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polyhy_14's review against another edition
4.0
Chesterton created one of the most endearing of sleuths in Father Brown: self-effacing but with a gentle wit and irony that makes for a very entertaining read. There were times when the dating of the book became obvious, especially in some of the non-PC references, but this was balanced by the clever plotting and timeless wisdom and compassion of its protagonist.
earlapvaldez's review against another edition
5.0
I have forgotten a lot of the "minor" short stories here, but with a lot of memorable ones. All I can say is that I am much more fascinated with this priest than Mr. Holmes. The power of logic, intuition, and suspended belief taught and formed by firm faith shows us that how he does and thinks of things are more real than we think of him to be.
chiara_fontanazza's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
alice_horoshev's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
heatherthereader's review against another edition
3.0
This was a very interesting read. I saw it a few years ago in a second hand bookshop and didn’t pick it up. However, with a second chance to read it, I couldn’t say no. I am not going to lie I was attracted to it because of the BBC TV show, but these stories are very different from it. I did not mind that as I still found the short stories fun to read, will most of them. That being said some of the language and ideas were products of its time, which at times felt very jarring for me reading it. Nonetheless, I am glad I read it as when I watch the tv show I now have an idea of what inspired the character of Father Brown.
samiwise's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
sjgaspari's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
justasking27's review against another edition
3.0
It's hard to rate a complete collection like this. The first collection of stories is rather wonderful, but then I began to see patterns, such as the obsession about spiritualists. And it's hard to ignore the racism and classism when reading a whole solid collection like this. But overall, recommended for fans of detective fiction.
becsti's review against another edition
3.0
★★★☆☆ | 3 Stars
If you're Indian, jewish, muslim, hindu, African American, South/Central American, an atheist or a christian other than catholic, then this book may not be for you. It takes 'a book of its time' to a whole other level. I've honestly never read a book with so much casual bigotry. And this is really frustrating since the mysteries themselves are actually really clever and Chesterton's descriptive writing is so beautiful and unique! Unfortunately, the quality of the mysteries degrade towards the end of the book where there is a great deal more catholic proselytising that gets in the way of the storyline.
If you're Indian, jewish, muslim, hindu, African American, South/Central American, an atheist or a christian other than catholic, then this book may not be for you. It takes 'a book of its time' to a whole other level. I've honestly never read a book with so much casual bigotry. And this is really frustrating since the mysteries themselves are actually really clever and Chesterton's descriptive writing is so beautiful and unique! Unfortunately, the quality of the mysteries degrade towards the end of the book where there is a great deal more catholic proselytising that gets in the way of the storyline.