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karnakjr 's review for:
The Thirty-Nine Steps
by John Buchan
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-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
I read this because I used to tutor the SATs. In the book I tutored from, one of the sample passages was from the first chapter of this book, edited down. I read over and over about Hannay’s boredom, and the conversation with the man who was already dead. It cut off right after the man I now know as Scudder revealed that detail. That is the version I wish still lives in my memory.
The first chapter is the best of this book. And it was better with all of the anti semitism edited out. I don’t need a lot of logic in my stories, but this one was strained. There was no serious danger for Hannay, as he always had the right skill (or benefactor) at the right time.
Buchan might be a better writer now, I think. The storytelling techniques he uses are old. There’s an idea in this, and there are moments that could have been great. But it does not stand up to a modern eye, and frankly doesn’t compare incredibly favorably with his contemporaries either.
The first chapter is the best of this book. And it was better with all of the anti semitism edited out. I don’t need a lot of logic in my stories, but this one was strained. There was no serious danger for Hannay, as he always had the right skill (or benefactor) at the right time.
Buchan might be a better writer now, I think. The storytelling techniques he uses are old. There’s an idea in this, and there are moments that could have been great. But it does not stand up to a modern eye, and frankly doesn’t compare incredibly favorably with his contemporaries either.