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A review by l1t_n3rd
The Innocence of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton
3.0
this was okay. i honestly expected so much more from it, because of how some of my favourite authors (neil gaiman, dorothy sayers, agatha christie) regarded chesterson's writing and his stories, but it was rather disappointing.
the cases themselves are peculiar, and i've never seen anything quite like them. they don't really have a pattern to them, unlike most golden age mysteries (and some modern day ones too) that use "the least likely suspect" concept. i'd say they're a mix between the style of holmes and omission of important details and golden age mystery style. they're also set in unorthodox settings, either really mundane, really bizarre, or somehow both, simultaneously. i've solved a few of the cases before the truth was revealed, but i was mostly bored while reading so i didn't really pay much attention most of the time.
the writing style is what i'd consider the biggest disappointment of all. i've heard amazing things about chesterson's humour, and, although he really is funny in an odd and rather likable way, it felt like his writing style as a whole lacked something. most of the detective and mystery authors that i've read have an extra cool, characteristic thing about their writing style that sets them apart; for christie and ngaio marsh, it's their dialouges, for sayers, it's her attention to detail, for doyle, it's his characters, and it goes on like that. however, chesterson doesn't really have anything quite like that, and his humour, which is what i'd definitely consider the most characteristic thing about his writing, isn't really enough to make up for how boring his writing is.
his character, father brown, doesn't really make up for it either. he's a peculiar man, and a rather interesting one as well, but he's not as interesting as any of the other detectives i've read about, so most of the time, it was just dull. this doesn't mean that he didn't have his own remarkable attributes, he definitely did and i rather liked them, but reading about him wasn't necessarily something i looked forward to.
overall, it was an alright book. i will try to read chesterson's other works, and i really hope that i like them more.
the cases themselves are peculiar, and i've never seen anything quite like them. they don't really have a pattern to them, unlike most golden age mysteries (and some modern day ones too) that use "the least likely suspect" concept. i'd say they're a mix between the style of holmes and omission of important details and golden age mystery style. they're also set in unorthodox settings, either really mundane, really bizarre, or somehow both, simultaneously. i've solved a few of the cases before the truth was revealed, but i was mostly bored while reading so i didn't really pay much attention most of the time.
the writing style is what i'd consider the biggest disappointment of all. i've heard amazing things about chesterson's humour, and, although he really is funny in an odd and rather likable way, it felt like his writing style as a whole lacked something. most of the detective and mystery authors that i've read have an extra cool, characteristic thing about their writing style that sets them apart; for christie and ngaio marsh, it's their dialouges, for sayers, it's her attention to detail, for doyle, it's his characters, and it goes on like that. however, chesterson doesn't really have anything quite like that, and his humour, which is what i'd definitely consider the most characteristic thing about his writing, isn't really enough to make up for how boring his writing is.
his character, father brown, doesn't really make up for it either. he's a peculiar man, and a rather interesting one as well, but he's not as interesting as any of the other detectives i've read about, so most of the time, it was just dull. this doesn't mean that he didn't have his own remarkable attributes, he definitely did and i rather liked them, but reading about him wasn't necessarily something i looked forward to.
overall, it was an alright book. i will try to read chesterson's other works, and i really hope that i like them more.