Monday, May 28, 2012

An Entirely New Country by Alistair Duncan

Hello Bookworms! ,
                I am excited about today’s book! I have just finished it and I’m thoroughly pleased with it! A few weeks ago, we posted an interview here on See Lizzie Read with its author. It is called An Entirely New Country and it is by Alistair Duncan!

Summary:
                An Entirely New Country focuses on one ten year period in the life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (writer of the Sherlock Holmes adventures).  These ten years were the years in which he lived at Undershaw, the home he built in an area that was favorable for easing his wife’s Tuberculosis symptoms. These were very crucial years that saw Sir Arthur Conan Doyle knighted, the revival of Sherlock Holmes, and much more.

Review:
                Reading this book drew blood! Okay, so I’m not warning you against anything about the book, I just happened to cut myself on the cover. I actually very much enjoyed reading An Entirely New Country.  As a college student, I have read some non-fiction books that will make you feel as though you are trying to run through quicksand. The harder you try to get through it, the more you bog down in it. That’s not the case with Alistair Duncan’s An Entirely New Country. Mr. Duncan presents Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s life from 1897-1907 in a way that captures your interest and makes you want to know more. I found myself putting the book down for the night only to realize that I was already trying to plan how soon I could pick it back up and start reading again. To me, that is the mark of a gifted writer. To lay out just 10 years of a person’s life in a way that makes the reader crave more is amazing. As I said, it is hard for me to truly enjoy non-fiction, but Mr. Duncan has made me believe that with the proper writing it can be done. Some writers believe that if an entire event can be well told in four or five sentences, they must add filler so that it stretches to a whole page. This causes the book to be a total bore because usually the filler comes in the form on unrelated babble or repeating the same point five different ways. Mr. Duncan doesn’t do that. If he can tell it well in just a few short sentences he leaves it at that keeping the reader from bogging down in extraneous details. I give An Entirely New Country 5 bookmarks! I would definitely recommend this book for Sherlockians, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Fans, and anyone looking for a pleasant read.  The only recommendations I would make are: 1. Have some knowledge of the game of cricket as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle played cricket and if you are ignorant of the rules and terminology (like I am) it can be a little confusing. and 2. Look out for that sharp cover! Haha!




                50% of the Proceeds of An Entirely New Country go the Undershaw Preservation Trust, dedicated to saving Undershaw from irreversible damage. Currently, they are awaiting the judge’s decision as to whether the house will be saved or allowed to be turned into townhouses by a developer from the Virgin Islands. The Undershaw Preservation Trust could use your support right now and buying your copy of An Entirely New Country is a great way to do it! An Entirely New Country will show you exactly why Undershaw is so important, and why it should be saved!

If you would like to read the interview with Alistiar Duncan, author of An Entirely New Country:


To Buy An Entirely New Country:
Amazon.com (Where I got my copy):
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_9?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=an+entirely+new+country&sprefix=An+Entire%2Caps%2C277

Barnes&Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/an-entirely-new-country-arthur-conan-doyle-undershaw-and-the-resurrection-of-sherlock-holmes-alistair-duncan/1106755431?ean=9781908218193

Until Next Time,
               Lizzie

P.S. Does anyone have a manual on the rules, regulations, and terminology of cricket they’d like to send me? J

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