A teenager in action – a review of the comic book “Investigations of Enola Holmes. The Secret of White Poppies “, vol. 3

Nancy Springer is the author of books on Enola Holmes. The themed original series earned her an Edgar Award nomination. The comic adaptation of the novel, currently published by Egmont, is one of the most interesting young adult offers on the publishing market. Enola Holmes, the younger sister of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes, is an extraordinary heroine and her creation will probably appeal especially to teenage readers.

Holmes – surname obliges

As noted in the introduction, Enola is Sherlock’s sister. But not only. Her other brother is called Mycroft, a senior British government official. In the comic book by French cartoonist Serena Blasco, the original story was cut short (Springer’s novel is much longer), but the characters retained their distinctive features. Visually, Enola is distinguished by its large eyes (characteristic of anime tracks). In her everyday life, the teenage heroine rebels – she refuses to wear corsets, learn crocheting and play the piano. In a word – patriarchy. She decides to become a detective (not a detective, sic!), As does her older brother. After escaping from his family home, he settles in London. There he transforms into Ivy Meshle, Dr. Ragostin’s assistant. In the discussed volume three of the adventures of Enola Holmes, the girl still avoids her brothers. At the same time, he conducts discreet investigations into missing people and solves puzzles. This time, however, the kidnapping concerns a person close to the Holmes family.

The mystery of white poppies

In the latest comic book about the adventures of Enola Holmes, you will be able to get into the world of a young detective bride. Even though secret messages and clues may seem too complicated at first, each story puzzle will surely be solved. But it takes time for everything. When Enola visits the theater props and junk store (Peteriote’s), she is impressed with the valuables there. The heroine realizes that she has to avoid the disguises in which she was exposed, i.e. a nun, a widow, a florist. A pity, because the mystery she has to solve will be closely related to the secrets of botany. During the fictional investigations, questions will be asked about asparagus stalks, the symbolism of hawthorn and the origin of flower bouquets. Relying only on myself Enola will have to brainstorm and find answers to easier and more difficult questions. After reading the comic, however, I can’t help but get the impression that some plot elements in the latest notebook are extremely drastic: a falling off nose, a corpse hidden in flowers or a lunatic asylum. I believe the teenage reader will be able to digest these issues, but I would be hesitant to propose reading to younger (under 10) children.

Secret Notes

The comic book is an amazing story about an equally extraordinary heroine. Her adventures have been interestingly described, and the illustrations included in the notebook attract the attention of the reader. The heroes were portrayed with attention to the smallest detail. Taking care of the little things is especially important when it comes to comics, because it allows the reader to accurately imagine the world that surrounds the characters, while avoiding unnecessary descriptions. Some pages attract attention for a long time (the number of beautiful elements does not allow us to tear our eyes off too quickly), others – arouse literary horror. The notebook includes an appendix – The Secret Notes of Enola Holmes , in which we can find a list of questions about the investigation, the flower language code, the heroine’s disguises and an explanation of more interesting plot elements.