acejolras 's review for:

The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan

2.0

adventurous tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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This is another entry on the 1001 Books list I can appreciate for its historical literary value but didn’t necessarily enjoy reading that much. It does move quickly, and the fact that it was originally serialized is obvious. However, Hannay is a quintessential Marty Stu and knowing he would always find a harebrained way out of any problem really lessened the tension. I’m also not a fan of spy stories (and even read the Wikipedia page after finishing to make sure I hadn’t missed anything), so I think I just was destined to not get along with this story.