Reviews

The Wisdom of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton

donkeykong64's review against another edition

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3.5

I found the prose in this to be rather wonderful, certainly better than most of these mystery books I’ve read. Father Brown is a great character, and while the stories get a bit repetitive when read in rapid succession they are still a joy to read. A bit dated at times, especially one story that is particularly egregious with its racism which I’m sure is a dealbreaker for a lot of the “reads old books and is shocked by old thoughts and opinions when compared to today” reviewers here but even throwing out that story completely (which while one of the weaker ones I’d never support it’s omission from this collection) this is still a solid enough read.  

jarichan's review against another edition

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3.0

Von Pater Brown habe ich hauptsächlich von meiner Mutter gehört, die die Serie sehr gerne mag. Ich habe mich nun mal an den Geschichten versucht. Aber beim Versuch wird es wahrscheinlich bleiben.

Brown und auch sein Kollege Flambeaux haben mir eigentlich sehr gut gefallen. Ich mag es, dass Chesterton seinen Helden als einen kleinen Sherlock schildert, jedoch ohne dessen Attitüden. Ein kleiner, zurückhaltender Mensch, der erst im letzten Augenblick eingreift.

Aber vielleicht liegt auch genau da mein Problem. Denn irgendwie kam ich in keine der Geschichten wirklich rein. Zu ausführend waren mir die Beschreibungen der Umgebung und schlussendlich unwichtiger Charaktere. Irgendwie zog sich immer alles unglaublich in die Länge.

Vielleicht versuche ich diese Bücher irgendwann mal auf Deutsch. Vielleicht geht das dann ja auch etwas flüssiger? Ein Versuch ist es bestimmt wert.

feliciar33ds's review against another edition

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So disappointed - this doesn't contain a lot of the great characters from the tv series. I found it pretty boring.

jimmypat's review against another edition

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4.0

Not quite as good as the first Father Brown collection, but still a joy to read.

dvaruas's review against another edition

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1.0

The Innocence of Father Brown was weak, but still narrated a few exciting adventures of father Brown.
That gave me some hope to pick this up.
Which was completely shattered by The Wisdom of Father Brown.
Not good enough!! :/
The stories were pretty weak and uninteresting in general. Struggled to finish this one.
Don't wish to find out how bad the series turns out to be in the upcoming books,
so this is where I end my journey with Chesterton's Brown.
Tschüss... :{

akmorgan's review against another edition

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2.0

I think Chesterton is a bit too clever and 20th century British for me to fully appreciate him. Also, these stories aren't really mysteries, in the Sherlockian sense. They are more puzzles/curious events, which Father Brown solves with his insight into human nature. Perhaps if I revisit him one day I may better appreciate him, but for now Father Brown isn't really my cuppa tea.

judyward's review against another edition

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3.0

Still reading those old mysteries. I'm really thinking that I need to snap out of this phase and get onto something else. Maybe I need to talk to someone about this compulsion. However, having said that, I enjoyed these short stories about the wise Father Brown. Oh to have a priest like that at my disposal (sorry David, I wasn't talking about you negatively in any way). He lets people run around chasing red herrings all over the county and then at the last moment Father Brown steps in and makes the entire situation clear. Enjoyable reading.

mechimp's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective 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

3.0

humbug87's review against another edition

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lighthearted mysterious

3.0

spencesational's review against another edition

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3.0

After reading a couple of these they do become a bit monotonous and samey.

The old fashioned way they are written can also get confusing and some phrases mean quite the opposite nowadays. One of those phrases being, “... he ejaculated.” meaning “... he said surprised.”

They are fun and Father Brown has great wit and intelligence though and if you read one or two then read something else and then go to the next I think it would be more enjoyable so that’s what I’m going to do.