The Sign of the Four, which, devoted readers will know, is the case in which Watson meets the woman he will marry. The second half is set during and after the events of The Final Problem and detail the emotions and actions of Watson, Holmes, and his distressingly cold and calculating older brother, Mycroft, as Holmes 'dies' and is resurrected.For a more detailed review please check out my blog at eBook Addict
—Joe
This was a rather delightful little book. Very much in the tone of Doyle, it touched on the heartbreak of John Watson's being in love with Sherlock Holmes and thinking the other man indifferent. Since I've been on a huge Sherlock Holmes kick (or mainly Sherlock/John, thanks to the new BBC show) I was thrilled to find this in the library, and devoured it. And it was adorable! Not fanfiction-y (which is a concern), no crazy sex-against-a-wall (which was, perhaps, a bit disappointing, but stuck with the time period)but conveyed the characters' emotions very well, and had a satisfactory ending that tucked nicely into Doyle's original works.I wish there were more books like this one!
—Ariel
