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Father Brown #1-5
The Father Brown Omnibus
Reissued with a new Preface by the novelist and critic Auberon Waugh, this omnibus contains all the fifty-one famous Father Brown detective stories published in a single volume for the first time.
993 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1935
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13295 people want to read
About the author
G.K. Chesterton
4,405 books5,695 followersGilbert Keith Chesterton was an English writer, philosopher, lay theologian, and literary and art critic.
He was educated at St. Paul’s, and went to art school at University College London. In 1900, he was asked to contribute a few magazine articles on art criticism, and went on to become one of the most prolific writers of all time. He wrote a hundred books, contributions to 200 more, hundreds of poems, including the epic Ballad of the White Horse, five plays, five novels, and some two hundred short stories, including a popular series featuring the priest-detective, Father Brown. In spite of his literary accomplishments, he considered himself primarily a journalist. He wrote over 4000 newspaper essays, including 30 years worth of weekly columns for the Illustrated London News, and 13 years of weekly columns for the Daily News. He also edited his own newspaper, G.K.’s Weekly.
Chesterton was equally at ease with literary and social criticism, history, politics, economics, philosophy, and theology.
He was educated at St. Paul’s, and went to art school at University College London. In 1900, he was asked to contribute a few magazine articles on art criticism, and went on to become one of the most prolific writers of all time. He wrote a hundred books, contributions to 200 more, hundreds of poems, including the epic Ballad of the White Horse, five plays, five novels, and some two hundred short stories, including a popular series featuring the priest-detective, Father Brown. In spite of his literary accomplishments, he considered himself primarily a journalist. He wrote over 4000 newspaper essays, including 30 years worth of weekly columns for the Illustrated London News, and 13 years of weekly columns for the Daily News. He also edited his own newspaper, G.K.’s Weekly.
Chesterton was equally at ease with literary and social criticism, history, politics, economics, philosophy, and theology.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 691 reviews
February 19, 2016
The omnibus is the exhaustive collection of G.K. Chesterton's Father Brown short stories. If you've got a taste for detective stories and clever, British tones, then you'll love it. The omnibus is huge and I've been working through it for about 8 months. Take it a story at a time with a cup of hot tea and low lighting!
December 16, 2022
Prima opera di Chesterton che leggo. Questa edizione è una raccolta di tutti i racconti di Padre Brown, divisa in cinque libri qua tutti riuniti in questo unico volumone. Darò un voto ad ogni racconto, per poi fare la media ad ogni libro.
IL CANDORE DI PADRE BROWN (media voti 3)
I. La croce azzurra - 4/5
II. Il giardino segreto - 2/5
III. Gli strani passi - 5/5
IV. Le Stelle Volanti - 3/5
V. L'uomo invisibile - 2/5
VI. L'onore di Israel Gow 3/5
VII. La forma errata 2/5
VIII. I peccati del Principe Saradine 3/5
IX. Il martello di Dio 5/5
X. L'occhio di Apollo 2/5
XI. "All'insegna della spada spezzata" 3/5
XII. I tre strumenti di morte 4/5
LA SAGGEZZA DI PADRE BROWN (media voti 3)
I. L'assenza del signor Glass 3/5
II. Il Paradiso dei Ladri 4/5
III. Il duello del dottor Hirsch 5/5
IV. L'uomo nel vicolo 3/5
V. L'errore della macchina 3/5
VI. La testa di Cesare 3/5
VII. La parrucca violacea 3/5
VIII. La morte dei Pendragon 2/5
IX. Il Dio dei Gong 2/5
X. L'insalata del Colonnello Cray 2/5
XI. Lo strano delitto di John Boulnois 3/5
XII. La favola di Padre Brown 4/5
L'INCREDULITÀ DI PADRE BROWN (media voti 3 e mezzo)
I. La resurrezione di Padre Brown 2/5
