Arthur and George

by Julian Barnes

How about a book review? I read this book back in November of 2008, but I remember it pretty well so here goes.

Arthur refers to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. You know, the guy who wrote the Sherlock Holmes stories. George refers to a man who Arthur meets somewhere around the middle of the book. The story takes place in Victorian England and chronicles the growing up years of Arthur and George. They come from quite different backgrounds and as the story is fairly accurate, it is quite interesting.

Then George is accused of a crime which he did not commit and by and by, Arthur becomes involved in trying to prove George's innocence.

I won't ruin the ending completely. I won't tell you if George is found innocent or guilty but I will tell you that the ending left a lot to be desired. I wanted something much more dramatic. In hindsight, I should have known it might not be what I hoped for. It really happened and sometimes real life just isn't as exciting as fiction.

It did leave me curious about Sir Arthur, and at first I intended to seek out more books about him, but the curiosity quickly faded and I opted to move on to more fiction.

If you enjoy historical fiction, or are a Sir Arthur fan already, you may enjoy this book. But if you're looking for a good story (with a good ending), keep looking!