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Greek Interpreter
Greek Interpreter | A Conan Doyle
11 posts | 9 read | 2 to read
The Greek Interpreter During my long and intimate acquaintance with Mr. Sherlock Holmes I had never heard him refer to his relations, and hardly ever to his own early life. This reticence upon his part had increased the somewhat inhuman effect which he produced upon me, until sometimes I found myself regarding him as an isolated phenomenon, a brain without a heart, as deficient in human sympathy as he was pre-eminent in intelligence. His aversion to women and his disinclination to form new friendships were both typical of his unemotional character, but not more so than his complete suppression of every reference to his own people. I had come to believe that he was an orphan with no relatives living, but one day, to my very great surprise, he began to talk to me about his brother.
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Cuilin
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#NoPlaceLikeHolmes

Sherlock and Mycroft‘s interactions were a nice comedic element.

Librarybelle The ending paragraph was a little too-nice wrap up, but one could argue karma on that. I like that Watson was the one who voiced the chronology of events fairly accurately rather than Holmes. At least they were able to save the translator in time! 3mo
IndoorDame 😆 way too many of his clients have died. It‘s a good thing information wasn‘t as easily searchable back then or he would not be getting so many new clients eager to trust him with their safety. 3mo
See All 11 Comments
Cuilin @IndoorDame agree. Just think of his Yelp reviews. Lol 3mo
Cuilin @Librarybelle Yes the ending was too neat and yet satisfying. 3mo
dabbe @IndoorDame 😂😂😂 3mo
dabbe @Cuilin 😂😂😂 3mo
dabbe This story is extremely similar to “The Engineer's Thumb“ IMHO: an expert is tricked into helping crooks at a location he can't find later, and they try to kill him as they flee the premises--even Watson is able to guess the whole story immediately after Melas has finished his tale. It's the first time I can remember Sherlock saying something like “Correct, Watson!“ ⬇️

(edited) 3mo
dabbe Plus, Holmes knew enough to know Melas was in danger (just like he knew Openshaw was in danger in “The Five Orange Pips,“ for he basically tells both of them to watch out. Why not have these men stay with them or something? Just sending them on their way with a “good luck“ doesn't bode well for the number of clients who have perished when Holmes knew they were in danger. 3mo
Cuilin @dabbe I guess the idea of “safe houses” hadn‘t entered the genre yet. 😆 3mo
dabbe @Cuilin Nope, just a “Buckle up, young man, and may the force be with you!“ 😂😂😂 3mo
31 likes11 comments
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Cuilin
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#NoPlaceLikeHolmes
I got so excited when I knew Mycroft would be in this story. Have interpretations informed our ideas of the Sherlock universe rather than the source material?

Librarybelle I think interpretations have shaped what we think of Holmes and these characters versus the stories themselves. For me, prior to this buddy read, I had not read most of the stories, yet I had an idea from adaptations how the characters would be and recognize the “big” ones, Irene Adler, Moriarty, and Mycroft. And yes, the brothers playing off of each other was hysterical! 3mo
CatLass007 I saw both of the movies with Robert Downey Jr. I didn‘t like them but I did enjoy Stephen Fry, who narrates the audiobook to which I‘m listening, as Mycroft. 3mo
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IndoorDame It‘s definitely hard to get away from interpretations being part of our perception of these characters and this universe when I just think about Sherlock abstractly… But Doyle is a strong writer (the whole reason there are a thousand adaptations) so once I‘m back on the page with him, I‘m pretty focused on the actual scene in front of me the way it‘s written. 3mo
CogsOfEncouragement Watson thinks so highly of SH‘s skillset, to find his brother is even better at it was entertaining. If Mycroft was willing to put in more attention, just think what they could accomplish! I think this also points to SH actually caring about others. He does take the time and energy to put a case together with proper evidence for justice to be served. W just takes for granted that would be done, Mycroft shows that is not so. 3mo
Cuilin @IndoorDame oh you put it so perfectly. as much as I love the adaptations, I‘m fully engaged with what I see on the page and actually create my own Sherlock in my head. 3mo
Cuilin @CatLass007 as much as I love, Mark Gattis playing Mycroft I agree that Stephen Fry‘s Mycroft is closer to canon!! I will read the story and also listen to Stephen Fry‘s version every week. 3mo
CatLass007 I don‘t know who Mark Gattis is. The only other Sherlock adaptations I‘ve seen in recent years have been House and Elementary. House is more of a nudge-nudge, wink-wink homage. Elementary is supposed to be a modern retelling, but it is decidedly non-canon. 3mo
Cuilin @CatLass007 Along with Stephen Moffat, Mark Gatis wrote BBC‘s Sherlock. He also played the role of Mycroft. 3mo
CatLass007 Is that the one with Benjamin Cumberbatch? I think I watched part of an episode with a friend once. I like him but his casting as Khan in the reboot of Star Trek leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. It‘s just an awful movie. 3mo
Read4life I agree that once I‘m reading (or listening) I‘m absorbed in the story. Mark Gattis was brilliant as Mycroft & I loved the chemistry he & Cumberbatch had on screen. I was just reading Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret & Stevenson pointed out how adaptations gave Mycroft & Moriarty more attention than Doyle did. Did Doyle just write them so well that we think they were bigger characters or have adaptations given them more notoriety? 3mo
Cuilin @Read4life Out of 56 short stories and 4 novels (ish) producers of the movies and TV shows picked the best stories and had some sort of amalgamation of characters to make their adaptation interesting and I think that‘s why these characters are featured more on the screen then Doyle had on paper, perhaps. 3mo
Aimeesue Sherlock has been a part of my life since I first read the stories at 11 or 12, so I‘ve read more adaptations, continuations, re-visionings and pastiches than is probably healthy. And then watched all the series. Starting with the written Sherlock, it‘s easy to see how later writers adapted and expanded Holmes‘ characters. It would definitely be harder going the other way, I think. 3mo
CrystalE02 I am guessing because they are the more popular characters. I did enjoy the dialogue between the two brothers. 3mo
dabbe I think that we (like Watson) have been told so frightfully little about Holmes's past, by this point yet we have read and been involved in enough stories that we are craving to know more about Holmes and how he came to be such a mastermind. We want to know every tidbit of the upbringing that produced such a wunderkind as Sherlock, and then to discover that Mycroft is #theonlymanwhoissmarterthansherlock makes us crave even more of him. 3mo
Cuilin @dabbe Maybe you can shed some light on this. I remember reading that Doyle met Oscar Wilde and created Mycroft based on him. Sounds more like an urban myth, but wouldn‘t that be lovely. 😊 3mo
dabbe @Cuilin Ooh, a research question! I'll see if I can find out anything. 🤩🤩🤩 3mo
26 likes17 comments
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Cuilin
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#NoPlaceLikeHolmes