II. La freccia del destino 3/5
III. L'oracolo del cane 4/5
IV. Il miracolo della Mezzaluna 4/5
V. La maledizione della croce d'oro 4/5
VI. Il pugnale alato 3/5
VII. La maledizione dei Darnaway 4/5
VIII. Lo spettro di Gideon Wise 4/5
IL SEGRETO DI PADRE BROWN (media voti 3)
I. Lo specchio del Magistrato 3/5
II. L'uomo con due barbe 3/5
III. La canzone dei pesci volanti 3/5
IV. L'alibi degli attori 2/5
V. La sparizione di Vaudrey 3/5
VI. Il peggior crimine del mondo 4/5
VII. La Luna Rossa di Meru 2/5
VIII. Il grande dolente di Marne 3/5
LO SCANDALO DI PADRE BROWN
I. Lo scandalo di Padre Brown 3/5
II. Lo "Svelto" 3/5
III. La maledizione del libro 4/5
IV. "L'Uomo Verde" 3/5
V. L'inseguimento del signor Blue 2/5
VI. Il crimine del comunista 3/5
VII. La punta di uno spillo 2/5
VIII. Il problema irrisolvibile 3/5
IX. Il vampiro del villaggio 3/5
IL CANDORE DI PADRE BROWN (media voti 3)
I. La croce azzurra - 4/5
II. Il giardino segreto - 2/5
III. Gli strani passi - 5/5
IV. Le Stelle Volanti - 3/5
V. L'uomo invisibile - 2/5
VI. L'onore di Israel Gow 3/5
VII. La forma errata 2/5
VIII. I peccati del Principe Saradine 3/5
IX. Il martello di Dio 5/5
X. L'occhio di Apollo 2/5
XI. "All'insegna della spada spezzata" 3/5
XII. I tre strumenti di morte 4/5
LA SAGGEZZA DI PADRE BROWN (media voti 3)
I. L'assenza del signor Glass 3/5
II. Il Paradiso dei Ladri 4/5
III. Il duello del dottor Hirsch 5/5
IV. L'uomo nel vicolo 3/5
V. L'errore della macchina 3/5
VI. La testa di Cesare 3/5
VII. La parrucca violacea 3/5
VIII. La morte dei Pendragon 2/5
IX. Il Dio dei Gong 2/5
X. L'insalata del Colonnello Cray 2/5
XI. Lo strano delitto di John Boulnois 3/5
XII. La favola di Padre Brown 4/5
L'INCREDULITÀ DI PADRE BROWN (media voti 3 e mezzo)
I. La resurrezione di Padre Brown 2/5
II. La freccia del destino 3/5
III. L'oracolo del cane 4/5
IV. Il miracolo della Mezzaluna 4/5
V. La maledizione della croce d'oro 4/5
VI. Il pugnale alato 3/5
VII. La maledizione dei Darnaway 4/5
VIII. Lo spettro di Gideon Wise 4/5
IL SEGRETO DI PADRE BROWN (media voti 3)
I. Lo specchio del Magistrato 3/5
II. L'uomo con due barbe 3/5
III. La canzone dei pesci volanti 3/5
IV. L'alibi degli attori 2/5
V. La sparizione di Vaudrey 3/5
VI. Il peggior crimine del mondo 4/5
VII. La Luna Rossa di Meru 2/5
VIII. Il grande dolente di Marne 3/5
LO SCANDALO DI PADRE BROWN
I. Lo scandalo di Padre Brown 3/5
II. Lo "Svelto" 3/5
III. La maledizione del libro 4/5
IV. "L'Uomo Verde" 3/5
V. L'inseguimento del signor Blue 2/5
VI. Il crimine del comunista 3/5
VII. La punta di uno spillo 2/5
VIII. Il problema irrisolvibile 3/5
IX. Il vampiro del villaggio 3/5
October 12, 2014
I feel kind of harsh giving this book 2 stars, since I really enjoyed the first five stories, which were the ones I was reading for university. In fact, I enjoyed them so much I decided to carry on reading this 700-odd page anthology, even though the required reading for the module was only the first 125pp or so. Taken on its own, Book 1, "The Innocence of Father Brown", would have easily earned an extra star or two from me. Book 2, "The Wisdom of Father Brown", was still fun to read, but I found the stories were starting to feel either slightly repetitive, as Chesterton resorted to similar plots as those he used in the first collection, or confusing and unsatisfying in their resolutions. I only made it halfway through the second story in Book 3, "The Incredulity of Father Brown", before giving up - I just wasn't being drawn in by the premise any more, especially as Father Brown was by now inexplicably transplanted from his quaint English parish to a globe-trotting career as spiritual adviser to the rich and famous in the Americas. (Seriously, did I miss something there?). Usually I'm loath to give up on a book, but this downturn occurred just shy of the collection's halfway mark, and I decided that on this occasion it was simply an unjustified investment of my time to hang on to the end, 400 or so pages away, just to see if things improved.
