rissaleighs 's review for:

The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan

2.0

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Considering what a short book this is, it took me a loooonng time to read. I think the trouble is the tedious, irritating narrator. Others have cited the improbable plot, but Buchan himself admits in the dedication that he was only setting out to write the sort of "dime novel" story "where the incidents defy the probabilities, and march just inside the borders of the possible." With that mental preparation for the story, I didn't judge the plot too harshly...except maybe being chased by guys in airplanes. (Really...) And I can definitely see why it has inspired movies. I'm interested to see the Hitchcock adaptation, because without Hannay's inner monologue bogging the reader down, it would probably be a pretty engaging story.