Tag: Nancy springer

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Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade by Nancy Springer – Review

Enola Holmes, the much younger sister of Sherlock, is now living independently in London and working as a scientific perditorian (a finder of persons and things). But that is not the normal lot of young women in Victorian England. They are under the near absolute control of their nearest male relative until adulthood. Such is the case of Enola’s friend, Lady Cecily Alastair. Twice before Enola has rescued Lady Cecily from unpleasant designs of her caddish father, Sir Eustace Alastair, Baronet. And when Enola is brusquely turned away at the door of the Alastair home it soons becomes apparent that Lady Cecily once again needs her help.

Affecting a bold escape, Enola takes Lady Cecily to her secret office only to be quickly found by the person hired by Lady Cecily’s mother to find the missing girl—Sherlock Holmes himself. But the girl has already disappeared again, now loose on her own in the unforgiving city of London.

Even worse, Lady Cecily has a secret that few know. She has dual personalities—one, which is left-handed, is independent and competent; the other, which is right-handed is meek and mild. Now Enola must find Lady Cecily again—before one of her personalities gets her into more trouble than she can handle and before Sherlock can find her and return her to her father. Once again, for Enola, the game is afoot.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the eARC of the delightful and intriguing second installment of the brand new Enola Homes series. Just like the first, it is an empowering and feministic view of the mysteries of Sherlock Holmes’ time. Through Enola’s eyes, we see the progression of women as the series goes on; such as with clothing or securing employment. Despite this, there’s a long way to go, but our protagonist pays no mind to the difference. She is bound and determined to make her way in the world, and help everyone she can while she’s at it.

In this novel, we follow the plight of Enola’s best friend, Cecily. She has been imprisoned by her own father in her family home, and once the young detective learns of her predicament– Enola breaks her out. What ensues from there is a sibling rivalry (with Sherlock having been contracted by Cecily’s mother to find her), the mystery of the ever flighty lady (as Cecily runs from the prospect of being thrown back to her father), and questions regarding Cecily’s mental health.

One of my favorite quotes from the book is as follows: “My dear lady, to be oneself is not misbehavior, unless one is criminally inclined.” Sherlock recites this to Cecily as she fears being left-handed will cause her to be reprimanded. Because of this panic, the lady’s mind splits, but her support system works hard to find a way back to normalcy. It’s a heartwarming tale about finding and being yourself, and taking every avenue to do so– no matter who stands in your way. Told from Enola’s spunky narration, readers will enjoy laughs as well as tenderness. I can’t wait for the next in the series!

5/5 stars

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Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche by Nancy Springer – Blog Tour Book Review

The Synopsis:

“A young girl who is empowered, capable, and smart…the Enola Holmes book series convey an impactful message that you can do anything if you set your mind to it, and it does so in an exciting and adventurous way.”–Millie Bobby Brown

Enola Holmes is back! Nancy Springer’s nationally bestselling series and breakout Netflix sensation returns to beguile readers young and old in Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche.

Enola Holmes is the much younger sister of her more famous brothers, Sherlock and Mycroft. But she has all the wits, skills, and sleuthing inclinations of them both. At fifteen, she’s an independent young woman–after all, her name spelled backwards reads ‘alone’–and living on her own in London. When a young professional woman, Miss Letitia Glover, shows up on Sherlock’s doorstep, desperate to learn more about the fate of her twin sister, it is Enola who steps up. It seems her sister, the former Felicity Glover, married the Earl of Dunhench and per a curt note from the Earl, has died. But Letitia Glover is convinced this isn’t the truth, that she’d know–she’d feel–if her twin had died.

The Earl’s note is suspiciously vague and the death certificate is even more dubious, signed it seems by a John H. Watson, M.D. (who denies any knowledge of such). The only way forward is for Enola to go undercover–or so Enola decides at the vehement objection of her brother. And she soon finds out that this is not the first of the Earl’s wives to die suddenly and vaguely–and that the secret to the fate of the missing Felicity is tied to a mysterious black barouche that arrived at the Earl’s home in the middle of the night. To uncover the secrets held tightly within the Earl’s hall, Enola is going to require help–from Sherlock, from the twin sister of the missing woman, and from an old friend, the young Viscount Tewkesbury, Marquess of Basilwether!

Enola Holmes returns in her first adventure since the hit Netflix movie brought her back on the national bestseller lists, introducing a new generation to this beloved character and series.

Buy the novel at
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250822963

My 5/5 Star Review:

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this brilliant installment in the Enola Holmes series, and inviting me to join the blog tour to celebrate its release! As luck would have it, this was my introduction into Nancy Springer’s work, though I had heard the buzz about the novels as well as the accompanying film. At first, I was worried that I would feel left behind starting in on the 7th volume, but that fear was immediately quelled in the very prologue! Sherlock Holmes himself provided a letter giving a run-down of his sister’s exhaustive exploits– doing an amazing job of catching up a new reader as well as outlining the relationship between Enola and her family. I felt attached to the characters in a way I didn’t expect, especially being only a few pages in!

In this way, Sherlock brings us up to speed and melts into Enola being called for by Dr. Watson to pull her brother out of one of his ‘tempers’. While she is there, a distressed woman named Tish walks into his office asking for help, and Enola jumps at the chance. This twin tearily tells the young sleuth she had received word from her sister’s husband that she had died from a mysterious, contagious illness that necessitated her body to be cremated afterward. Tish refuses to believe this as truth, and insists that she would have felt it had something happened to Flossie. Enola’s compassionate heart goes out to the pair in an instant, and her enthusiasm for the case also rouses her brother into action.

The trio (along with Dr. Watson and friends) set out to investigate the Lord of Dunhench– running into many obstacles along the way that made for excellent plot twists– but really showcasing the strength and empathy of the titular character as she outsmarted the men who, in this day and age, believed her to be much more incompetent and fallible than she was. Enola is such a likable person, and as someone who never felt drawn to any Sherlock Holmes novels despite having a healthy interest in mysteries, I was reassured by the fact that I related to her and enjoyed the life her snarky wit brought to this world. Thank you so much to Nancy for giving girls and women everywhere a smart mind to look up and aspire to.

The Author:

Nancy Springer is the author of the nationally bestselling Enola Holmes novels, including The Case of the Missing Marquess, which was made into the hit Netflix movie, Enola Holmes. She is the author of more than 50 other books for children and adults. She has won many awards, including two Edgar Awards, and has been published in more than thirty countries. She lives in Florida. Stay up to date with her and Enola’s upcoming adventures on Twitter: @NancySpringer

An Exclusive Excerpt:

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