What do you think?
Rate this book
The Real Sherlock
Sherlock Holmes is the most portrayed fictional character of all time, and he has been reimagined by actors, playwrights and directors over centuries - but who is the creator behind the detective?
Conan Doyle’s own life was often stranger than fiction, and his most famous characters’ stories and personalities bear more than a passing resemblance to his own life and his closest friends.
Biographer and broadcaster Lucinda Hawksley gains unprecedented access to a treasure trove of Doyle’s never-before-seen personal letters and diaries. This is a chance for Sherlock fans to see their detective hero and his creator as they’ve never seen them before. Through interviews with Doyle aficionados, academics, actors and family members, we explore Doyle’s travels and sailing adventures across the globe, his pioneering work as a doctor, his life in the Freemasons and his fights against miscarriages of justice. As well as his many triumphs, we will also explore the challenges he faced, from the death of his first wife and son to the initial rejection he faced as an author.
We will also look beyond Sherlock to Doyle’s other great works including his fantasy and science fiction novels and hear how one of his most famous, The Lost World, part-inspired Michael Crichton’s book of the same name, which became the successful Jurassic Park film franchise.
Conan Doyle’s own life was often stranger than fiction, and his most famous characters’ stories and personalities bear more than a passing resemblance to his own life and his closest friends.
Biographer and broadcaster Lucinda Hawksley gains unprecedented access to a treasure trove of Doyle’s never-before-seen personal letters and diaries. This is a chance for Sherlock fans to see their detective hero and his creator as they’ve never seen them before. Through interviews with Doyle aficionados, academics, actors and family members, we explore Doyle’s travels and sailing adventures across the globe, his pioneering work as a doctor, his life in the Freemasons and his fights against miscarriages of justice. As well as his many triumphs, we will also explore the challenges he faced, from the death of his first wife and son to the initial rejection he faced as an author.
We will also look beyond Sherlock to Doyle’s other great works including his fantasy and science fiction novels and hear how one of his most famous, The Lost World, part-inspired Michael Crichton’s book of the same name, which became the successful Jurassic Park film franchise.
2 pages, Audible Audio
First published May 23, 2019
30 people are currently reading
1449 people want to read
About the author
Lucinda Hawksley
41 books173 followersLucinda Hawksley is a British biographer, author and lecturer. She is the great-great-great-granddaughter of Victorian novelist Charles Dickens and his wife Catherine. Hawksley is an award-winning travel writer.
She also writes under the name Lucinda Dickens Hawksley.
She also writes under the name Lucinda Dickens Hawksley.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 350 reviews
August 29, 2020
The best part of this was hearing Doyle's actual voice in a short recording. He sounded nothing like I imagined. Otherwise, found this confusing, so many people adding tidbits here and there and found the constant music in the background, quite annoying. It's a freebie though and sounded interesting, but I was ultimately disappointed.
September 24, 2020
Because I'm newer to this world, I found this interesting. Others may find this boring and slow, even though it is only 2 hours long.
"The Real Sherlock", was more a history of Arthur Conan Doyle. A man well ahead of his time, indeed. I feel better prepared to delve into the literary works of Sherlock Holmes now. Yippy!
After finishing this, I found out this is a PODCAST series. Now, it makes more sense! (These need to be labeled better on the Audible platform because it is misleading and confusing.)
I found many parts of Arthur's life being narrated to me (Audible title), fascinating, such as:
His travels, particularly the time at sea involving a very important sea animal.
His involvement/interest in Spirituality, and his deconstruction process. I can't believe him and his second wife Jean, owned a psychic book shop! I can't even imagine the adversity they must have faced at the time. Another super interesting thing to me was how his second wife, Jean, had a military position, to later turn psychic medium. It always fascinates me hearing stories like this.
I loved that Arthur stood for equality but I frowned at the fact of him playing politics, contradicting himself, at the same time, expressing the view that women shouldn't have the vote. I get it, political reasons, but this also came from the same guy who was falsely fooled by fairies, claiming them to be real. (It wasn't until 50 years after his death, the photo he claimed to be true was debunked.)
The interviews included were a true treasure! In the introductory it stated some of this had never been heard before —(the interviews with his youngest daughter!) I did feel like I was missing out during the artifact interviews, not being able to have a visual on the objects being discussed by Arthur's remaining living family members.
