Enola is a fearless
feminist; an inspiring free spirit fighting to hold onto the life she has
chosen for herself.
The plot is dense and thrilling. The information seeps into
the story in a slow soak that creates delighted anticipation. The language is a
delicious smorgasbord of long lost language.
It is now 1889, London. Enola’s deaf landlady Mrs
Tupper receives a threatening cryptic letter, demanding she hand over something
she knows nothing about.
By now, the elderly woman has worked out that Enola is
much more than she seems, having seen her come and go at all hours in her many
disguises. She begs Enola to uncover the mysterious meaning of the letter and
shares her life story with her.
As a young bride, she had gone with her businessman
husband, to Scutari in Turkey, amidst the Crimean War. Alone and destitute
after he was killed, she was given help to escape to safety by a Lady with the
Lamp as she was then known.
The following day Mrs Tupper is abducted, and her
hovel of a house ransacked. Enola sets out to find her and decipher the meaning
of the cryptic letter.
Enola thrives on challenge. With her usual intelligent
methodology, she writes down and deconstructs all the clues available to her. She
also draws images of the people she has seen that may be connected in any way
to the case.
What are the kidnappers after? And how is the
letter connected to Florence Nightingale who Enola believed to be dead, but is still
alive and well. How is she connection to this mystery? And then there is the
embroidery on Mrs Tupper’s dress. What role does it play if any?
A meeting with the famous woman changes the course
of the investigation. Brothers Sherlock and Mycroft are on Enola’s trail as
always, while the young girl’s abilities to solve mysteries surpass those of
Sherlock. She has had no word from her missing mother.
All the books in the series can be read individually,
but the backstory of Enola’s life and the slow but impressive transition in
thought experienced by her brothers, is lost if the whole series is not
read in sequence.
Powerful images of the wounded soldiers accompany
the settings and historical details of the Crimean War of 1855. Emphasis is
placed on how women were regarded and treated in that era. This remains the
central underlying theme in this series.
Title:
Enola Holmes: Book 5 - The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline
Author:
Nancy Springer
Publisher:
Allen & Unwin, $14.99
Publication
Date: April 2019
Format:
Paperback
For
ages: 12+
Type:
Middle Grade Fiction
