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The Beekeeper's Apprentice (1994)

by Laurie R. King

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Mary Russell (1), Mary Russell: Chronological Order (1915-1919)

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5,9182951,700 (4.06)480
A chance meeting with a Sussex beekeeper turns into a pivotal, personal transformation when fifteen-year-old Mary Russell discovers that the beekeeper is the reclusive, retired detective Sherlock Holmes, who soon takes on the role of mentor and teacher.
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  1. 130
    The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley (clif_hiker, 47degreesnorth)
    47degreesnorth: Younger heroine and more precocious but similar
  2. 70
    A Monstrous Regiment of Women by Laurie R. King (catpal1)
    catpal1: All of the books in this series are wonderful. It's such a fresh take on the Sherlock Holmes fiction: the give-and-take reminds me of the old Kate Hepburn/Spencer Tracy pairings.
  3. 50
    The Seven-Per-Cent Solution by Nicholas Meyer (markusnenadovus)
  4. 50
    A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley (47degreesnorth)
  5. 50
    Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear (Sally604)
    Sally604: Mysteries set in the same era with a female detective - lots of fun to read.
  6. 30
    The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley (47degreesnorth)
    47degreesnorth: No Holmes but younger more precocious heroine with a thirst to solve the case.
  7. 30
    Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal (yonitdm)
    yonitdm: They both feature brilliant, strong women as main characters, plus mystery, intrigue, and many, many cups of tea.
  8. 20
    The Final Solution. A Story of Detection by Michael Chabon (laytonwoman3rd)
    laytonwoman3rd: This book also features an elderly beekeeper who does some detecting, and who we are meant to understand to be Sherlock Holmes, although his name is not mentioned.
  9. 20
    The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Martin Harry Greenberg (Othemts)
  10. 10
    Chalice by Robin McKinley (MyriadBooks)
    MyriadBooks: To continue a bit of the bee theme.
  11. 00
    Sherlock Holmes and the Red Demon by Larry Millett (Othemts)
  12. 00
    A Slight Trick of the Mind by Mitch Cullin (Othemts)
  13. 01
    Holmes on the Range by Steve Hockensmith (clif_hiker)
  14. 01
    And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander (nessreader)
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▾Member reviews
English (289)  Swedish (1)  Piratical (1)  French (1)  All languages (292)
date ▼ | votes
Showing 1-5 of 289 (next | show all)
1) On the plus side: This is very well-written.

2) On the minus side: This is fan-fiction of the worst kind, the kind with a Mary-Sue original character who is the author's avatar, who is perfect and lovable and wonderful beyond all measure. The character who inspired the fan-fiction only gets the role of fawning and gushing about how wonderful the Mary-Sue character is.

I might have been able to forgive point 2 because of point 1. However, point 3 kills this one for me:

3) On the minus side: Dr. Watson. At the very heart of the Sherlock Holmes canon is his friendship with Watson. Sure, he is not as brilliant as Holmes (who is?... well, Mary Russell is, apparently), but he is a loyal and valued companion, honest, brave and full of integrity, whose friendship makes Holmes a better man. Holmes and Watson care about each other, and that is shown in the canon many times, specially at moments of danger. Here there's only room for Mary Russell, and Sherlock needs to be completely devoted to admiring how perfect Mary Russell is. There's no room for Watson in that game, so the writer gets rid of him in the worst possible way. When the author remembers him he is treated as a bumbling idiot whom Holmes and Mary Russell openly despise. Mary Russell comes across as a conceited idiot, and Holmes is so out of character that there's no way to salvage this. ( )
  jcm790 | May 26, 2024 |
I am DNFing this one, as I am just not enjoying the story. The beginning showed promise for what I consider to be Sherlock Holmes fan fiction. Once the detective portion of the story begins, the cases are rather silly and some of the decisions made by Holmes seem to lack logical reasoning.



