Meeting Minutes from 12/18 - LADY
Max Magee
Meeting Minutes
Notorious Canary-Trainers
Annual Birthday Luncheon
Noon, Nonno’s Italian Restaurant January 18th
Max will send a headcount email asking for RSVP’s
Our theme is Italian (restaurants, etc.) with Curaçao and Coffee
Announcements
Norwegian Explorers Dinner
Show & Tell
Cookies from Johanna
Johanna’s recent book collections and Sherlock Holmes Magazine Article
Strand Magazine Johanna recently was gifted
BFI Room in the Tower - Joanna Lumly
Max’s haul from St. Paul
Sherlock Holmes Stained Glass
Thursday, December 5th is the Norwegian Explorers meeting
http://www.norwegianexplorers.org/2024_dinner.html
Attendees:
Johanna
Jim & Vicki
Diane
Dave
Max
John H.
Mary Hendricks & Kevin “Giant Rat of Sumatra”
Sophie & Travis
Kent
Story Discussion (at least at the beginning, trying to keep it brief):
Vicki - Not sure if she liked it or disliked it
Jim - Liked it
Mary - Wasn’t impressed. Plot holes.
Kevin - Ditto. Seemed shallow
Sophie - I really liked it - “She’s alive!?” One of my favorites so far
Tyler - Enjoyed it. Don’t have much to say about it.
Kent - Other than the unsatisfactory ending…criminals get away. Found the story very engaging. All sorts of good things, a couple of good quotes. I liked it a lot.
Dave - 50th percentile
John - Didn’t mention New Jersey, so I put it way at the bottom. It’s interesting that it falls in the lower 10th percent. One of the better reveal scenes. I don’t look at these as mysteries that I need to solve—they’re more adventure stories. This one didn’t have much adventure either. There are some fun bits in here.
Max - Just forgettable. It’s solidly in the forgotten middle. It’s not egregious and in the bottom 10%, it’s just that nothing about it is memorable.
Johanna - Like that it’s not named after a house. It’s one of the ones where Sherlock almost gets his client killed. Clever—oh my god they’re hidden in the coffin. Villains get away. I don’t like this story 4 cons, 2 pros
Diane - I like it. It ain't the world’s greatest mystery. I liked following them around Europe
Double-decker Coffin - one of the most memorable parts of the story. Some similarities to Sherlock & Daughter
Attention span - lots of non-plot elements, flipping back and forth to Europe. Was Doyle on a word count? A deadline?
Migratory (American vs. British) description
Kent is not convinced it was so “middling” (Max used the phrase). There seemed to be a lot of action all over the continent, Hansom cab chase, lots of characters (Lestrade, Hudson, gun, Watson and a stick). Just a lot going on.
Really good phrase “The fiery soul behind the cold grey face.” The most over-use of the word Irregulars—Sherlock says “we are the irregulars.”
Police interaction - Police treat them kind of likely.
The criminals got away so easily, Holmes bungled it at first. As Watson did the doctor thing, Holmes was just standing around as the criminals went out the other door.
Lady Frances Carfax - we never speak with her. She could’ve been a blue diamond or
“One of the most dangerous classes in the world…is the drifting and mysterious woman.” “Like most lonely ladies, Lady Frances found her comfort in occupation and religion.”
A lot of the action seemed to take place off-stage.
Watson as the active investigator.
Do you have a warrant? (Holmes pulls out his gun.)
In general principle, I should not leave the country, for it excites the criminal classes.
“Now we will take another line of reasoning. When you follow two separate chains of thought, Watson, you will find some point of intersection which should approximate to the truth.”
Connection to Watson & Daughter - Coffin Factory
Should it have been called The Adventure of the Deadly Coffin? The Illegitimate Corpse?
A question about the exhumation—they left the cotton wrap around her face, doesn’t that defeat the purpose of the ruse of them being buried.
Next month’s story: The Adventure of The Devil’s Foot (1910)
Next month's discussion leader: Who knows!?