Nollaig Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 Synopsis (Amazon): London, 1889. Oscar Wilde, celebrated poet, wit, playwright and raconteur is the literary sensation of his age. All Europe lies at his feet. Yet when he chances across the naked corpse of sixteen-year-old Billy Wood, posed by candlelight in a dark stifling attic room, he cannot ignore the brutal murder. With the help of fellow author Arthur Conan Doyle he sets out to solve the crime - but it is Wilde Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smay Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 I did buy this book, but haven't had time to read it. But it's nice to hear it's good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted April 12, 2009 Author Share Posted April 12, 2009 Oh, quite. I'd highly recommend it, and I'm only on page 100!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlette Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 I would like to give this novel a try, also. I'm a sucker for a good murder mystery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Library Nook Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 I have had my eye on this book for ages so will hunt down a copy and cement its inclusion on my wishlist! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted April 12, 2009 Author Share Posted April 12, 2009 It's very Sherlock and Watson - Arthur Conan Doyle is in it, and Oscar openly jokes about the book's narrator being his Watson while he's trying to solve the mystery. Oscar also seems to have Holmes' amazing detective skills, highly unlikely, but very entertaining. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookJumper Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 Haven't acquired this yet because I'm not a crime fan (I never work out who the murderer is, which vexes me greatly); however, it's got Oscar in it and sports a very snazzy cover so I suppose I'll have to eventually...! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted April 12, 2009 Author Share Posted April 12, 2009 Aren't the covers just gorgeous!?!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smay Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Haha, i also fell for the cover. It just looks too good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted April 28, 2009 Author Share Posted April 28, 2009 Whoops! Forgot to post my review, here we go! Synopsis from Amazon: London, 1889. Oscar Wilde, celebrated poet, wit, playwright and raconteur, is the literary sensation of his age. All Europe lies at his feet. Yet when he chances upon the naked corpse of sixteen-year-old Billy Wood, posed by candlelight in a dark and stifling upstairs room, he cannot ignore the brutal murder. With the help of fellow author Arthur Conan Doyle, he sets out to solve the crime - and it is Wilde’s peculiar genius and his unparalleled access to all degrees of late-Victorian life - from society drawing rooms and the bohemian demi-monde to the criminal underclass - that prove the decisive factors in their investigation of what turns out to be the first in a series of bizarre and apparently inexplicable killings. The first Oscar Wilde mystery is quite the unique affair. I was primarily eager to read it because I am such a fan of Oscar Wilde himself; as such, probably the harshest kind of critic there is for such a book as Gyles Brandreth’s, but no fan could ask for a more wonderful fictional tale. It is clearly well researched, and executed with exceptional talent. It is a carefully crafted, beautiful portrayal of a most wonderful artist, and an honest depiction of the ordinary man he was also. I have never read anything quite like it, but it’s certainly true as one critic says, ‘Oscar Wilde could not have done it better himself!’ The story features several historical characters, and an entirely fictional plot. Indeed, Arthur Conan Doyle features throughout the novel, and Robert Sherard openly plays Watson to Oscar’s Sherlock Holmes. The novel is brilliantly written, the plot progresses at the perfect pace and reads like a classic murder mystery. The language, the setting, the style of writing will draw you back a century as easily as any writer of the time. As for the plot, I vaugely suspected part of the outcome, but it is clear throughout we are never really supposed to know. Only a man with such as mind as Oscar’s could possibly deduce whodunnit! However it is, and I believe Brandreth intended this, more importantly a portrayal of Oscar Wilde. While the story is told from Robert Sherard’s perspective, and Sherard is known in his several biographies of Wilde for being more taken with Oscar than with facts, it’s clear that the appreciation for Wilde’s genius Brandreth holds is also shining through. He manages to capture the wit, the genius, the very charisma that made Wilde a celebrity in his day. Initially, I wasn’t at all certain about the book. Being a well-read fan of Wilde’s, I recognized every ‘Wildean maxim’ this novel quotes, and there are quite a few included - so many that I wonder what is left for the second two books! This doesn’t detract from the novel as such, but it did very much draw my attention to the ‘constructed’ character of Wilde. I cannot really fault it however, it does Wilde’s character great justice, the depiction of his persona is exactly as I have always imagined it, and to anybody who is not so familiar with Wilde, it is the most perfect introduction to the man. Such reference to the man and such portrayal as there is indicates only extensive research and genuine regard for the task at hand. It captures him faithfully; not merely the genius, but the man with all his imperfections, endearing his character to the reader as easily as meeting Wilde himself would have done. In this novel a reader will catch a glimpse into the compelling, secret world known only to Wilde’s friends. Truly, it is for fans and unfamiliars alike - there is something for all to appreciate. I must say, I’m extremely excited about reading the next two installements, if only to spend some more time with Oscar. Indeed, the narrator of the books, Robert Sherard, tells the tale after the death of Wilde, and the occasional melancholic recollections of the event brought tears even to my eyes. The lamentations of Wilde’s close friends will stir your heart as surely as Brandreth makes you feel Wilde was your friend also. “She died in Paris!” says Oscar in this story, ” - As all the best people do”. Rating: 10/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethany725 Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 Just saw this, AFTER I asked you in the "Book Activity" thread how it was coming along.. Sorry! Glad you enjoyed.. I have the first mystery on my list so I'm even more encouraged now to pick it up. Thanks for posting your review! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted April 29, 2009 Author Share Posted April 29, 2009 It's okay Beth, this is my review for the first book, I'm currently reading the second Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethany725 Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 Ah ha! Thank you! Sorry.. again.. On that note, I'm going back to sleep; it's obviously far too early for me to be up trying to make sense of anything today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted April 29, 2009 Author Share Posted April 29, 2009 Lmao! Awh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 I loved this but cannot get hold of the second book for anything other than money!! (no library or swaps) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 I finished this yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it. I must admit, I thought I knew who the murderer was early on, and although I was wrong, I was on the right track, and as the story moved along, I did guess a few more of the clues. I think I actually preferred the second book, but this was still a great, entertaining read, and I'd recommend it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted June 4, 2009 Author Share Posted June 4, 2009 That's interesting, as I preferred this book - so we each preferred the one we read first. I felt that this first book was more dedicated to portraying Oscar than the second, which is probably why I'm so partial to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 I think I liked the pacing of the second book more, as I got a bit annoyed in this one when nothing happened for a few months while Wilde was writing The Picture of Dorian Gray and mentioned Conan Doyle writing The Sign of Four, and yet when the "detecting" picked up again, everything was fresh in their memories as if it was yesterday, whereas in Ring Of Death the whole plot is centred around a brief spell in time and has more urgency to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montmorency Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 Hi I have read the first two of these a little while back and i thought they were brilliant (being a fan of Wilde and Conan Doyle). Brandreth came to Cheltenham for the Literary Festival last year and it was really good to hear him speak about them both and the stories surrounding them. He did say that he had signed up for a few more books so looks like lots more to come. The latest one "Dead mans smile" is out now, so can't wait to read that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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