  Ann_R | May 25, 2024 |
First, this is Sherlock, not beekeeping, as the cover and title, and even alternate title lead one to believe. (I tend to be a judge-a-book-by-its-cover person unless it's been recommended to me.) This is quite an old book, tho that doesn't matter as it's set in the early 20th century with Sherlock having retired to the countryside. This book is about a young woman who is equally sherlockian in her intellect, and how she becomes Sherlock's apprentice. They solve a few cases together, and we generally see them become fast friends and intellectual equals. I enjoyed the cases, they are as well done as any other Sherlock retelling, and Mary, the main character, is fun to follow around, though she does suffer from being a bit too perfect. Sherlock is also given a generous reimagining, veering away from the abrasive, neurodivergent recluse and becoming a wise kindly old man for the most part. One might imagine that's how he would be to his intellectual equal, but it's certainly a change. I was swept away in the world created here though, so I will try the next in the series. ( )
  KallieGrace | May 8, 2024 |
Recommended by John Fielding, friend
  JimandMary69 | Mar 30, 2024 |
I thoroughly enjoyed the adventures of Mary Russell, a teenaged genius who matches wits and joins forces with the "retired" Sherlock Holmes. She's a character I'd like to spend more time with. The story is well-plotted, and exciting in all the right ways, but I was totally bewildered by the mechanics of the climactic scene, and that might influence my decision to carry on with this series. ( )
  laytonwoman3rd | Mar 3, 2024 |
date ▼ | votes
Showing 1-5 of 289 (next | show all)
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▾Published reviews
But at the heart of the novel is not the historical accuracy or the gender commentary; rather, the core of the story is the partnership between Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes. It's a partnership between equals, of two keen minds, two clever, stubborn, and formidable people who nevertheless feel the psychological weight of the profession they have chosen to follow. Moreover, there's none of that tired and overdone sexual tension that one might expect from a story with two protagonists of the opposite gender. There are no romantic interludes, tense moments, or pensive fantasizing. Instead, rather like the recent adaptation Elementary, the story does something remarkable: portray a friendship and a relationship between two unique characters of opposite genders without going down the tired, old, (and, in the case of Holmesian adaptations, particularly overdone) path of romance.
added by andrewv128 | editSeattle Post-Intelligencer, Anastasia Klimchynskaya (Aug 23, 2014)
 
▾Other authors

» Add other authors (8 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Laurie R. King—primary authorall editionscalculated
Sterlin, JennyNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
▾Series and work relationships
▾Awards and Honors
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Canonical title
The Beekeeper's Apprentice
Original title
The Beekeeper's Apprentice
Alternative titles
On the Segregation of the Queen
Original publication date
1994
People/Characters
Mary Russell
Sherlock Holmes
John H. Watson (M.D.)
Mrs. Hudson
Mycroft Holmes
Important places
United Kingdom
England, UK
Israel (Palestine)
London, England, UK
Middle East
Important events
World War I (1914 | 1918)
Related movies
Epigraph
Dedication
For another M.R., my mother, Mary Richardson
First words
I was fifteen when I first met Sherlock Holmes, fifteen years old with my nose in a book as I walked the Sussex Downs, and I nearly stepped on him.
Quotations
He said nothing. Very sarcastically.
My main passions were becoming theoretical Mathematics and the complexities of Rabbinic Judaism, two topics which are dissimilar only on the surface.
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Original language
English
Canonical DDC/MDS
813.54
Canonical LCC
PS3561.I4813
▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (2)

▾Book descriptions
A chance meeting with a Sussex beekeeper turns into a pivotal, personal transformation when fifteen-year-old Mary Russell discovers that the beekeeper is the reclusive, retired detective Sherlock Holmes, who soon takes on the role of mentor and teacher.
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Book description
U raskošnoj galeriji likova koju je za sobom ostavio Arthur Conan Doyle gdje središnje mjesto zauzima portret Sherlocka Holmesa, pored njega, osim slike dr. Watsona, ostao je prazan okvir savršeno podoban da udomi prkosni profil jedne gospođice.
Američka književnica Laurie R. King, dobitnica dviju prestižnih nagrada za najbolji kriminalistički roman godine, odvažno je odlučila ispuniti taj okvir likom mlade Mary Russell.
Jednog sunčanog dana u travnju 1915. nedaleko od svoje kuće u Sussexu Mary Russell umalo je nagazila na pognuta pedesetogodišnjaka potpuno zaokupljena promatranjem pčela. Drska i načitana, petnaestogodišnjakinja briljantna uma i zadivljujuće sposobnosti dedukcije, izmamit će od inače ženama nesklonog Holmesa iznenađen komentar. “Pa to zna razmišljati!”
Tako će početi naukovanje Mary Russell, buduće suradnice djelomično umirovljenog slavnog detektiva Sherlocka Holmesa. Njihove zajedničke avanture zabilježene su u pet dosad objavljenih romana i zacijelo predstavljaju najvjerniji nastavak književnog rada Arthura Conana Doylea.
Laurie R. King u svojim je djelima uspjela vjerodostojno dočarati ton, ugođaj i duh vremena, zadržavši izvornu cjelovitost Holmesova karaktera i pritom kao ravnopravnu protutežu stvorila potpuno samostalan, oštrouman, duhovit i zanosan ženski lik.
Roman Pčelareva naučnica Laurie R. King s engleskoga je, u ukradenom vremenu između dvije Patricije Cornwell, prevela Martina Gračanin, a ilustraciju na naslovnici izradio je Igor Kordej, uz napomenu da su oba crna lovca namjerno naslikana na bijelim poljima jer negativci uvijek igraju prljavo.
Haiku summary
Old Holmes meets his match
She's his child-bride and partner
Together they sleuth
(pickupsticks)

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Genres

Melvil Decimal System (DDC)

813.54Literature › English (North America) › American fiction › 20th Century › 1945-1999

LC Classification

PS3561.I4813Language and Literature › American literature › American literature › Individual authors › 1961-

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