Not that I'm accusing Chesterton of being a bad writer; he's funny and his characters are engaging in ways that make up for the odd unbelievable moment or plot hole, the sort that are to be found in any long-running detective series. But, as the introduction to the volume informed me when I turned to it for answers, the author was writing from Book 3 onwards under some duress. Like Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie, Chesterton had grown tired of his signature creation and wanted to retire him; as with Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot, public demand for more Father Brown stories eventually wore down the author's resistance; but unlike Conan Doyle and Christie, Chesterton does not, to my mind, succeed in hiding his boredom with the series. The situations become more outlandish as if to make up for the fact that the endearing heart of the original few stories has gone. And for me, it just didn't work.
I think that perhaps I'd have had more patience with this series if I'd been reading the five or six original collections separately, rather than in one complete volume. I love Agatha Christie, particularly the Hercule Poirot series, but I think I'd get bored reading all the Poirot stories back-to-back in a single collection, too; this style of presentation does serve to highlight some of the repetitions and escalations that are present in most long-running detective series, but that aren't particularly obvious or bothersome if you read them with a decent gap in-between. I hope to come back to my copy of the Complete Father Brown some day, with fresh eyes and a few other books to read alongside it, to break it up into stand-alone short stories as they were originally intended to be read. In the meantime, I'd recommend anyone who loves detective fiction to go out and find a copy of "The Innocence of Father Brown", but to consider reading it and judging it by itself and on its own merits, rather than using this collection as an introduction to the character and the series.
Not that I'm accusing Chesterton of being a bad writer; he's funny and his characters are engaging in ways that make up for the odd unbelievable moment or plot hole, the sort that are to be found in any long-running detective series. But, as the introduction to the volume informed me when I turned to it for answers, the author was writing from Book 3 onwards under some duress. Like Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie, Chesterton had grown tired of his signature creation and wanted to retire him; as with Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot, public demand for more Father Brown stories eventually wore down the author's resistance; but unlike Conan Doyle and Christie, Chesterton does not, to my mind, succeed in hiding his boredom with the series. The situations become more outlandish as if to make up for the fact that the endearing heart of the original few stories has gone. And for me, it just didn't work.
I think that perhaps I'd have had more patience with this series if I'd been reading the five or six original collections separately, rather than in one complete volume. I love Agatha Christie, particularly the Hercule Poirot series, but I think I'd get bored reading all the Poirot stories back-to-back in a single collection, too; this style of presentation does serve to highlight some of the repetitions and escalations that are present in most long-running detective series, but that aren't particularly obvious or bothersome if you read them with a decent gap in-between. I hope to come back to my copy of the Complete Father Brown some day, with fresh eyes and a few other books to read alongside it, to break it up into stand-alone short stories as they were originally intended to be read. In the meantime, I'd recommend anyone who loves detective fiction to go out and find a copy of "The Innocence of Father Brown", but to consider reading it and judging it by itself and on its own merits, rather than using this collection as an introduction to the character and the series.
April 20, 2025
One of my favorite TV series is "Father Brown" so ably played as the lead character by actor Mark Williams and a stellar supporting cast. That spurred me to read the mysteries upon which the show's episodes are based, "The Father Brown Stories" by G. K. Chesterton
Father Brown and Sherlock Holmes both solve mysteries that to others are seemingly intractable to grasp. Yet, whilst Holmes extols and practices to highest level the art and science of deduction, I think that Father Brown is less logical but more intuitive. While none of the stories directly makes the linkage, Father Brown seems to gain his unique insights to the inner workings of the mind of the perpetrator from his experience as a priest and a confessor.
I have heard said in my own Orthodox faith tradition that, for priests who have been confessors for many years, there's nothing you can say to them in confession they've not likely heard before from someone else, no matter how deeply personal, shameful, or unflattering it may seem to you. I do think that to be true --- and with respect to his role as a Catholic priest, Brown seems to have insights to human nature from such experience such that he can see situations from a spiritual and psychological perspective escaping others involved in the mysteries.
