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belleoftheb00ks's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
nevinator's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Cherston writes outlandish things, this is one of the times where it did not work out in his favor. The only twist here is of your arm for a good laugh, and that’s fine if that’s what you expect. This is no Man Who Was Thursday or Napoleon of Notting Hill—the mystical nature of life is just how do we see it. Facts are only part of the picture, and here he tries to show that in making truth stranger than fiction, but it did not fully work out. Honestly it dragged out one to many times for the same twists and reveals. It’s memorable and it’s crazy—a classic Chesterton Novel. Besides that, not one I would easily recommend to others.
danielshelsel's review
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-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
fipah's review
3.0
3 stars = I liked it
This is a cute light read of short collected stories with a shared theme of queer jobs and trades, and hence an unexpected ending, similar to Road Dahl's many [b:Tales of the Unexpected|394689|Tales of the Unexpected|Roald Dahl|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1403167344s/394689.jpg|326019], though I'd relegate it as Dahl's inferior sibling. I would say Dahl contrives his characters' hidden motives and personas much more masterfully: his stories are rich and resplendent with atmospheric scenes and captivating plots, so unless you really want to read this book, I'd rather choose something else. In my opinion, the protagonist who gets to resolve the stories in The Club of Queer Trades suffers from being infallible and is indeed omniscient in an irritable way, much like Terry Pratchett's Sam Vimes in his later Discworld books such as [b:Snuff|8785374|Snuff (Discworld, #39; City Watch #8)|Terry Pratchett|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1302694636s/8785374.jpg|13659124].
A quick read, recommended only if it captures your attention.
This is a cute light read of short collected stories with a shared theme of queer jobs and trades, and hence an unexpected ending, similar to Road Dahl's many [b:Tales of the Unexpected|394689|Tales of the Unexpected|Roald Dahl|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1403167344s/394689.jpg|326019], though I'd relegate it as Dahl's inferior sibling. I would say Dahl contrives his characters' hidden motives and personas much more masterfully: his stories are rich and resplendent with atmospheric scenes and captivating plots, so unless you really want to read this book, I'd rather choose something else. In my opinion, the protagonist who gets to resolve the stories in The Club of Queer Trades suffers from being infallible and is indeed omniscient in an irritable way, much like Terry Pratchett's Sam Vimes in his later Discworld books such as [b:Snuff|8785374|Snuff (Discworld, #39; City Watch #8)|Terry Pratchett|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1302694636s/8785374.jpg|13659124].
A quick read, recommended only if it captures your attention.
dfolivieri's review
This does a great job being the anti-Sherlock Holmes. Rather than a detective who divines the truth of the case through careful inspection of the facts, we get one who ignores the facts and trusts his intuition. He tells us, "Every detail points to something, certainly; but generally to the wrong thing. Facts point in all directions, it seems to me, like the thousands of twigs on a tree." How true. The stories themselves were often tiresome at times. Plenty of delaying for the sake of delaying. Several of the trades in the club of queer trades are quite clever though. And there is a nice little fitting surprise at the end so this made for an enjoyable speed-listen.
jhockin's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
alyssaarch's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
breakerofthings's review
3.0
This is one of those instances where a 5* system fails. Chesterton should be on everyone's reading list, and this book deserves to be more widely read. In some respects, you can see the seeds of the later book, "The Man Who Was Thursday”, which arguably is the better book - arguably because whilst it is the work of a vivid imagination and considered philosophy, it is not always very accessible, especially in the later chapters. Here though we have something at once more amiable and yet fragmented. The six stories follow a sort of Gilbert and Sullivan topsy-turvydom when world order seemed to be upset, and then things are put right - in a manner of speaking. There is a final epilogue in which the adventures are set in a context. So, for what it is worth, I recommend this book to you, but if you were only to read one Chesterton, then I would advise looking to one of his others.