A Samba for Sherlock : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Why not?
Review: It's a delicious book. It's wonderful when the author mix History or Classic Fiction with new one. What about 'Shakspeare in Love' movie? Why not 'A Samba for Sherlock' and pehaps a imaginable 'A Tango for Hamlet'? When we have a witty and intelligent new aproach of the classic it's a rich experience for reader as for literature as a hole.

Rating:
Summary: What a great sense of humor!
Review: Jo soares es no solo un escritor con gran sentido del humor sino un verdadero escritor con un agudo sentido para percibir no solo Brazil sino cualquier pais latinoamericano. Una investigacion impresionante combinada con una ligereza que solo los brasilenos poseen. I'm looking forward for his next book!

Rating:
Summary: Reads Like a First Novel
Review: Jo Soares is a well-known Brazilian entertainer with a talk show and a newspaper column. "A Samba for Sherlock" is his first novel, and it reads like it. It's not a bad book, just a bit overwritten in that hyper-enthusiastic way of first novelists. Soares has done his research on Sarah Bernhardt, Sherlock Holmes, and the emperor's court in 1886 Rio de Janeiro. He's crafted a reasonably well-structured novel and thought through the different pieces of the plot so that they fit together at the edges. The problems, of course, are with the greatest challenges for fiction writers: character and dialogue, and "Sherlock" fails at both. The characters are all buffoons, every one of them. This makes for some lighthearted humor at the characters' own expense, but it also means that in the end none of them have any depth or nuance. They are just cardboard caricatures that the author has set up in order to knock them down, mere plot devices. Similarly, the dialogue is cute and sometimes clever, but never really deep or revealing of subtlety. Finally, the research itself sometimes gets in the way as the author fills pages of text with details culled from history books that do not drive the story forward but only distract a reader's attention and break the spell of the story. "Sherlock" is a fair novel, a good first attempt. I may pick up another Jo Soares novel in the future, but I won't run breathlessly to the bookstore to find it.

Rating:
Summary: Reads Like a First Novel
Review: Jo Soares is a well-known Brazilian entertainer with a talk show and a newspaper column. "A Samba for Sherlock" is his first novel, and it reads like it. It's not a bad book, just a bit overwritten in that hyper-enthusiastic way of first novelists. Soares has done his research on Sarah Bernhardt, Sherlock Holmes, and the emperor's court in 1886 Rio de Janeiro. He's crafted a reasonably well-structured novel and thought through the different pieces of the plot so that they fit together at the edges. The problems, of course, are with the greatest challenges for fiction writers: character and dialogue, and "Sherlock" fails at both. The characters are all buffoons, every one of them. This makes for some lighthearted humor at the characters' own expense, but it also means that in the end none of them have any depth or nuance. They are just cardboard caricatures that the author has set up in order to knock them down, mere plot devices. Similarly, the dialogue is cute and sometimes clever, but never really deep or revealing of subtlety. Finally, the research itself sometimes gets in the way as the author fills pages of text with details culled from history books that do not drive the story forward but only distract a reader's attention and break the spell of the story. "Sherlock" is a fair novel, a good first attempt. I may pick up another Jo Soares novel in the future, but I won't run breathlessly to the bookstore to find it.

Rating:
Summary: Reads Like a First Novel
Review: Jo Soares is a well-known Brazilian entertainer with a talk show and a newspaper column. "A Samba for Sherlock" is his first novel, and it reads like it. It's not a bad book, just a bit overwritten in that hyper-enthusiastic way of first novelists. Soares has done his research on Sarah Bernhardt, Sherlock Holmes, and the emperor's court in 1886 Rio de Janeiro. He's crafted a reasonably well-structured novel and thought through the different pieces of the plot so that they fit together at the edges. The problems, of course, are with the greatest challenges for fiction writers: character and dialogue, and "Sherlock" fails at both. The characters are all buffoons, every one of them. This makes for some lighthearted humor at the characters' own expense, but it also means that in the end none of them have any depth or nuance. They are just cardboard caricatures that the author has set up in order to knock them down, mere plot devices. Similarly, the dialogue is cute and sometimes clever, but never really deep or revealing of subtlety. Finally, the research itself sometimes gets in the way as the author fills pages of text with details culled from history books that do not drive the story forward but only distract a reader's attention and break the spell of the story. "Sherlock" is a fair novel, a good first attempt. I may pick up another Jo Soares novel in the future, but I won't run breathlessly to the bookstore to find it.