I thoroughly enjoy this one. How about you?

Librarybelle I liked this one. We get introduced to Mycroft, which was a good insight into Holmes‘s family life. 3mo
CatLass007 I think Holmes just doesn‘t care about the social niceties because he‘s basically a misanthrope. That doesn‘t mean he‘s inept. He knows how to behave in a socially acceptable manner, he just doesn‘t want to. I liked this story for a couple of reasons. 1) Mycroft and 2) I didn‘t feel like Conan Doyle hid any clues from us. 3mo
See All 17 Comments
IndoorDame I loved meeting Mycroft! It was amazing that in just a few pages you really felt both their bond as brothers, and a realistic amount similarities and differences between them. 3mo
CogsOfEncouragement In the case where the woman needs help amid a horrible position she took as a governess (she could find no other work) and W says SH didn‘t care about her after the case, but also reports that young woman found a position at the head of a school - an excellent job seemingly out of thin air. I believe Doyle wants the reader to see that W doesn‘t always observe SH fully or properly. SH surely helped place her in the job she was well suited for. 3mo
Cuilin @IndoorDame yes! I loved the banter, it seemed playfully competitive not adversarial. 3mo
Cuilin @CogsOfEncouragement agree and Watson was clear to say this is my opinion. He had enough self-awareness to sense he could be biased. 3mo
Read4life I was happy we were introduced to Mycroft & enjoyed their relationship. 3mo
Aimeesue I enjoyed this one, especially the observation competition between the brothers. 3mo
CrystalE02 I enjoyed this one very much. I loved the introduction of Mycroft. I also loved the dialog between the two brothers. I loved that none of the clues was hidden. 3mo
dabbe Watson states that he only “sometimes“ regarded Sherlock as “a brain without a heart.“ By this time, Watson and we have seen Holmes show sympathy and heart. I think Watson is simply saying that only occasionally does Holmes make him feel this way, especially by not sharing much of his past.

In the 1927 STRAND magazine contest, Doyle chose this one as #17/19 of his favorites. He originally chose only his top 12, but then he added 7 more.
3mo
Cuilin @dabbe I think I would add this to one of my favorites also. 3mo
Cuilin @CrystalE02 yes, I liked being given the clues this time. 3mo
Cuilin @Aimeesue it has such a good balance of mystery, camaraderie and comedy. 3mo
kelli7990 I liked this story. 3mo
dabbe @Cuilin It's one of mine, too. I loved the Jeremy Brett Granada version, too. 3mo
Cuilin @kelli7990 me too. 3mo
25 likes17 comments
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Read4life
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dabbe This was an interesting one! 🤩😂🤗 3mo
TheSpineView 👍🤩📖🌞 3mo
DieAReader 🥳Awesome! 3mo
Mendy Paul Hi Author can we discuss on some tips? 3mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3mo
32 likes5 comments
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LitsyEvents
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dabbe Thank you! 💚💙💚 3mo
31 likes1 comment
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dabbe
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#NoPlaceLikeHolmes @Cuilin
#TheGreekInterpreter

Hi, Sherlockians~
Interesting discussion today! Next up: “TAO (The Adventure of) The Greek Interpreter“; link for more information re: the story is below (with a summary--spoiler alert!). Next discussion will be on 8/10 and will be led by @cuilin. Have a lovely week!
Link: https://bit.ly/3WOdWAG

Librarybelle Thank you!! 3mo
dabbe @Liz_M Thank you! 🤩 3mo
46 likes4 comments
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Anneblythe
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📚😘

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Ash.on.the.line
Greek Interpreter | Arthur Conan Doyle
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Pickpick

Oh how I love Sherlock. Great little mystery! What more can you say?

40 likes1 stack add
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JazzFeathers
Greek Interpreter | A Conan Doyle
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Pickpick

Really liked this one. I didn't know Holmes had a brother. I loved the episode where the two Holmes brothers deduce the identity of two men by simply observing them. I really like the relation between Sherlock and Mycroft.

#Sherlocked #SerialReader #ReadAlong

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gossamerchild
Greek Interpreter | Arthur Conan Doyle
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You're not the only one, Watson, you're not the only one 😛😉😏 #sherlocked #serialreader #readalong

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Read4life
Greek Interpreter | A Conan Doyle
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Started this one tonight. Another Holmes short on #serialreader

#Sherlocked #readalong