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gossamerwingedgazelle's review
3.0
This book was actually much better than it first seemed, and the stories were quite clever. Father Brown was appealing in his own way. However, I really am not a huge fan of mystery short stories. I would much rather read a novel, since after each story, I had nothing to really compel me to read the next one. Perhaps if there weren't other books that I really want to read, I would have read more of these stories, but for now, it is enough.
trin's review
1.0
Chesterton is perhaps best known for his Father Brown stories, so I was deeply disappointed to find that they represent him at his preachy, intolerant worst. If I’d started here, instead of with the wonderfully weird and delightfully dark [b:The Man Who Was Thursday|184419|The Man Who Was Thursday A Nightmare|G.K. Chesterton|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172522672s/184419.jpg|195447] and [b:The Napoleon of Notting Hill|49673|The Napoleon of Notting Hill|G.K. Chesterton|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170361015s/49673.jpg|990611], I would have had no desire to pick up anything by Chesterton again. All of these stories seem to revolve around the irritatingly smug Father Brown proving that some type of non-Christian is wrong wrong WRONG about everything, the poor, deluded, and occasionally murderous souls.
Aside from being pious, preachy, and at times outright racist, these tales also just aren’t very good from the detective story standpoint, either. The Sherlock Holmes stories continue to be fascinating because Holmes is, because his relationship with Watson is, because the way he interacts with the world is. Father Brown’s character has less color than his name, and although Chesterton makes the occasional attempt at providing him with a sidekick, he’s never truly given anyone to confide in or bounce off of, as Holmes has in Watson. Father Brown is lost without his Boswell. And he can stay there, as far as I’m concerned.
Aside from being pious, preachy, and at times outright racist, these tales also just aren’t very good from the detective story standpoint, either. The Sherlock Holmes stories continue to be fascinating because Holmes is, because his relationship with Watson is, because the way he interacts with the world is. Father Brown’s character has less color than his name, and although Chesterton makes the occasional attempt at providing him with a sidekick, he’s never truly given anyone to confide in or bounce off of, as Holmes has in Watson. Father Brown is lost without his Boswell. And he can stay there, as far as I’m concerned.
zachzakku's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Classic trope-filled mystery stories. When do Father Brown and Flambeau hook up?
setauuta's review
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Suicide, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, and Islamophobia
geekydreamer's review
4.0
Short stories:
The Blue Cross
The Secret Garden
The Queer Feet
The Flying Stars
The Invisible Man
The Honour of Israel Gow
The Wrong Shape
The Sins of Prince Saradine
The Hammer of God
The Eye of Apollo
The Sign of the Broken Sword
The Three Tools of Death
The Blue Cross
The Secret Garden
The Queer Feet
The Flying Stars
The Invisible Man
The Honour of Israel Gow
The Wrong Shape
The Sins of Prince Saradine
The Hammer of God
The Eye of Apollo
The Sign of the Broken Sword
The Three Tools of Death
t8r's review
3.0
Nice short stories (aside from the blatant racism and xenophobia). Very predictable and potentially boring. Fine as an audiobook in the background.
The book as a whole is better than any of the individual stories. Each story stands alone, but they do build on each other with little references dropped here and there.
The book as a whole is better than any of the individual stories. Each story stands alone, but they do build on each other with little references dropped here and there.
roseleaf24's review
3.0
I'm not sure what I would think of these were it not for the character of Father Brown. They were interesting mystery stories, though the writing style got in its own way frequently. Father Brown, though, fascinated me. I have seen priest detectives before, but I haven't before seen such consideration of the seal of the confessional, or the conflict between the innocence that people expect of the clergy in contrast to the sinful world they address on a daily basis.
becca_todaro's review against another edition
I’m not sure how to rate this, I didn’t necessarily like it
ithilwen22's review
5.0
I absolutely adored these stories. Having read Manalive, I figured the stories would be quirky but also insightful, and I was right! Chesterton has fun playing with mystery tropes while delivering lines that make me have to sit and think about them for a good long time.
Father Brown is not the traditional detective (at least, not until recently when suddenly everyone is a detective). He stays in the background, quiet and observant, willing to "stop and smell the flowers" so to speak, which means he sees things others don't. He's open-minded about all kinds of explanations; unlike, say, Holmes who looks at the oddest explanation last, he's perfectly willing to believe that witchcraft could be a factor.
Chesterton also has fun near the beginning with our expectations. I don't know if his contemporaries would have had the same assumptions I did, but they certainly made my journey into this series fun.
It's things like that which really struck me. Chesterton plays with perception and as a result, leaves the reader guessing at every turn.
Father Brown is not the traditional detective (at least, not until recently when suddenly everyone is a detective). He stays in the background, quiet and observant, willing to "stop and smell the flowers" so to speak, which means he sees things others don't. He's open-minded about all kinds of explanations; unlike, say, Holmes who looks at the oddest explanation last, he's perfectly willing to believe that witchcraft could be a factor.
Chesterton also has fun near the beginning with our expectations. I don't know if his contemporaries would have had the same assumptions I did, but they certainly made my journey into this series fun.
Spoiler
In the first story, we are given the practical and logical policeman, a perfect foil to our quirky but brilliant detective who is able to outwit the thief and leave a trail for our policeman to follow. When he shows up in the second story, I assumed Valentin would be Father Brown's "sidekick", the man who does things differently but nonetheless admires the detective, while Flambeau would be the Moriarty to our priest. How surprised was I when Valentin turned out to be a fanatical murdered, and Flambeau had a change of heart and became Father Brown's "Watson"!It's things like that which really struck me. Chesterton plays with perception and as a result, leaves the reader guessing at every turn.
farawyn's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5