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3.28 AVERAGE
3.28 AVERAGE
Audiobook
Performed by Robert Powell
Short cat-and-mouse thriller whose main charm lies in its being old-timey and vintage. Robert Powell does a decent job of bringing the narration to life.
Seriously though, how lucky is Richard Hannay? I mean, OK, the situation he finds himself in is not so fortunate, but everyone he meets seems to be like, "I say, old boy, I believe your whole story! Have my clothes and some pie!"
And there are some very conveniently placed explosives nearby when he gets into a pickle. Which he happens to know how to use. And which he manages to deploy without losing any limbs.
That was probably one of the best bits to be fair.
I'm usually not great at absorbing narratives the auditory way, but I found The 39 Steps to be nice and restful before bed. Which probably means you'll be disappointed if you're expecting a high-octane thrill ride.
At least the story felt compact, and the division into Hannay's various tasks and ruses made it easy to enjoy in chunks.
Performed by Robert Powell
Short cat-and-mouse thriller whose main charm lies in its being old-timey and vintage. Robert Powell does a decent job of bringing the narration to life.
Seriously though, how lucky is Richard Hannay? I mean, OK, the situation he finds himself in is not so fortunate, but everyone he meets seems to be like, "I say, old boy, I believe your whole story! Have my clothes and some pie!"
And there are some very conveniently placed explosives nearby when he gets into a pickle. Which he happens to know how to use. And which he manages to deploy without losing any limbs.
That was probably one of the best bits to be fair.
I'm usually not great at absorbing narratives the auditory way, but I found The 39 Steps to be nice and restful before bed. Which probably means you'll be disappointed if you're expecting a high-octane thrill ride.
At least the story felt compact, and the division into Hannay's various tasks and ruses made it easy to enjoy in chunks.
I came across this book on The Classic Tales Podcast and listened to it that way. It's basically an enjoyable old spy thriller, not too long and with a straightforward, linear plot. The premise is sound and plausible, and the protagonist is well-sketched.
First person narrative with limited dialogue. Surprisingly enjoyed the movie more.
I've seen Hitchcock's film version of this text, and I enjoyed the Broadway adaptation of the film quite a bit, so I was pretty interested to see what the original text looks like. It's okay, with fast pacing and a strong narrative voice. The book focuses almost entirely on the chase after the murder -- will he get away!? How!? In this way, it works almost like a television series: each episode/chapter involves another stage in the chase, each ending with our hero barely eluding his pursuers. Whew!
A few more thoughts:
* While the Broadway show and the film kept the basic plot structure of Hitchcock's film (plus madcap HUMOR), they both have a better resolution for the title than the novel does. On the off chance that you haven't seen or read any of these, I'll leave them mysterious for now. But let me put it this way: the book's resolution involves a staircase. Hitchcock's end is much better, but ends up being kind of a cheat, using the title of the work to get fans of the book in the door and then playing a small game of "gotcha."
* The voice is distinctive and amusing, though not nearly as much as, say, P.G. Wodehouse. I was particularly amazed at how many people Hannay finds who answer his "I'm being pursued by the police and shadowy figures, but I'm an upstanding guy whom you can trust and help" with "sounds good!" Being that he's the narrator, we can understand that he's no villain, but I'm not sure how I'd act if someone came running up to me at my house with that story. I don't think I'd let them in my house.
* I love all the disguise stuff in this book. There's all sorts of dressing up and identity changing, including one guy who assumes the role of a high diplomat in a small meeting without giving himself away. This is an aspect of early 20th C thrillers that I never tire of. Amelia Peabody Mysteries, by Elizabeth Peters, play up this part of the genre quite a bit.
* There's not a lot of room for character development or other aspects of more complex writing in this book. Like many thrillers, the book's entirely focused on the action of the moment, with the hero always running or working directly on the case. The protagonist is a bored adventurer (ala Nick Charles) who stumbles into an adventure. The adventure takes up most of the book, then the denouement is literally a (short!) paragraph, with a very short moment for falling action (I suppose you could call the last chapter the falling action, but really it's the climax).
Not bad, but not all that great either. You can see how it would inspire a good film and fit in nicely as part of the thriller genre, but as a standalone book for the modern reader, it's a bit skimpy.
A few more thoughts:
* While the Broadway show and the film kept the basic plot structure of Hitchcock's film (plus madcap HUMOR), they both have a better resolution for the title than the novel does. On the off chance that you haven't seen or read any of these, I'll leave them mysterious for now. But let me put it this way: the book's resolution involves a staircase. Hitchcock's end is much better, but ends up being kind of a cheat, using the title of the work to get fans of the book in the door and then playing a small game of "gotcha."
* The voice is distinctive and amusing, though not nearly as much as, say, P.G. Wodehouse. I was particularly amazed at how many people Hannay finds who answer his "I'm being pursued by the police and shadowy figures, but I'm an upstanding guy whom you can trust and help" with "sounds good!" Being that he's the narrator, we can understand that he's no villain, but I'm not sure how I'd act if someone came running up to me at my house with that story. I don't think I'd let them in my house.
* I love all the disguise stuff in this book. There's all sorts of dressing up and identity changing, including one guy who assumes the role of a high diplomat in a small meeting without giving himself away. This is an aspect of early 20th C thrillers that I never tire of. Amelia Peabody Mysteries, by Elizabeth Peters, play up this part of the genre quite a bit.
* There's not a lot of room for character development or other aspects of more complex writing in this book. Like many thrillers, the book's entirely focused on the action of the moment, with the hero always running or working directly on the case. The protagonist is a bored adventurer (ala Nick Charles) who stumbles into an adventure. The adventure takes up most of the book, then the denouement is literally a (short!) paragraph, with a very short moment for falling action (I suppose you could call the last chapter the falling action, but really it's the climax).
Not bad, but not all that great either. You can see how it would inspire a good film and fit in nicely as part of the thriller genre, but as a standalone book for the modern reader, it's a bit skimpy.
A Stranger enters the home of Richard Hannay, the narrator of this book, who looks fearful and explains the protagonist that he is haunted by men, who want to kill him, as he knows of a plot that can create devastating condition in Europe. However careful, the man is killed and the next haunted person is Richard Hannay himself.
The book revolves around a diary, which has clues, that could reveal the plans of Germans to create unrest in Europe. To take this secret to concerned people and save his life, Hannay involves in a chase.
Written in 1915, this book seemed to me like a mini version of the Jason Bourne series, minus the amnesia of Jason Bourne.
Quick read, But I found it difficult to keep up at times, as the Author has used conversation in Scottish.
Overall , if you have read enough of Chase Stories, this book will fail to appeal the readers of current world, but can understand why this book was a huge success in its time !!
The book revolves around a diary, which has clues, that could reveal the plans of Germans to create unrest in Europe. To take this secret to concerned people and save his life, Hannay involves in a chase.
Written in 1915, this book seemed to me like a mini version of the Jason Bourne series, minus the amnesia of Jason Bourne.
Quick read, But I found it difficult to keep up at times, as the Author has used conversation in Scottish.
Overall , if you have read enough of Chase Stories, this book will fail to appeal the readers of current world, but can understand why this book was a huge success in its time !!
adventurous
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
okay.
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
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
fast-paced