Rating:
Summary: A good joke
Review: Jo Soares knows very well Brazil history and he was brillant to mix his knowledge with Sherlock adventures. The book is full of good jokes and funny situations that shows the Rio de Janeiro and its main personalities. Of course people with no knowledge of Jo Soares work and Brazil history will not understand this excellent book.

Rating:
Summary: A big disappointment
Review: Jo Soares toys with the character of Sherlock Holmes, to the point of disrespect. The writing is high-schoolish and lazy, and decidedly not due to the exercise of translation from the Brazilian original. Anecdotes that have been told previously were thrown into this story line, including a second-rate joke about a snake recalled as an episode in Holmes life. The situations are unconnected, clues to the mystery appear from implausible events, and Holmes uses none of his abilities in this work, except perhaps to draw attention to a first book by Soares that would otherwise be cast aside, as it should be. Stay away from this book if you are a Holmes fan, or if you are a fan of passable story telling.

Rating:
Summary: Rubbish in the worst possible way!
Review: Much has been said about missing the elements of Brazilian culture or humour in this lame pastiche, but personally, I think Sherlock Holmes is a universal icon and pastiches using the character should remember that very fact. The author may be well liked in his native land, or even an interesting author in his native tongue, but this translation certainly doesn't betray that. This is a vulgar attempt to break into the English language market by using a familiar character as a vehicle for a rather pathetic and juvenile farce. Any jokes that might be presented here are of a distinctly toilet humour variety and lack any cleverness whatsoever. As a Holmes story this fails at every turn. As a mystery this just might have made it, but as a Holmes story it sickens the reader rather quickly. Avoid this book as you would a plague carrying Amway salesman, if you have any interest in the Conan Doyle stories featuring Sherlock Holmes. You certainly won't find Holmes in this book!

Rating:
Summary: One of the best I've ever read.
Review: read this book in Portuguese last July. It is one of the most interesting ever. Soares combine comedy, suspense and mystery and even describe perfectly the Brazilian society of the last century. It is important to remind Sherlock's fans that this book is not a regular production about the detective's methods, therefore they shouldn't expect to read a classic about their favorite character, but a reproduction of the XVIII century scenario in Brazil and a hilarious performance of Sherlock and his parter Dr. Watson.

Rating:
Summary: Trite cheap satire of Holmes, weak mystery
Review: Soares book is a sad treatment of a great literary tradition, a pitiful attempt to ride the coattails of good repute and intricate storytelling full of snappy intellect and good mystery. Had it not been for his theft of the Holmes persona this book would be less stimulating than a comic book, Batman comics weaves better mysteries as do Star trek novels not to mention real writers like Lecarre, Conan Doyle and others who have treated the Holmes story with integrity and consistency such as Laurie R. King. Even satires and spoofs of Holmes have been treated with more savvy than Soares puerile meandering through pop pseudo Holmes-ian cliches. The Holmes he depicts is so far from the one created in Conan Doyles books I am surprised he got the rights to create the cheap mockery. Were the rest of the story intriguing or gripping in any way I may forgive the insult and simply in accurate treatmen of Holmes. However the story is simple and weak in spite of little travel guide anectotes of 19th Century Brazil. Basically I regret buying this book, as my love for Holmes and those who write him well got the better of me and I fell for a sad cheap marketingploy of an bad writer's first novel. Besides, there are already several much more historically interesting and accurate treatments of Holmes meeting Jack the Ripper that are much more worhty of our attention and support. Steer Clear! Laurie King's books are great, as are the other Jack the Ripper stories and others. Karl