Arthur & George by Julian Barnes

I've written a few times about Julian Barnes's Arthur & George, which I'm reading for one of my book clubs.

This wonderful piece of historical fiction is a joy to read; I can see why it was shortlisted for the 2005 Man Booker Prize!

I'm 50 pages into Part II, Beginning with an Ending, which is about one quarter of the way through Part II and I am hooked.

I feel quite sad for George Ernest Thompson Edalji, newly educated solicitor-at-law and author of Railway Law for the "Man in the Train," and the racist persecution he endured at the hands of menacing strangers and the police and the graphic descriptions of animal torture disgusts me.

In the meantime, Arthur Conan Doyle's literary career has taken off at the expense of his medical career while his wife, Louisa (Touie) has been diagnosed with tuberculosis (known as consumption at the time).

The contrast and similarities between the lives of these two men makes you wonder how their paths will cross later in the book.

Can't wait to find out!