Happy 116th!
|January 2, 2016|
I had one of those little pop-up notices on my screen yesterday to remind me that today was Mary Russell’s birthday. However, there’s a certain…discrepancy between that fact (along with the undeniable fact that someone continues to Tweet as Mary Russell) and the problematic title of the next Memoir:
Now, I’m sure we can come up with solutions to this conundrum. Can’t we?
In any event: Happy birthday, Miss Russell, wherever you are.
(And, not her 115th, as earlier noted…)
Posted in The Murder of Mary Russell
Happy Birthday, Mary. I do so enjoy reading your adventures. I do wish you many more, but Ms. King’s newest title would seem to differ.
Do you watch the new series by BBC based on your husband’s adventures. Sherlock? Last night’s episode, The Abominable Bride, had moments that reminded me of your adventure in A Monstrous Regiment of Women.
Happy Birthday Mary!! I have had many hours of enjoyment reading about all of your great adventures. I hope you and Sherlock will be having many many more. Tell Sherlock that he is lucky to have you to share in these adventures. I have to go…the game is afoot!!!
If Russell was born on 2 January 1900, would today not be her 116th birthday?
Um, duh. Thanks. (Not a maths major…)
Happy birthday to Mary Russell! May you have many more adventures to enthrall us. I look forward to each one with anticipation and excitement.
I too was pleased to hear sly references to my favorite mystery series in last night’s Sherlock broadcast. A Monstrous Regiment of Women, indeed. However my streaming video was a bit glitchy (I ended up using my iPad and my laptop) so I’ve decided that going to see it at the cinema later this week makes sense. There was some wonderful dialogue I couldn’t quite follow, and the screen on the iPad mini surely did not do justice to the visuals.
Apparently, from Miss Russell’s tweets, she did see the broadcast. It is fun to imagine Russell and Holmes discussing it afterwards.
Dear Mz. King, I have loved reading your novels about Mary Russell; I like to think that there is a bit of Mary Russell in every women who reads your very intelligent books. Not only is it Mary Russell’s Birthday, but by default, it must also be your birthday as her ‘secretary’!!!! so Happy Birthday to your both.!!!! I sure hope you left yourself some wiggle room in the book about Mary’s death…………So she can be found by Sherlock in the next book and resussitated!!!!! Even though Old Sherlock is a very intellegent chap, he is still a bit of a curmudgen!!!! It will be a sad day in the literary world when Sherlock ceases to exist in any form, movie or book!!!! Many people have enjoyed reading and applying some of his logical thought processes. It kind of makes one wish that his relationship would become tighter with his painter son, Damian, and granddaughter, Estella, that delightfully oriental child of heart and mind. Resurecting Mary Russell in a most sophisicated manner, now that is a feate acompli!!!! I sure hope this is what you do next. If not, oh well, you had a great run and we still get to reread all your Holmes books. Luv and Cheers Mary W.
Speaking as Miss Russell’s Literary Agent, my lips are sealed.
How does a non-twitterer get to read Mary Russel’s tweets about Sherlock?
I, too, enjoyed the reference, but found the episode as a whole a bit disjointed. Was it meant to be tongue in cheek? Was it serious? Could they not decide?
She can’t die in “Murder” because then who would have written the prologue at the beginning of “Apprentice”???
A considerable mystery, isn’t it?
You got a hat tip last night on the Masterpiece Theater “Sherlock”, at the very end. Loved it.
I cannot believe I am just stumbling upon your blog now, LRK! There goes the evening…
First, I adore you books. And in fact I have just reread the first two Mary Russells and discovered here, to my delight, that I am one volume behind, so as soon as I am finished here I am off to B&N to pick up “Dreaming Spies.”
I found your site because I was trying to trace Mary’s remark, toward the end of “Monstrous Regiment,” that she doesn’t keep a bull pup. It sounded rather biblical to me so (after double-checking it hadn’t been mentioned in any of the introductory chapter quotes) I tried a couple of concordance sites, but no luck.
Once I discovered your URL, I Google’d your site but found no reference to bull or pup.
I tried a general search and that time my good friend Google led me here: http://www.johnhwatsonmd.com/i-keep-a-bull-pup-stud/ where I learned that “bull pup” may be slang for a pistol or perhaps rifle. (Watson himself left an explanatory post!) So is Mary saying her failure to keep a gun is a shortcoming, or perhaps that she is not Watson? And/or she (or her Author) may be pulling someone’s leg…?
I do understand entirely if you do not choose to reveal all on this matter. I just couldn’t stop myself asking!
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I look forward to receiving your newsletter and Facebook postings, etc.
With thanks and very best wishes,
Suzie Elliott
Ah, the old “bull pup” conundrum. Indeed, there are those that ascribe some secret meaning to the phrase. Personally, I think Conan Doyle was saying Watson had a puppy (this is in Study in Scarlet, I’m assuming you tracked it down?) and then since the dog never reappears (until the Robert Downey films) either Holmes has poisoned him (cf the Downey films) or Doyle forgot he’d given him the dog.
Shocking but true, authors do that.
In Monstrous Regiment, Russell is making a slightly mocking reference to that early scene in the Holmes/Watson relationship, where the two men lay out their flaws to make sure there is full disclosure of what the other is getting into.
Hah. As if Watson had the first clue…
Ah! And ha!
It’s been so long that I read the original works that I had no reference point at all.
Thank you!
Laurie,
I wonder if you have had the opportunity to visit the International Exhibit of Sherlock Holmes that is currently at the museum in Denver? I see that it will be in Seattle later this year… I’m curious to know if you have been there, and what you think.
I am such a fan of yours–I love your Mary Russell books, and recommend them to people all the time. Thank you for all the work you’ve done through the years–you have brought so much pleasure to so many.
Haven’t seen it yet, though I hear it’s very good!