Scan barcode
lgpiper's review against another edition
3.0
This is the third in the series of Father Brown books. I read the first two back in 2011. The first was ok, the second, meh. But I thought to read some more because my spouse has taken up watching Father Brown videos, on our son's Netflix account, in the middle of the afternoon. Sometimes she even cons me into joining her at the computer. I'm beginning to be drawn in. I suspect there is virtually no similarity between the books and the videos, except for the main character's being a Roman Catholic priest who carries an umbrella around. For one thing, the videos are set well after WWII, whereas the first two books in the series were written before WWI. This, the third in the series of five, short-story books came out in the 192os.
The common theme of the stories in this volume is that someone dies in a way that seems to indicate a supernatural cause. Everyone jumps to the supernatural conclusion...except Father Brown. Now, Father Brown, being a Roman Catholic priest, does fervently believe in some things we might consider supernatural. But he's not much taken in by superstition, and generally looks for a practical answer to the conundrum of the moment.
I think I liked this series of stories better than I liked the second series, but I can no longer be sure because it was 7 years ago that I read, and declared myself to be unimpressed by, those stories. These were ok, but I find short stories difficult to read. Basically, if one can't read them in one sitting, it's way too easy to lose the thread. Novels are much easier to grasp because one naturally lives with them for several days, and also because a single chapter or two is much easier to finish in a single sitting than is a short story such as one of these. Perhaps it's my age, or the fact that I read at only half the speed for success in college, but I'm heading back to a nice juicy novel.
The common theme of the stories in this volume is that someone dies in a way that seems to indicate a supernatural cause. Everyone jumps to the supernatural conclusion...except Father Brown. Now, Father Brown, being a Roman Catholic priest, does fervently believe in some things we might consider supernatural. But he's not much taken in by superstition, and generally looks for a practical answer to the conundrum of the moment.
I think I liked this series of stories better than I liked the second series, but I can no longer be sure because it was 7 years ago that I read, and declared myself to be unimpressed by, those stories. These were ok, but I find short stories difficult to read. Basically, if one can't read them in one sitting, it's way too easy to lose the thread. Novels are much easier to grasp because one naturally lives with them for several days, and also because a single chapter or two is much easier to finish in a single sitting than is a short story such as one of these. Perhaps it's my age, or the fact that I read at only half the speed for success in college, but I'm heading back to a nice juicy novel.
forever_day's review
My first encounter with Father Brown that didn't occur via television. It was very different to the TV show - no consistency of locations or characters bar Father Brown himself - but still enjoyable. The writing style took a little bit to get into, and could be a little slow-going, but for the most part the quality of the mysteries he could create in ~30 pages was worth it. Some stories were better than others; I wasn’t overly enamored with The Resurrection of Father Brown, but was v impressed by the conclusion of the The Arrow of Heaven.
It often felt as if Chesterton kept you occupied at the front door with the mystery while the teaching about human nature/theology/morality comes and hits you over the head through the window. An interesting but enjoyable sensation.
For example:
It often felt as if Chesterton kept you occupied at the front door with the mystery while the teaching about human nature/theology/morality comes and hits you over the head through the window. An interesting but enjoyable sensation.
For example:
And I hope it’s not against your principles to visit a modern sort of emperor like Merton.’Oof. Or:
‘Not at all,’ said Father Brown, quietly. ‘It is my duty to visit prisoners and all miserable men in captivity.
‘Really,’ protested Martin Wood, ‘I do think you should be the last man in the world to tinker about with those beautiful Gothic arches, which are about the best work your own religion has ever done in the world. I should have thought you’d have had some feeling for that sort of art.’[...]
‘If you don’t know that I would grind all the Gothic arches in the world to powder to save the sanity of a single human soul, you don’t know so much about my religion as you think you do,’ answered Father Brown.
poachedeggs's review against another edition
4.0
I love Father Brown and the outlandish mysteries in this book.
jimmypat's review
4.0
This is the 17th book in a series I am calling “quarantine life.” With all of our public libraries closed due to the corona virus, I have turned to my own bookshelves and the unread books that await me there.
