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The Strange Case of Eliza Doolittle Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton of Bookpleasures.com
- By Dr. Wesley Britton
- Published December 11, 2020
- Crime & Mystery
Dr. Wesley Britton
Reviewer Dr. Wesley Britton: Dr. Britton is the author of four non-fiction books on espionage in literature and the media. Starting in fall 2015, his new six-book science fiction series, The Beta-Earth Chronicles, debuted via BearManor Media.
In 2018, Britton self-published the seventh book in the Chronicles, Alpha Tales 2044, a collection of short stories, many of which first appeared at a number of online venues.
For seven years, he was co-host of online radio’s Dave White Presents where he contributed interviews with a host of entertainment insiders. Before his retirement in 2016, Dr. Britton taught English at Harrisburg Area Community College. Learn more about Dr. Britton at his WEBSITE
View all articles by Dr. Wesley Britton
Author: Timothy Miller
Publisher : Seventh Street Books (January 19, 2021)
ISBN-10 : 1645060217
ISBN-13 : 978-1645060215
I admit, when I first saw that Timothy Miller was merging the realms of Holmes and Watson with the characters George Bernard Shaw introduced in his play, Pygmalion, later adapted by Lerner and Loewe into their classic musical, My Fair Lady, I suspected I was about to experience a real stretch. At best, a humorous mash-up. I couldn't have been further off the mark.
In fact, The Strange Case of Eliza Doolittle is a inventive pastiche true enough, but it's no laughing matter. Mostly. I must say Miller did a very credible job at capturing the well-known and oft-imitated cadence of Dr. John Watson as demonstrated in all the original Sir Arthur Conan Doyle yarns. Miller does mix into that well-established style comic touches, especially his use of similes and metaphors. one humorous scene featured actual American actor William Gillette. Known for his portrayal as Holmes in the London theatre (it was Gillette, not Conan Doyle, who gave Holmes the trademark of wearing a deerstalker hat), Gillette plays Holmes in a scene where Holmes bemusedly looks on and Watson is surprised to see the real and fictional detectives together in the same living room with Henry Higgins.
Throughout, Miller shows a
very detailed knowledge of the historical milieu when the Victorian
era was giving way to the Edwardian period when motor cars were
replacing hansom cabs. There's a strong tone of danger as Holmes and
Watson try to find out just how Eliza Doolittle had been so
transformed. Was she in fact a continental princess taking on a
secret identity to avoid assassination? Had the original Eliza
Doolittle been replaced by a doppelganger? Or had something sinister
happened to completely transform a flower girl into a proper English
lady beyond phonetic tutoring?
Along the way, we don't just see Holmes and Watson being inserted into Henry Higgins cantankerous environment where we might expect Rex Harrison breaking into song. Not for the first time in the Holmes canon, we see the transformative formula of Dr. Henry Jekyll and his alter ego Edward Hyde, sort of, becoming a major thread of the complex plot. Because of that plot line, we have many dark and bloody scenes.
In short, The Strange
Case of Eliza Doolittle is full of surprises and no shortage of
twists and turns in the multi-layered plot. The book has a rich
vitality with it's inclusion of many tones and in-depth
characterizations and vivid descriptions. In addition, there are many
passages, notably the fast-paced chase scenes, that show a strong
influence of more recent high-octane screen versions of Holmes
adventures.
You don't have to be a Sherlock Holmes aficionado to enjoy The Strange Case of Eliza Doolittle although Doyle fans will get to see many references to events and characters from the Holmes canon updated into a sort of sequel to the original stories. So, on many levels, the novel is a lot of fun. I enjoyed this book more than many a title I've read of late. A perfect diversion from the weird world of 2020.