Doyle thought characters were best written when there was some truth drawn from one's life, and less fictionalized. I have to agree.
I liked that he had a problem with detective stories that were based upon sheer luck of the perpetrator/villain's faults and errors, or the hero happening to appear at the perfect timing scenarios, etc. This is why he included science, history, his years of medical practice knowledge, and psychic awareness in varying works.
Not only am I interested in the Sherlock Holmes series (I've yet to read, the huge foiled hardback edition has been staring at me, I've only ever seen and adored the movies so far) but also am excited to take a peek at his more occult texts, that may have lost him some credibility. I think it's so honorable to go with your heart and write what's in there despite.
This made me even more excited to research Doyle's life more, and dive fully into the world of the great Sherlock Holmes and Watson. I'm interested in seeing who Professor Challenger is and some of the other characters mentioned that he and his family were extremely proud of. How fun, he included his family on his writing decisions!
This was an intriguing journey but only gives the listener a TASTE. I wish this would have been longer. I didn't realize the audiobook was 2 hours long, I just saw Sherlock Holmes and used my monthly credit.
I used a credit to purchase this on Amazon's Audible platform. I was under no obligation to write a review, my honest opinion is freely given.
"The Real Sherlock", was more a history of Arthur Conan Doyle. A man well ahead of his time, indeed. I feel better prepared to delve into the literary works of Sherlock Holmes now. Yippy!
After finishing this, I found out this is a PODCAST series. Now, it makes more sense! (These need to be labeled better on the Audible platform because it is misleading and confusing.)
I found many parts of Arthur's life being narrated to me (Audible title), fascinating, such as:
His travels, particularly the time at sea involving a very important sea animal.
His involvement/interest in Spirituality, and his deconstruction process. I can't believe him and his second wife Jean, owned a psychic book shop! I can't even imagine the adversity they must have faced at the time. Another super interesting thing to me was how his second wife, Jean, had a military position, to later turn psychic medium. It always fascinates me hearing stories like this.
I loved that Arthur stood for equality but I frowned at the fact of him playing politics, contradicting himself, at the same time, expressing the view that women shouldn't have the vote. I get it, political reasons, but this also came from the same guy who was falsely fooled by fairies, claiming them to be real. (It wasn't until 50 years after his death, the photo he claimed to be true was debunked.)
The interviews included were a true treasure! In the introductory it stated some of this had never been heard before —(the interviews with his youngest daughter!) I did feel like I was missing out during the artifact interviews, not being able to have a visual on the objects being discussed by Arthur's remaining living family members.
Doyle thought characters were best written when there was some truth drawn from one's life, and less fictionalized. I have to agree.
I liked that he had a problem with detective stories that were based upon sheer luck of the perpetrator/villain's faults and errors, or the hero happening to appear at the perfect timing scenarios, etc. This is why he included science, history, his years of medical practice knowledge, and psychic awareness in varying works.
Not only am I interested in the Sherlock Holmes series (I've yet to read, the huge foiled hardback edition has been staring at me, I've only ever seen and adored the movies so far) but also am excited to take a peek at his more occult texts, that may have lost him some credibility. I think it's so honorable to go with your heart and write what's in there despite.
This made me even more excited to research Doyle's life more, and dive fully into the world of the great Sherlock Holmes and Watson. I'm interested in seeing who Professor Challenger is and some of the other characters mentioned that he and his family were extremely proud of. How fun, he included his family on his writing decisions!
This was an intriguing journey but only gives the listener a TASTE. I wish this would have been longer. I didn't realize the audiobook was 2 hours long, I just saw Sherlock Holmes and used my monthly credit.
I used a credit to purchase this on Amazon's Audible platform. I was under no obligation to write a review, my honest opinion is freely given.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 10, 2020
Meh. It was okay.
The Real Sherlock seemed like it would be an interesting choice. Especially since I love absolutely anything and everything that has to deal with Sherlock. I've seen the movies, shows, and read books about him or a character like him. I enjoyed them all.
So you'd think that I would love this one as well, right? WRONG.
From the very beginning, I was bored. Then I just kept waiting, wishing, hoping, and praying that things would pick up. Maybe, just maybe, something super interesting will be said or done and it will spark so much joy for me.
Again, wrong. This book did nothing for me and I'm disappointed.