While this third collection of Father Brown stories doesn’t quite have the same colorful writing that Chesterton employed in the first book, it was still an absolute delight to read. In fact, “Oracle of the Dog” is my favorite Brown story that I have read yet. Wonderful stuff.
While this third collection of Father Brown stories doesn’t quite have the same colorful writing that Chesterton employed in the first book, it was still an absolute delight to read. In fact, “Oracle of the Dog” is my favorite Brown story that I have read yet. Wonderful stuff.
germancho's review against another edition
4.0
Es un libro detectivesco muy cuco, con soluciones muy intuitivas (en contraposicion al deductivismo de Conan Doyle) y con un sabroso discurso sobre el escepticismo y el materialismo
foreverday's review
My first encounter with Father Brown that didn't occur via television. It was very different to the TV show - no consistency of locations or characters bar Father Brown himself - but still enjoyable. The writing style took a little bit to get into, and could be a little slow-going, but for the most part the quality of the mysteries he could create in ~30 pages was worth it. Some stories were better than others; I wasn’t overly enamored with The Resurrection of Father Brown, but was v impressed by the conclusion of the The Arrow of Heaven.
It often felt as if Chesterton kept you occupied at the front door with the mystery while the teaching about human nature/theology/morality comes and hits you over the head through the window. An interesting but enjoyable sensation.
For example:
It often felt as if Chesterton kept you occupied at the front door with the mystery while the teaching about human nature/theology/morality comes and hits you over the head through the window. An interesting but enjoyable sensation.
For example:
And I hope it’s not against your principles to visit a modern sort of emperor like Merton.’Oof. Or:
‘Not at all,’ said Father Brown, quietly. ‘It is my duty to visit prisoners and all miserable men in captivity.
‘Really,’ protested Martin Wood, ‘I do think you should be the last man in the world to tinker about with those beautiful Gothic arches, which are about the best work your own religion has ever done in the world. I should have thought you’d have had some feeling for that sort of art.’[...]
‘If you don’t know that I would grind all the Gothic arches in the world to powder to save the sanity of a single human soul, you don’t know so much about my religion as you think you do,’ answered Father Brown.
marinetta's review against another edition
2.0
Οι εκδόσεις Μάγμα έχουν βγάλει ένα ποιοτικό και όμορφο βιβλίο όμως οι ιστορίες συνολικά είναι πολύ ανιαρές!
Δεν πολυ αναλύεται ο πατήρ μπράουν , για να καταλαβαίνουμε πως καταλήγει στη λύση των φόνων.
Στις ιστορίες παρουσιάζονται υπερβολικά πολλά άτομα τα οποία δεν έχουν κάποιο ρόλο στο φόνο ή στην εξέλιξη του μυστηρίου γενικότερα με αποτέλεσμα ο αναγνώστης να μπερδεύεται με αυτά που διαβάζει και στο τέλος να μην τον εξυπηρετεί σε τίποτα.
( Ήταν σχετικά καλές οι 1η , 2η , 3η και 7η ιστορίες )
Δεν πολυ αναλύεται ο πατήρ μπράουν , για να καταλαβαίνουμε πως καταλήγει στη λύση των φόνων.
Στις ιστορίες παρουσιάζονται υπερβολικά πολλά άτομα τα οποία δεν έχουν κάποιο ρόλο στο φόνο ή στην εξέλιξη του μυστηρίου γενικότερα με αποτέλεσμα ο αναγνώστης να μπερδεύεται με αυτά που διαβάζει και στο τέλος να μην τον εξυπηρετεί σε τίποτα.
( Ήταν σχετικά καλές οι 1η , 2η , 3η και 7η ιστορίες )
bzzzzzz's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Not perhaps as good as the first book. An unfortunate amount of racism. But still funny and very clever.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Racial slurs
kristianalace's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0