To be honest, Chesterton has a writing style that I would characterize as typically Victorian --- he tends to be verbose and, as such, if reading too quickly, it can be possible to overlook seemingly minor details that loom larger and more importantly later in the story. Also, Chesterton often makes cultural and literary references that likely would have been understood by the well-educated reader of 100-120 years ago, but are obscure today [Note: to that end, Penguin Books has helpfully included footnotes for these at the back of the book such that the reader can read what is meant by them. Recommend using them for best results!] I don't much care for the writing style itself such that, for that reason, I docked this book a star.
Nevertheless, I love the underlying idea of a crimefighting priest -- who better to understand the inner workings variously of the mind of the righteous, the misunderstood, the criminal, and the penitent?
So, if you don't mind Chesterton's style of writing, like reading mysteries, and like seeing a detective protagonist like Sherlock Holmes -- but different --- than I recommend this book for you.
Father Brown and Sherlock Holmes both solve mysteries that to others are seemingly intractable to grasp. Yet, whilst Holmes extols and practices to highest level the art and science of deduction, I think that Father Brown is less logical but more intuitive. While none of the stories directly makes the linkage, Father Brown seems to gain his unique insights to the inner workings of the mind of the perpetrator from his experience as a priest and a confessor.
I have heard said in my own Orthodox faith tradition that, for priests who have been confessors for many years, there's nothing you can say to them in confession they've not likely heard before from someone else, no matter how deeply personal, shameful, or unflattering it may seem to you. I do think that to be true --- and with respect to his role as a Catholic priest, Brown seems to have insights to human nature from such experience such that he can see situations from a spiritual and psychological perspective escaping others involved in the mysteries.
To be honest, Chesterton has a writing style that I would characterize as typically Victorian --- he tends to be verbose and, as such, if reading too quickly, it can be possible to overlook seemingly minor details that loom larger and more importantly later in the story. Also, Chesterton often makes cultural and literary references that likely would have been understood by the well-educated reader of 100-120 years ago, but are obscure today [Note: to that end, Penguin Books has helpfully included footnotes for these at the back of the book such that the reader can read what is meant by them. Recommend using them for best results!] I don't much care for the writing style itself such that, for that reason, I docked this book a star.
Nevertheless, I love the underlying idea of a crimefighting priest -- who better to understand the inner workings variously of the mind of the righteous, the misunderstood, the criminal, and the penitent?
So, if you don't mind Chesterton's style of writing, like reading mysteries, and like seeing a detective protagonist like Sherlock Holmes -- but different --- than I recommend this book for you.
started-and-not-finished
May 20, 2025I began reading this book because I'd greatly liked Chesterton's first Father Brown collection, The Innocence of Father Brown, as well as some of the author's other fiction and nonfiction. Having begun my read of this omnibus edition with the second collection, The Wisdom of Father Brown, I enjoyed several of the tales, as I'd expected to. Then I read "The God of the Gongs."
It pains me to say it, because Chesterton is a writer I've highly respected, but that story was such a noxious exercise in racism that it tainted the whole reading experience for me. The premise here is that a form of Vodoun (spelled as "Voodoo" here), practiced by a murderous secret society made up mostly of mixed-race folk of Caribbean descent, is practicing human sacrifice by killing unsuspecting victims. (Chesterton apparently confused Vodoun practitioners with Thugees.) His whole purpose seems to be to demonize West Indians and to sow fear and suspicion of them; and his language goes way beyond "insensitive," with nine uses of the n-word in 12 pages (most of them in his narrative voice) and highly invidious descriptions of his principal mixed-race villain. Flambeau's comment that "Sometimes I'm not surprised that they lynch them," is also beyond the pale (and not wholly redeemed by Father Brown's calling lynching a "work of hell"). For me, this entire story was garbage, to put it mildly, and sufficiently off-putting to leave me uncomfortable with reading any more.
It pains me to say it, because Chesterton is a writer I've highly respected, but that story was such a noxious exercise in racism that it tainted the whole reading experience for me. The premise here is that a form of Vodoun (spelled as "Voodoo" here), practiced by a murderous secret society made up mostly of mixed-race folk of Caribbean descent, is practicing human sacrifice by killing unsuspecting victims. (Chesterton apparently confused Vodoun practitioners with Thugees.) His whole purpose seems to be to demonize West Indians and to sow fear and suspicion of them; and his language goes way beyond "insensitive," with nine uses of the n-word in 12 pages (most of them in his narrative voice) and highly invidious descriptions of his principal mixed-race villain. Flambeau's comment that "Sometimes I'm not surprised that they lynch them," is also beyond the pale (and not wholly redeemed by Father Brown's calling lynching a "work of hell"). For me, this entire story was garbage, to put it mildly, and sufficiently off-putting to leave me uncomfortable with reading any more.