The Real Sherlock seemed like it would be an interesting choice. Especially since I love absolutely anything and everything that has to deal with Sherlock. I've seen the movies, shows, and read books about him or a character like him. I enjoyed them all.
So you'd think that I would love this one as well, right? WRONG.
From the very beginning, I was bored. Then I just kept waiting, wishing, hoping, and praying that things would pick up. Maybe, just maybe, something super interesting will be said or done and it will spark so much joy for me.
Again, wrong. This book did nothing for me and I'm disappointed.
August 22, 2021
The Real Sherlock
by Lucinda Hawksley
This is a very informative and interesting book! I really didn't have much knowledge on Doyle's life except the books he wrote. This really opened my eyes to what kind of man he was. His ambitions, drives, family, how he almost died three times on a whaling ship, his physical looks, and to hear his voice!
The book describes how he got into writing, how he felt about his characters, and more. Very exciting to go behind the name and meet the man.
by Lucinda Hawksley
This is a very informative and interesting book! I really didn't have much knowledge on Doyle's life except the books he wrote. This really opened my eyes to what kind of man he was. His ambitions, drives, family, how he almost died three times on a whaling ship, his physical looks, and to hear his voice!
The book describes how he got into writing, how he felt about his characters, and more. Very exciting to go behind the name and meet the man.
July 5, 2020
This is a short, lively account of the life of Arthur Conan Doyle. It's fun and, to a point, informative. However, when I realized two of the people contributing to it were Catherine Ruml Doyle and Richard John Francis Doyle, great-niece and great-nephew of Arthur Conan Doyle, two of the family members who control the estate, I knew it would include nothing critical or suggesting any faults or weaknesses at all.
Which put me in a snarkier mood while listening than I would have been otherwise.
But of course Conan Doyle gave us Sherlock Holmes, and all the entertainment that has come from that. We get an introduction to what went into creating the characters of Holmes and Watson, what led him to writing fiction at all, and bits of the novels that Conan Doyle thought were much better, and which were initially more profitable for him.
One of the things that pushed him toward writing fiction was the fact that he wasn't making much money as a doctor. This isn't the first time I've come across this fact. What I've never seen explained, or speculated about, is why an Edinburgh-trained doctor who was clearly an intelligent man, couldn't make money as a doctor. But there it is. He didn't, and as a result, we have Sherlock Holmes.
Conan Doyle was also, of course, a leading spirtualist of his day, firmly convinced that it was possible to communicate with our beloved dead. Hawksley and those whom she interviews for this talk about the strength of his belief in spiritualism, and praise him for it. Never mentioned is the fact that some of the people he put his trust in were eventually proven to be frauds. Whereas his strong friendship with Harry Houdini, who, like James Randi many years later, became a great debunker of claims of paranormal abilities, was destroyed by Conan Doyle's commitment to spiritualism and belief that Houdini himself had great paranormal powers and had become his enemy.
Despite its obvious faults and weaknesses, this is an entertaining, short listen.
I received this audiobook as part of the Audible Originals program, and am reviewing it voluntarily.
Which put me in a snarkier mood while listening than I would have been otherwise.
But of course Conan Doyle gave us Sherlock Holmes, and all the entertainment that has come from that. We get an introduction to what went into creating the characters of Holmes and Watson, what led him to writing fiction at all, and bits of the novels that Conan Doyle thought were much better, and which were initially more profitable for him.
One of the things that pushed him toward writing fiction was the fact that he wasn't making much money as a doctor. This isn't the first time I've come across this fact. What I've never seen explained, or speculated about, is why an Edinburgh-trained doctor who was clearly an intelligent man, couldn't make money as a doctor. But there it is. He didn't, and as a result, we have Sherlock Holmes.
Conan Doyle was also, of course, a leading spirtualist of his day, firmly convinced that it was possible to communicate with our beloved dead. Hawksley and those whom she interviews for this talk about the strength of his belief in spiritualism, and praise him for it. Never mentioned is the fact that some of the people he put his trust in were eventually proven to be frauds. Whereas his strong friendship with Harry Houdini, who, like James Randi many years later, became a great debunker of claims of paranormal abilities, was destroyed by Conan Doyle's commitment to spiritualism and belief that Houdini himself had great paranormal powers and had become his enemy.
Despite its obvious faults and weaknesses, this is an entertaining, short listen.
I received this audiobook as part of the Audible Originals program, and am reviewing it voluntarily.
