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3.28 AVERAGE
3.28 AVERAGE
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A delightful romp around the Scottish country side laced with espionage intrigue. Short and sweet!
adventurous
fast-paced
adventurous
mysterious
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
Totally ludicrous "boys own" adventure. The writing style flows nicely but the characters are all stereotypes, none of them have any common sense, and the plot is full of holes.
If a stranger comes to you and says, "I've disfigured a corpse and left it in my room so everyone will think I'm dead. Can I stay with you for a while?" What do you do? Of course you invite him in and become firm friends. After that things start to get less believable.
The new friend gets murdered so the hero goes on the run to scotland. There he happens to walk into the home of one of the murderers. Well I guess there were only 3 million people in scotland when this was written so the odds of that happening were shorter back then.
The baddy is no smarter than the hero. He locks him up in a store room full of explosives so he' able to blow his way out.
All the way through the novel, the hero gets helped by people who trust him even though he's being hunted by the police. Finally, at the end of the book, the authorities seem perfectly happy to let him take charge of their anti terrorist operation even though he's just a civilian.
Nice and short. A flowing style. But completely daft and of it's time.
If a stranger comes to you and says, "I've disfigured a corpse and left it in my room so everyone will think I'm dead. Can I stay with you for a while?" What do you do? Of course you invite him in and become firm friends. After that things start to get less believable.
The new friend gets murdered so the hero goes on the run to scotland. There he happens to walk into the home of one of the murderers. Well I guess there were only 3 million people in scotland when this was written so the odds of that happening were shorter back then.
The baddy is no smarter than the hero. He locks him up in a store room full of explosives so he' able to blow his way out.
All the way through the novel, the hero gets helped by people who trust him even though he's being hunted by the police. Finally, at the end of the book, the authorities seem perfectly happy to let him take charge of their anti terrorist operation even though he's just a civilian.
Nice and short. A flowing style. But completely daft and of it's time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Antisemitism
I considered Hannay and the other main characters to be somewhat generic, which is not unexpected in an action novel of this scope. I believe Buchan's intended audience was not looking for depth and sensitivity; they were looking for simple characters and plenty of action.
I particularly liked the depictions of country life in Galloway, which would have been a world away from city life in England. Yes, it may seem a little thin and dated, but remember the thousands of spy thrillers written in the intervening century that adopt the same style before you dismiss it as a Classic book.
I particularly liked the depictions of country life in Galloway, which would have been a world away from city life in England. Yes, it may seem a little thin and dated, but remember the thousands of spy thrillers written in the intervening century that adopt the same style before you dismiss it as a Classic book.
Personally I thought this books was rather boring.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Read my full review of The Thirty-Nine Steps on Keeping Up With The Penguins.
Guess what inspired John Buchan to write The Thirty-Nine Steps? A duodenal ulcer, and his daughter’s ability to count. I’m not even kidding! Buchan was pretty crook with the whole ulcer thingy, and while he was convalescing at a private nursing home in Broadstairs, he sleepily watched his daughter count the stairs. That gave him the title of the book, and he set about writing what he called a “shocker”: an unlikely adventure that keeps the reader right on the precipice of not believing that the series of events could actually happen.
It’s also the first appearance of his every-man all-action hero, Richard Hannay, who went on to star in several more of Buchan’s works. Hannay is renowned for two things: his stiff-upper-lip, and his miraculous ability to get out of a tight squeeze...
Guess what inspired John Buchan to write The Thirty-Nine Steps? A duodenal ulcer, and his daughter’s ability to count. I’m not even kidding! Buchan was pretty crook with the whole ulcer thingy, and while he was convalescing at a private nursing home in Broadstairs, he sleepily watched his daughter count the stairs. That gave him the title of the book, and he set about writing what he called a “shocker”: an unlikely adventure that keeps the reader right on the precipice of not believing that the series of events could actually happen.
It’s also the first appearance of his every-man all-action hero, Richard Hannay, who went on to star in several more of Buchan’s works. Hannay is renowned for two things: his stiff-upper-lip, and his miraculous ability to get out of a tight squeeze...
adventurous
mysterious
tense
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Stalking, Murder, War
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A