January 29, 2009
Father Brown is to psychology what Sherlock Holmes is to material evidence. Re-reading these last Fall, I found that the chief pleasure and merit of the Father Brown mystery stories is getting inside the mind of Chesterton himself. The stories themselves are uneven in worth -- I got the impression that Chesterton churned them out, occasionally pausing over insurmountable implausibilities and plot defects but then just moving on with a shrug. Even so, they are fully as clever as any television detective episode I've seen and the nuggets of psychological wisdom are delightful.
April 10, 2021
Fantástica edición de Valdemar, una traducción muy recomendable, algo más acertada que el volumen de Acantilado que también incluye todos los misterios del padre Brown. El primero de los libros incluidos "El candor del padre Brown" es excelente, fresco, innovador y hace las delicias de todos los que ya hemos leído mucho misterio clásico y buscamos algo diferente. Los que continúan con el volumen siguen siendo buenos, sin embargo pierden mucho ingenio respecto al primero, y cometen uno de los pecados más graves de este tipo de literatura: son predecibles.
June 5, 2008
Oh my...how much do I love Father Brown? I don't have a crush on him like I do on Lord Peter Wimsey, but he's so wise and compassionate and unassuming that I wish he was my priest. Not that I have a priest, or would really know what to do if I did. But that's how much I like him.
May 21, 2016
I so enjoy dipping into these time and again. One brief story before I have to cook supper; one story before bed. A story read out loud to change the mood of intractable children; one story to remind me again of the forgotten joy of being human.
Sometimes I read reviews of older literature and someone is often angsting about the book offending entire classes of people. I find I would rather read an old book that assumes women are weak than a new book that assumes they must be sexually aggressive in explicit ways. And if I fall into a category that is supposedly offended, why just let me alone to deal with the offense on my own, or accept that I find no offense whatsoever!
The Father Brown mysteries do get strecthed thin at times. There are just too many of them not to! At the same time, they are well done, many are nearly perfect in timing, mood, and reasoning. The characters are interesting. The religious melding of thinking and feeling is SUCH a breath of fresh air in our day of artificial boundaries between science and faith, or thinking and feeling. Those boundaries are stupid. They are like the man looking at himself in the mirror and deciding that his head is more important than his heart, or that his brain is the only thing in his head that thinks. Anyway, Father Brown makes for wonderful mystery stories, fantastic doses of irony, finely chiselled humor, and all well supprtive of Christianity, true reasoning, absolute truth, and decent humanity.
I am so glad I discovered these.
Our paper copy has suffered in its loyal service to our reading needs in the family. I am pleased to say that we now have digital copies on the kindle.
I've come back to add a little detail because I am working my way through the series again. Resurrection of Father Brown continues to be my favorite, or next to fave including The Blue Cross. The God of the Gong actually horrified me more than last time with the nasty comments about lynching and so on.
These stories run the gamut. Some almost make no sense whatsoever. Others shine like jewels on display in a museum.
Sometimes I read reviews of older literature and someone is often angsting about the book offending entire classes of people. I find I would rather read an old book that assumes women are weak than a new book that assumes they must be sexually aggressive in explicit ways. And if I fall into a category that is supposedly offended, why just let me alone to deal with the offense on my own, or accept that I find no offense whatsoever!
The Father Brown mysteries do get strecthed thin at times. There are just too many of them not to! At the same time, they are well done, many are nearly perfect in timing, mood, and reasoning. The characters are interesting. The religious melding of thinking and feeling is SUCH a breath of fresh air in our day of artificial boundaries between science and faith, or thinking and feeling. Those boundaries are stupid. They are like the man looking at himself in the mirror and deciding that his head is more important than his heart, or that his brain is the only thing in his head that thinks. Anyway, Father Brown makes for wonderful mystery stories, fantastic doses of irony, finely chiselled humor, and all well supprtive of Christianity, true reasoning, absolute truth, and decent humanity.