October 1, 2020
In essence, this is a flash biography lesson on Arthur Conan Doyle; I learned some fun facts about this author. What a guy! I didn't know he was in the medical field, went to the Arctic on a whaling boat as their doctor (and promptly fell in multiple times a day some days), was knighted, or was a proponent for taking a stand against Germany before most people saw that little thing called a World War coming. Just some of the tidbits the listener walks away with. And- oh!- you get to hear a sound byte of his ACTUAL voice which is pretty freakin' cool.
I'd rate this a PG.
I'd rate this a PG.
September 26, 2023
4⭐️ for this really entertaining yet brief history of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle & his writing. This has served the purpose of making me want to read more upon this amazing author.
August 16, 2020
I had no idea that this was a biography and not something about Sherlock Holmes. There is a cast who reads from various stories as the narrator speaks to the family of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Things start from the beginning when he writes and submits his first story through his death. The author is also the narrator and interviewer of the story.
July 12, 2020
Conan Doyle Bio-documentary
Review of the Audible Original audiobook (May 2019)
Usually, stories purporting to be about the 'real' Sherlock Holmes are biographies of Joseph Bell who was the main inspiration for the fictional character. The Real Sherlock is instead a biography of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the writer who created the world's most famous fictional detective.
Although this is a very short biographical documentary at two hours, it still seems very padded with material that is either not suited to an audiobook, excerpted readings of the fictional stories, and unnecessary repetitive information. Examining various artifacts such as a pen or a pipe of Conan Doyle's may be interesting in a video documentary, but leaves an audiobook listener without any point of focus. Excerpts from the Holmes and Professor Challenger stories are fine, but hardly provide much detail about the writer's own life. And introducing guest speakers such as actor Bill Paterson for the upteenth time as having played both the author and the character of Dr. Watson seems like filler. It would have been more interesting to have additional details of the writer's life instead.
The Real Sherlock was first published by Audible UK in May 2019 and it was also one of ten free Audible Original audiobooks for members in July 2020. It is available to everyone for a standard price.
Review of the Audible Original audiobook (May 2019)
Usually, stories purporting to be about the 'real' Sherlock Holmes are biographies of Joseph Bell who was the main inspiration for the fictional character. The Real Sherlock is instead a biography of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the writer who created the world's most famous fictional detective.
Although this is a very short biographical documentary at two hours, it still seems very padded with material that is either not suited to an audiobook, excerpted readings of the fictional stories, and unnecessary repetitive information. Examining various artifacts such as a pen or a pipe of Conan Doyle's may be interesting in a video documentary, but leaves an audiobook listener without any point of focus. Excerpts from the Holmes and Professor Challenger stories are fine, but hardly provide much detail about the writer's own life. And introducing guest speakers such as actor Bill Paterson for the upteenth time as having played both the author and the character of Dr. Watson seems like filler. It would have been more interesting to have additional details of the writer's life instead.
The Real Sherlock was first published by Audible UK in May 2019 and it was also one of ten free Audible Original audiobooks for members in July 2020. It is available to everyone for a standard price.
August 30, 2022
A sympathetic portrayal: interesting, illuminating, enjoyable.
I had a fun time learning more about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It was really cool to hear recordings of him speaking. Learning about him made me wish I could have known him in real life. I wouldn’t mind reading a more detailed biography. I also want to read his other novels and series now. I’m especially looking foreword to reading the series with the French Brigadier character.
This was less of a book and more of a podcast bundled into an audiobook; and as such, was occasionally disjointed but also pretty entertaining.
I had a fun time learning more about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It was really cool to hear recordings of him speaking. Learning about him made me wish I could have known him in real life. I wouldn’t mind reading a more detailed biography. I also want to read his other novels and series now. I’m especially looking foreword to reading the series with the French Brigadier character.
This was less of a book and more of a podcast bundled into an audiobook; and as such, was occasionally disjointed but also pretty entertaining.
September 24, 2020
Interesting but somewhat insubstantial biography of Arthur Conan Doyle, featuring excerpts from several of his works as well as his diaries. I wonder if Hawksley is aware she comes off sounding more like a teenage fangirl than a serious researcher on various occasions...
