With The Case of the Left-Handed Lady Enola Holmes is back in her second adventure, and this time she’s in the heart of London. While she’s prowling the dark streets and dangerous alleys of 19th century England, she’s also being hunted by her brother Sherlock Holmes. Nancy Springer has created an excellent series for young readers as well as Holmes aficionados. Two other books have already been published since this one, and a fifth is waiting in the wings.
However, I can’t help but grin just a little at the thought of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle sitting down to read one of Springer’s books. I wonder what his reaction would be. Everyone knows Doyle had a love/hate relationship with his most famous character because he wanted to write more historical (for the time) romances of knights and adventure. Unfortunately for him, but not for the world, Sherlock Holmes resisted even death and came back again and again.
In the medieval romances Doyle wanted to write, women still remained as objects of affection and were helpless to save themselves. That’s not what Enola Holmes is all about. She is a plucky and self-sufficient heroine that today’s youth will readily embrace. I can’t help but wonder if Doyle would be less enthusiastic over Enola’s relationship to his Great Detective and her contribution to the ongoing mythos, or to the fact she is female. Either way, Springer has delivered an original character and world steeped in history, social contradictions, and breakneck adventure.
Enola has successfully set herself up under another name as a secretary to a Perditorian (a finder of persons and things, quite similar to Sherlock Holmes). Interestingly enough, Enola becomes quite sympathetic about the disappearance of young Lady Cecily. This case is one of the few that Sherlock Holmes has turned down. Also interesting, the person who brings the case to Enola’s attention is none other than Dr. John Watson. As everyone knows, Dr. Watson is Sherlock’s constant companion and confidant.
I couldn’t help feeling just a little bit anxious over Enola’s meeting with Watson. Watson was never the observer and detective that Sherlock was and served more as a raconteur of the investigations, but he was no fool either. I kept waiting on the edge of my seat for Watson to point at our young heroine and yell, “A-ha! The game is afoot!”
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