I am so glad I discovered these.
Our paper copy has suffered in its loyal service to our reading needs in the family. I am pleased to say that we now have digital copies on the kindle.
I've come back to add a little detail because I am working my way through the series again. Resurrection of Father Brown continues to be my favorite, or next to fave including The Blue Cross. The God of the Gong actually horrified me more than last time with the nasty comments about lynching and so on.
These stories run the gamut. Some almost make no sense whatsoever. Others shine like jewels on display in a museum.
September 19, 2024
🌂 First off, I will say I enjoy the stories far more than the BBC series. I don’t mind the actors, but tbh something is lost in translation, whether in production or direction or both. It does not move along well imo.
However the stories by Chesterton are marvelous for the most part. Great and unique mysteries.
And Chesterton is/was such a sharpie. I love his other books, not only for his remarkable insight and turn of phrase, but for his humanity. George Bernard Shaw and him were opposed on so many issues, and perceived realities, yet were best friends. Or consider Oscar Wilde, imprisoned on charges of homosexuality - GK was kind and gracious to the man, far less so to those who imprisoned him. GK writes so differently from Christians of his time or even present day. His mind and thinking are broad and expansive, his heart and soul even more so.
GK is a breath of fresh air. A huge, exhilarating and oxygen- rich breath.
Spend some time with Fr Brown. Maybe have a cuppa with him too ☕️ You won’t regret it 🌂
However the stories by Chesterton are marvelous for the most part. Great and unique mysteries.
And Chesterton is/was such a sharpie. I love his other books, not only for his remarkable insight and turn of phrase, but for his humanity. George Bernard Shaw and him were opposed on so many issues, and perceived realities, yet were best friends. Or consider Oscar Wilde, imprisoned on charges of homosexuality - GK was kind and gracious to the man, far less so to those who imprisoned him. GK writes so differently from Christians of his time or even present day. His mind and thinking are broad and expansive, his heart and soul even more so.
GK is a breath of fresh air. A huge, exhilarating and oxygen- rich breath.
Spend some time with Fr Brown. Maybe have a cuppa with him too ☕️ You won’t regret it 🌂
February 23, 2020
Snap, crackle, pop! A crime, a cast of suspects and a solution. All within about twenty pages although the “pop” often lands just behind your ear with a subtle, soft blow because Father Brown is such a sly little devil.
These clever mysteries are not three-course meals. They are cheese nibbles for the quick-thinking reader, not mystery banquets for the gullible with more time on their hands than brains.
Like Stilton, Gorgonzola, Camembert, Cheddar, Brie, Munster or Gouda, on their own or with a nano-ploop of honey or a smidge of fig jam to heighten their sultry allure, these delicious snacks must be savored one-at-a-time, not more than once a day. So take your time. Hide your cheese!
G.K. Chesterton was one of the greatest twentieth century essayists with a diabolical sense of humor. Fiction was but a sideline.
“The poets,” he once observed, “have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese.”
Neither Chesterton, Father Brown nor this writer have ever been able to solve that peculiar mystery.
These clever mysteries are not three-course meals. They are cheese nibbles for the quick-thinking reader, not mystery banquets for the gullible with more time on their hands than brains.
Like Stilton, Gorgonzola, Camembert, Cheddar, Brie, Munster or Gouda, on their own or with a nano-ploop of honey or a smidge of fig jam to heighten their sultry allure, these delicious snacks must be savored one-at-a-time, not more than once a day. So take your time. Hide your cheese!
G.K. Chesterton was one of the greatest twentieth century essayists with a diabolical sense of humor. Fiction was but a sideline.
“The poets,” he once observed, “have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese.”
Neither Chesterton, Father Brown nor this writer have ever been able to solve that peculiar mystery.
June 5, 2016
Father Brown is simply one of the best characters ever created--a blend of brilliance, joy, and simplicity. The stories are engaging, the endings are believable, sometimes even solvable, but never obviously predictable or boring. With five volumes, there are inevitably certain similarities in some stories, but Chesterton finds a way to make each story unique. The first two volumes ( The Innocence and Wisdom of Father Brown) are the best, but some excellent stories are sprinkled throughout the other three volumes, and I didn't think any story disappointed. Fans of Chesterton or fans of mysteries of this era (Dorothy Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey, Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot, or slightly earlier Doyle's Sherlock Holmes) will love Father Brown.