April 29, 2019
Boring and pointless. This is a series of interviews about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, mostly with people who have never met him, like academics who wrote about him and actors who performed his characters, aside from his daughter. None of the things they have to say is of much interest, nor do they offer any particular insight. Even for Holmes fans (and I am one), it was a waste of time; I am just glad I didn't pay anything for this. Also, the running time is about half of what it says in the description, as there is a lot of repetition.
July 11, 2022
Este es uno de esos audiolibros que puedo entender por que se encuentran gratis en la suscripción de Audible.
La mejor parte fue escuchar el clip con la voz de Arthur Conan Doyle. No sabía que había evidencia histórica de como sonaba al hablar, así que escucharlo fue una sorpresa enorme! jamás hubiera imaginado que así sonaba (mi cerebro le daba un tono similar al de Benedict Cumberbatch y resulto que ni el acento ni el tono suena similares).
Fuera de eso ... es un libro bastante informativo, pero me desesperó un poco que iba de una persona narrando a la otra y que tuviera musiquita de fondo en varios momentos de la historia. Mas que agregarle valor siento que le acabo restando puntos.
ESO SI, estoy mega agradecida de haber aprendido que fue una novela de Conan Doyle la que acabó inspirando a Michael Crichton para escribir Jurassic Park. Amo esa historia apasionadamente y ahora muero de curiosidad por buscar El Mundo Perdido y conocer a uno de sus personajes menos famosos, el profesor Challenger.
Fue entretenido y rápido, pero no se si pagaría dinero por este audiolibro en especifico.
3/5 estrellas
La mejor parte fue escuchar el clip con la voz de Arthur Conan Doyle. No sabía que había evidencia histórica de como sonaba al hablar, así que escucharlo fue una sorpresa enorme! jamás hubiera imaginado que así sonaba (mi cerebro le daba un tono similar al de Benedict Cumberbatch y resulto que ni el acento ni el tono suena similares).
Fuera de eso ... es un libro bastante informativo, pero me desesperó un poco que iba de una persona narrando a la otra y que tuviera musiquita de fondo en varios momentos de la historia. Mas que agregarle valor siento que le acabo restando puntos.
ESO SI, estoy mega agradecida de haber aprendido que fue una novela de Conan Doyle la que acabó inspirando a Michael Crichton para escribir Jurassic Park. Amo esa historia apasionadamente y ahora muero de curiosidad por buscar El Mundo Perdido y conocer a uno de sus personajes menos famosos, el profesor Challenger.
Fue entretenido y rápido, pero no se si pagaría dinero por este audiolibro en especifico.
3/5 estrellas
April 6, 2020
I have read a few Sherlock Holmes books and enjoyed them. I never knew anything about Sir Author Conan Doyle. He had quite an interesting life! It was great that we were able to hear old recordings from his daughter and interviews with some great grandchildren. I found his story was told too succinctly. I feel there is a lot more to know. The narration was good. There were a lot of voices and I know there was one person narrating, one person reading diary excerpts, one person reading other things etc. and then the interviews. I couldn't keep them straight. So that's why overall, it's 4 stars out of 5.
July 10, 2021
Interesting for ppl who live sherlock. Its more about the author than sherlock. I didnt mind at all :) i knew most of it. But it was an ok listen on audible. (I didnt like all the background music tho. A bit to much of it)
October 7, 2020
Lovely tale about the writer of Sherlock Holmes, quite the adventurer himself.
Victorian England must have been so excited and full of opportunity (if you where high enough up the food chain)
Victorian England must have been so excited and full of opportunity (if you where high enough up the food chain)
November 13, 2020
It's not bad, but if you have read a biography of Doyle, you could skip it. The audio recording was nice.
April 27, 2021
An OK podcast about Arthur Conan Doyle. It makes for a nice primer. Narration is good but confusing as to why after genuine sound did as rogue from Conan Doyle himself they didn't use a Scottish actor to read his diary entries. Also lots of repetition of contributors details and some sound bites are highlights at end of one episode are also included at the start of the following episode before it starts proper and then you get the quotes in context. It's an annoying thing that happens on done tv documentaries and its inclusion here isn't warranted. Highlights are his family members recollections and archive items. Nice but could do with trimming some unnecessary duplication and vaguely pointless input from actors Bill Paterson and Charles Edwards.
August 2, 2020
This was very interesting, but I didn't like the way the narration was done very much.
July 12, 2020
A short biography of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, including interviews with his surviving family members. Funny, I thought of him as a Victorian-era writer, but he actually lived long enough for there to be at least one surviving film of an interview with him, and his grandchildren and great-nephew were still around for the author to interview.
