#five acd

[hudders-and-hiddles]

holmes and watson lazing by the fire while it storms outside

apparently acd was just as into tropes as we are...

[materialofonebeing]

“We sat in silence for some minutes, Holmes more depressed and shaken than I had ever seen him.  [...] He sprang from his chair and paced about the room in uncontrollable agitation, with a flush upon his sallow cheeks and a nervous clasping and unclasping of his long thin hands.”

Holmes, overcome by feelings at the death of the client, The Five Orange Pips

[strangelylikeable]

The Five Orange Pips

I just finished reading The Five Orange Pips, and I am having a bit of a sad not only for the client, but for Holmes as well.   

(Spoilers ahead if you were planning to read it this week)  

Holmes attempts to save his client’s life, but in the process, and because of Holmes’ advice, the client is murdered on his way home.  Holmes and Watson learn about it the next day while reading the morning paper...

A bit later after Holmes has spent the day investigating the case and attempting to identify the murderers he returns to tell Watson he has identified them and we have this exchange, which breaks my heart....

That last paragraph actually brought me to tears.  He cares SO MUCH.  And we are seeing it time and time again after each story we read for the book club. Whether it is Watson or a client who is truly in need, he is just so passionate. Sure, he can be cold, he can be sassy, he can be despondent, and his creative methods may confuse people, but at the heart of it, he just wants to help.

If some poor short-sighted individual ever tries to tell me that Holmes is a cold and heartless man ever again...I am going to punch them in the throat.  

[astudyincanon]

The Five Orange Pips - Locations

A quick note about this story…

Unlike past stories, ALL of these locations actually exist!!!  I did mix in some modern pictures to build the mental image, but they are labeled below.  I didn’t include any images of Openshaw’s house because none of the action took place out there.

Top Row Left - Waterloo Bridge and the Embankment, 1929

Note: This photo was taken 42 years after the case, but I like that it shows both the bridge and The Embankment.

Top Row Right - The Embankment, taken from Waterloo Bridge, 1898

This is the scene of the murder

2nd Row - A Modern Google Map of the area Around the Crime Scene

Note: Holmes is frustrated because the Embankment is not on the way to Charring Cross Station from Baker Street, so I wanted to see what he meant.  The map above shows: 

Charring Cross circled in green 

The Waterloo Bridge circled in Red

The Embankment is the curved shore between the two

Baker Street is 2.5 miles NW

(I hope I’m not bursting anyone’s bubble with the 220 Baker St. address...we all know that 221 doesn’t exist right?)

*Runs and hides from people who didn’t...

Third Row Left - The Royal Exchange Exterior, 1872

Quote: "I have spent the whole day,” said he, “over Lloyd’s registers and files of the old papers, following the future career of every vessel which touched Pondicherry in January and February in ‘83.”

Lloyd’s occupied the Royal Exchange for 150 years.

I recommend checking out this link on the Royal Exchange website to view some stunning pictures, as well as the history of the building.  It’s short, but interesting!

Third Row Right - The Interior of the Royal Exchange, 2003

Note: This interior shot of the building was taken in 2003 after an extensive structural remodel.  It shows off the glass ceiling if you click on it.  Such a lovely space.

Bottom Row Left - The Royal Albert Docks 1899

Note: This gives you an idea of the official London Docks, as opposed to the rougher docks and wharfs we encountered in TWIS.

Bottom Row Right - The Royal Albert Docks in the 1930′s

Note: I included this one to give you an idea of the size of the docks.

Feel free to add to this post if you have other images or info!

[gralto]

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

“The Five Orange Pips” drawings by Sidney Paget 1891

[astudyincanon]

For the week of April 3rd - 9th, we’ll be tackling two more short stories!

The Man with the Twisted Lip  (#TWIS ACD)

and

The Five Orange Pips  (#FIVE ACD)

The man with the Twisted Lip is roughly 9000 words, and The Five Orange Pips comes in just over 7000, which is what we tackled last week, so I think we can handle it.  

(If you have questions about the timeline we are following, check out the link in the header)

Feel free to read at your own pace this week, we will be tracking the tags for both stories and posting what we find as the week goes on.

[astudyincanon]

How has everyone enjoyed this week?

Before we move on to our next stories, which I will announce tomorrow night around 7pm EST, a few questions about this week’s adventures…

What was your favorite Holmes & Watson moment?

Which was your favorite of the two cases and why?

Did you learn anything new about Holmes and/or Watson that you want to share?

As always, feel free to answer all or only the ones that interest you.  Or just write up you closing thoughts and tag us.

Send your answers via submission, ask, or tagged post.  I will compile the answers and post around 7pm EST tomorrow night.

[travelingwithoutthedoctor]

Another hint coming up that we should already have read the sign of four. In this instance it could refer to the publishing timeline as well. And again: ACD couldn't get any dates straight. Additionally in the #five Holmes said he has been beaten 4 times: 3 times by a man and 1 time by a woman (quote on the right) while in #iden he states he was only beaten by Irene (quote on the left). That might be an identification that #iden is actually set before #five.