A review by erebus53
The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan

  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

 Written in 1915, this is a story of a rich man on the run, galivanting about the countryside as a self-styled spy, after a chance encounter with an earnest conspiracy theorist. Originally published as a magazine serial it is quite the adventure story. I hazard to suppose that the author had no interest or talent in writing female characters, as he has none in his story, even going so far as to make some of the characters widowers. As far as fantasies go, a world where women are only the "downstairs" maids is a little flat.

The backdrop of the action is picturesque and botanical. Richard Hannay steals expensive motorcars, sleeps rough in Scotland, impersonates wealthy businessmen and lowly workers, wears disguises and fakes accents to carry off his Method acting, solves puzzles and discovers secret bases, and even sets bombs.. all in a mad dash to escape nefarious Germans and the confused local constabulary. He claims to be able to rub shoulders with both the working-man and the upper-class, but is terrified and mystified by the middle-class.

Some of the older language was a little confusing for me. This is in part due to it being an audiobook so I could not see the spelling of some things. Some descriptions felt hilarious in their absurdity.
A pink and blue June morning found me at Bradgate, looking from the Griffon Hotel over a smooth sea to the light ship on the cock sands which seemed the size of a bell-boy.

The archaic setting was also probably the reason for some of the obvious anti-semitism, and the fanciful tales from far-off lands, such as a man recounting how his horse was eaten by a lion in Senegal. It's probably literary device that has rich men in urgent meetings discussing important matters, while also indulging digressive but exotic anecdotes... or maybe that is just the wont of the Upper-Class .. I wouldn't know.

I find it interesting that one of the recurring themes is the omnipresent boredom of the Rich, but I don't know if this is an observation that the author is self-describing, or an off-hand criticism of his "betters".

I felt myself imagining how this tale would differ if it was portrayed on screen, as much of the tension is carried off by men who are dressed in disguises. Only after the book was finished did I look it up and discover that Alfred Hitchcock had made the film, but I haven't seen his rendition. I can see how it could form the bones of an interesting film, but the book was not much to my taste, so I won't be chasing down any more of these serial adventures any time soon. 
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