I ordered this book from the library, and when it arrived I had forgotten what it was about. Therefore, I was well into the book before realizing that Arthur was Conan Doyle, and that the book was based on historical fact. It is so well written as a novel, that it would be unnecessary to know anything about the real figures in the book, but knowing a little makes the book even more rich and complex. I stayed up late reading about George's persecution and woke up the next day worried about him. My son got to watch a lot of TV today while I rushed to finish this book (I hope he doesn't read my reviews someday and realize he can get away with anything if I have a good enough book...)