A review by echombravo
The 39 Steps by John Buchan

3.0

I have so many different versions of this book in my head due to the Hitchcock film and the BBC movie. I expected a story closer to those, but found that the source material is quite different. As much as most readers hate when I say this, I prefer the films to the book. It's a little too tidy and too convenient for me. Maybe it is as I look through it with a modern viewpoint, but that Hannay just takes a crazy person into his home for a week seems a stretch. The whole kick off doesn't seem genuine and you wonder why Hannay goes to all the fuss. Granted, he was in danger but he doesn't really know how much in the beginning. There are some great scenes and you can tell why it has continued to be in print. It screams that it should be a movie as you read it.