Doyle was a Scottish physician who started writing for extra money when his medical practice was struggling, and eventually his writing made him much more money than medicine did. A bit of an adventurer himself, he went on a trip to the Arctic as a ship's physician at age 21. He was long enamored of science, and first came up with Sherlock Holmes after seeing a scientist mentor solve scientific cases, and being dissatisfied with how all the mystery novels of his time basically relied on chance or the bad guy doing something stupid.
Some of the history I already knew - like how Doyle became so tired of writing about Holmes, his most popular character, that he killed him off. Doyle was quite a prolific author, and wrote several historical series, as well as The Lost World, which many consider to be the original inspiration for Jurassic Park. Doyle became somewhat disgruntled that Holmes took attention away from his other leading protagonists, like Professor Challenger, whom he considered just as interesting.
It wasn't exactly public demand that made him bring the detective back, but publishers offering him what was, for the time, a very large pile of money.
Doyle was friends with a Who's Who of the British literary and social sphere. He knew Oscar Wilde, J.M. Barrie, Bram Stoker, and also met a young Winston Churchill during the Boer War, which he volunteered for. Later Churchill would appreciate Doyle's support for the British cause in World War I, as Doyle was banging the drums early against the German threat.
He also had a partnership with Harry Houdini. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle became caught up in the Spiritualism craze that swept Britain and America at the time. He believed in ghosts and mediums and spent a lot of money "investigating" the afterlife (and probably being bilked a lot). He also famously fell for the Cottingley Fairies hoax.
Even the smartest and most "scientific" reasoner can be led astray by things that cater to his biases.
This short Audible freebie is a nice listen for anyone who is a fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, or just interested in the time period.
Doyle was a Scottish physician who started writing for extra money when his medical practice was struggling, and eventually his writing made him much more money than medicine did. A bit of an adventurer himself, he went on a trip to the Arctic as a ship's physician at age 21. He was long enamored of science, and first came up with Sherlock Holmes after seeing a scientist mentor solve scientific cases, and being dissatisfied with how all the mystery novels of his time basically relied on chance or the bad guy doing something stupid.
Some of the history I already knew - like how Doyle became so tired of writing about Holmes, his most popular character, that he killed him off. Doyle was quite a prolific author, and wrote several historical series, as well as The Lost World, which many consider to be the original inspiration for Jurassic Park. Doyle became somewhat disgruntled that Holmes took attention away from his other leading protagonists, like Professor Challenger, whom he considered just as interesting.
It wasn't exactly public demand that made him bring the detective back, but publishers offering him what was, for the time, a very large pile of money.
Doyle was friends with a Who's Who of the British literary and social sphere. He knew Oscar Wilde, J.M. Barrie, Bram Stoker, and also met a young Winston Churchill during the Boer War, which he volunteered for. Later Churchill would appreciate Doyle's support for the British cause in World War I, as Doyle was banging the drums early against the German threat.
He also had a partnership with Harry Houdini. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle became caught up in the Spiritualism craze that swept Britain and America at the time. He believed in ghosts and mediums and spent a lot of money "investigating" the afterlife (and probably being bilked a lot). He also famously fell for the Cottingley Fairies hoax.
Even the smartest and most "scientific" reasoner can be led astray by things that cater to his biases.
This short Audible freebie is a nice listen for anyone who is a fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, or just interested in the time period.
October 28, 2020
životopis Conana Doyla; mal kopu známych kamošov - Bram Stoker, Winston Churchill, Houdini, Oscar Wilde, ... a pamätáte sa na viktoriánsku záhadu s fotografiami víl? tak Doyle to vtedy zlegitimizoval, že sú pravdivé... veľký špiritualista sa z neho stal.
trochu mi ale vadilo, že hoci boli časti audioknihy krátke, v každej sa opakovali informácie, ako keby mali byť rozdelené po týždňoch, tak aby ste nezabudli, čo bolo v minulej. otrava, ak počúvate všetko naraz.
inak to bolo fajn, dokonca tam bola aj nahrávka jeho hlasu a rozhovory s jeho najbližšou rodinou (aka dcéra a synovec)
trochu mi ale vadilo, že hoci boli časti audioknihy krátke, v každej sa opakovali informácie, ako keby mali byť rozdelené po týždňoch, tak aby ste nezabudli, čo bolo v minulej. otrava, ak počúvate všetko naraz.
