Arthur & George [B0116]

2005 PB. As boys, George, the son of a Midlands vicar, and Arthur, living in shabby genteel Edinburgh, find themselves in a vast and complex world at the heart of the British Empire. Years later - one struggling with his identity in a world hostile to his ancestry, the other creating the world's most famous detective while in love with a woman who is not his wife - their fates become inextricably connected.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "I enjoyed this quite a bit. I thought Julian Barnes' writing style was beautiful yet uncomplicated. I liked the structure of the narrative. It felt like three books in one. A coming of age story first, with short chapters, then a long detective story, and then a different perspective on the famous Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Canon Doyle."; "Absorbing. The author breathes life, in all its complexities, into the recreation of a true story that moves between genres without losing any sense of focus. Masterful."; "An intriguing insight into the creator of Sherlock Holmes and the attitudes of a century ago. Using real events and his creative skill, Julian Barnes weaves a compelling tale that reveals much about morality and justice both then and now. Adroitly crafted and compellingly paced, this is a book I will remember for a long time. It is at times charming but mostly uncomfortable - and all the more meaningful for that. No wonder it was shortlisted for the Booker Prize."