Arthur & George

SEP, DON'T READ THIS IF YOU'RE GOING TO BORROW IT

I thought I might also use this Blog to keep track of what I've been reading, which this week has mostly been Arthur & George by Julian Barnes.

Just finished it tonight actually. Really rated it. I used to love the Sherlock Holmes stories when I was a teenager, and so I enjoyed learning a little bit more about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - I wasn't aware of his interest in spiritualism, for example.

It's an interesting story too - something it would be difficult to believe if it wasn't based on fact. An Indian man who converts to the Church of England and moves to the rural Midlands having been trained as a vicar, and the subsequent persecution of his solicitor son. It turns out that Conan Doyle not only helped to overturn a wrongful conviction (in a real-life Sherlock Holmes style) but also stirred up such a controversy about the whole thing that it was instrumental in the setting up of the criminal court of appeal. Bless him, despite the facial hair.

Obviously it being about an author I admire "Arthur" and a solicitor "George", there was a lot for me to find compelling, but it was an extremely well written book too. I tend to skip bits, but not in this case. I might even see if I can dig out some more Julian Barnes one day.

Thanks for the Valentine's present, Sep!