inak to bolo fajn, dokonca tam bola aj nahrávka jeho hlasu a rozhovory s jeho najbližšou rodinou (aka dcéra a synovec)
October 6, 2020
I have fallen down a bit of a rabbit hole for the Holmes's after watching Enola Holmes on Netflix and my daughter reading the series. This audible was a fun, quick look at his life - so many things I didn't realize. It makes me want to read a longer biography. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle certainly created wonderful characters including Holmes and Prof. Challenger. Good review of his history and of his contemporaries and friends (Churchill, Houdini, Wells, Barrie, etc.)
October 3, 2020
This was a very pleasant 2 H audiobook (more of a Radio program in feeling and editing than a book, truth to be told). I deep cleaned by bathrooms while listening about bits and pieces about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Some of the things I knew, quite a lot - I did not. Very enjoyable, if you love reading/learning about writers and notable personalities.
August 17, 2020
Stranger than fiction.
This is how Arthur Conan Doyle's life is described by the author of this short and informative audiobook - Lucinda Hawksley.
I love the Sherlock Holmes stories, but I never knew too much about Doyle. He was a Scottish physician, that's all I knew. This book tells us that he was an excellent doctor but didn't make much money, so he decided to see if his writing hobby will bring him more financial freedom and surprisingly it did. But that doesn't mean it was easy, and believe it or not, he struggled to find a publisher. It's just crazy that the father of the crime fiction had such difficulties, but I guess publishing is a hard job. (shrug)
"The literary side of me began slowly to spread until it was destined to push the other entirely aside. Thus, a new phase had begun, part medical part literary, and part philosophical."
All of Doyle's work is presented in the book, as well as some aspects of his personal life. A lot is said about his belief in spiritualism and his Freemasonry membership.
There are a lot of interviews, including his great-grandchildren, actors and biographers. He seems to have travelled a lot - the Arctic, South Africa (during the Boer War), America and many places in Europe. Needless to say, he had befriended many famous people like Winston Churchill, Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, Harry Houdini.
What was rather impressive was understanding that Doyle's book "The Lost World" is considered to have inspired Jurassic Park.
One of my reflections is that the format of this book is not the best, this would have been much better as a video documentary because they are talking about things that you can not see. The narration is a bit off, but as a whole, it's a nice and factual book.
Not related to the book but an interesting fact that Lucinda Hawksley is the great-great-great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens. I would be interested in reading other of her books.
This is how Arthur Conan Doyle's life is described by the author of this short and informative audiobook - Lucinda Hawksley.
I love the Sherlock Holmes stories, but I never knew too much about Doyle. He was a Scottish physician, that's all I knew. This book tells us that he was an excellent doctor but didn't make much money, so he decided to see if his writing hobby will bring him more financial freedom and surprisingly it did. But that doesn't mean it was easy, and believe it or not, he struggled to find a publisher. It's just crazy that the father of the crime fiction had such difficulties, but I guess publishing is a hard job. (shrug)
"The literary side of me began slowly to spread until it was destined to push the other entirely aside. Thus, a new phase had begun, part medical part literary, and part philosophical."
All of Doyle's work is presented in the book, as well as some aspects of his personal life. A lot is said about his belief in spiritualism and his Freemasonry membership.
There are a lot of interviews, including his great-grandchildren, actors and biographers. He seems to have travelled a lot - the Arctic, South Africa (during the Boer War), America and many places in Europe. Needless to say, he had befriended many famous people like Winston Churchill, Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, Harry Houdini.
What was rather impressive was understanding that Doyle's book "The Lost World" is considered to have inspired Jurassic Park.
One of my reflections is that the format of this book is not the best, this would have been much better as a video documentary because they are talking about things that you can not see. The narration is a bit off, but as a whole, it's a nice and factual book.
Not related to the book but an interesting fact that Lucinda Hawksley is the great-great-great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens. I would be interested in reading other of her books.
July 10, 2020
This is a really interesting investigative journalism piece about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the man behind the world renown detective series Sherlock Holmes. We hear recordings from Doyle himself, reenactments from his personal notes and letters, hear about some of the surviving artifacts from his personal collection, and meet some of his living descendants.
This is definitely for every fan of the Sherlock Holmes book series and any of the screen adaptations--you choose, the point is that there have been so many! I am familiar with the Robert Downey Jr. "Sherlock Holmes" movies, BBC's "Sherlock" TV series, and the American "Elementary" TV series. I have read a couple of the original stories, but not all of them. As such, this is something that probably both super fans and new fans can enjoy.
I also really liked the discussions about Doyle's writing process, especially how difficult it was to get Sherlock first published, but then how he shot up in popularity once he changed the format from long novels to short stories, in which each short story is about a different case Holmes takes. I thought the parallels with Doyle's real life were really well done, though the title of this piece is a bit misleading because Doyle saw himself as more like Watson than Holmes, as Holmes was based off an extremely intelligent and gifted diagnostic teaching physician at Doyle's medical school program.
Overall, I recommend this short audio experience to all fans of Sherlock Holmes, new fans and old fans alike. This was interesting, and reading the rest of the "Sherlock Holmes" collection of stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is now more solidly on my To Read list.
This is definitely for every fan of the Sherlock Holmes book series and any of the screen adaptations--you choose, the point is that there have been so many! I am familiar with the Robert Downey Jr. "Sherlock Holmes" movies, BBC's "Sherlock" TV series, and the American "Elementary" TV series. I have read a couple of the original stories, but not all of them. As such, this is something that probably both super fans and new fans can enjoy.
I also really liked the discussions about Doyle's writing process, especially how difficult it was to get Sherlock first published, but then how he shot up in popularity once he changed the format from long novels to short stories, in which each short story is about a different case Holmes takes. I thought the parallels with Doyle's real life were really well done, though the title of this piece is a bit misleading because Doyle saw himself as more like Watson than Holmes, as Holmes was based off an extremely intelligent and gifted diagnostic teaching physician at Doyle's medical school program.
Overall, I recommend this short audio experience to all fans of Sherlock Holmes, new fans and old fans alike. This was interesting, and reading the rest of the "Sherlock Holmes" collection of stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is now more solidly on my To Read list.
October 8, 2020
Fascinating information about the creator of the character Sherlock Holmes. Snippets of interviews with Arthur Conan Doyle (rare) and surviving family members dot the recording. I learned a lot about the author that I never knew. I knew he was a doctor, but not that he had been the ship's doctor on a ship in the Arctic. I also didn't know about the non-Holmes books he wrote, including The Lost World, set on a plateau in the Amazon basin of South America where prehistoric animals such as dinosaurs still survive. The novel spawned films and TV series of the same name. He also wrote historical novels and short stories.
Some reviewers fault this audiobook with being too fawning of Doyle, not mentioning anything negative. I don't know much about the man, but I enjoyed listening to this book and learning something about him.
Some reviewers fault this audiobook with being too fawning of Doyle, not mentioning anything negative. I don't know much about the man, but I enjoyed listening to this book and learning something about him.
January 7, 2023
If you are a Sherlock Holmes fan, then this is for you. I was stuck in traffic so listening to this was an experience. I can see the effort that was put into placing the different people, stories, and characters throughout, but because I am not a fan I was not invested and was ready for the end. Don’t let this review stop you from listening if you are a fan. This was obviously made for someone who is all about that Sherlock life. Cheers!
July 31, 2020
This short biography of Arthur Conan Doyle is alright. Doyle was most famous as the author of the Sherlock Holmes stories, but there’s more too him than that, and this Audible Original traces his life from med school, to early literary efforts, to his real life crime detection efforts, to his dedication to spiritualism. It’s too short to offer any depth, and like many of these Audible Originals it seems overproduced, but I enjoyed it.
December 22, 2020
This audiobook is about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and while it may appear from the title that it will be about his character Sherlock and the inspiration behind the character, this book is about many of his characters and writings outside of Sherlock. As a result, I think the title is misleading, but if you are interested in hearing excerpts from his other works, information about his beliefs, and discussions about the network of people he knew, then you will find this audiobook interesting.
December 29, 2020
This is a very enjoyable audio documentary of the life the creator of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle.
We get a nice outline of his life and character, warts and all. Included are excerpts for the only known recording of an interview with him and one done with his daughter back n 1988.
This was an engaging listen.
We get a nice outline of his life and character, warts and all. Included are excerpts for the only known recording of an interview with him and one done with his daughter back n 1988.
This was an engaging listen.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 350 reviews