March 18, 2025
I haven't yet read them all, but of course I receive great delight from every one of these tales that I've encountered. A complete copy on your shelf will serve you for many, many years of puzzlement, intrigue, wit, and leisure. I don't know of any other literary experience that so much approximates the process of putting together a jigsaw—not in the sense of the mysteries being difficult to crack (like a Christie caper), but as regards Chesterton's head-spinning prose and whimsical plots. His England is carnivalesque, like a cross of Dickens and Alice in Wonderland, and each story is the ride of your life, culminating in a little pearl of wisdom. That does mean that some stories can get a bit too weird, confusing, and abstruse for their own good—for instance, despite having read it three times, I still can't get the gist of what the heck happens in "The Salad of Colonel Cray." This guy's mind was simply unlike anyone who's ever lived. He inhabited his own universe, and it seems unlikely that any of us will ever know completely what he meant in so much of his fiction. I guess that's what we call genius.
March 21, 2019
I notice that it has taken me two months exactly to read this omnibus of all the Father Brown stories. Father Brown is unlike any other detective in fiction. His approach to solving crime - usually murders - is to imagine himself as the murderer:
********
It is quite obvious from his writing that Chesterton was a brilliant man. He is sometimes difficult to follow - impossible, in fact, for a casual reader. The reader must read carefully to understand his meanings. But his writing is not only cerebral, but beautifully descriptive and poetic, if sometimes a bit dark or gruesome, but always his descriptions set an atmosphere.
*******
*******
It is not a surprise that Chesterton’s writings as saturated, as it were, with his religious beliefs - doubly so since his hero is a Roman Catholic priest. Father Brown’s character is complex and sometimes seems to hold contradictory views. He upholds traditional values, and so would be today classified Conservative. And yet he is very much on the side of the so-called “common people;” the workers, the poor, the rag-dressed beggars. Most would today call that a Liberal view. And yet in Chesterton’s Christianity, that is the orthodox view; it follows the teachings of Christ.
I deliberately read this slowly; I allowed myself two or three stories per day, and I think this is the most effective and beneficial way of reading it. I didn’t read from it every day, and thus I didn’t tire of so many stories back to back.
One final note: this book was published in 1899, and it contains many slang words relating to ethnicities that are considered offensive and taboo today. There are points at which Father Brown’s character makes statements that a modern reader will interpret as racist. I tried not to judge this book - published over 100 years ago - by my modern sensibilities. If you have less tolerance for this sort of thing, you might want to skip it. Honestly, there was one story that was so bad that I skimmed over it. (The God of the Gongs in “The Wisdom of Father Brown” had virtually no redeeming features.)
That is why I gave this 4 stars instead of 5; because while I try not to judge older writings for this aspect, still, it lessens my enjoyment.
’I had planned out each of the crimes very carefully,’ went on Father Brown, ‘I had thought out exactly how a thing like that could be done, and in what style or state of mind a man could really do it. And when I was quite sure that I felt exactly like the murderer myself, of course I knew who he was.’
********
’And when you spoke merely in defence of your friend – no, sir, I can’t imagine any gentleman double-crossing another under such circumstances; it would be a damned sight better to be a dirty informer and sell men’s blood for money. But in a case like this —! Could you conceive any man being such a Judas?’
‘I could try.’ said Father Brown.
It is quite obvious from his writing that Chesterton was a brilliant man. He is sometimes difficult to follow - impossible, in fact, for a casual reader. The reader must read carefully to understand his meanings. But his writing is not only cerebral, but beautifully descriptive and poetic, if sometimes a bit dark or gruesome, but always his descriptions set an atmosphere.
It was one of those rare atmospheres in which a smoked-glass slide seems to have been slid away from between us and Nature; so that even dark colours on that day look more gorgeous than bright colours on the cloudier days.
*******
. . . the blood was crawling out from under his fallen face like a pattern of scarlet snakes that glittered evilly in that unnatural subterranean light.
*******
. . . the tree-tops in front of them stood up like pale green flames against a sky steadily blackening with storm, through every shade of purple and violet. The same light struck strips of the lawn and garden beds; and whatever it illuminated seemed more mysteriously sombre and secret for the light. The garden bed was dotted with tulips that looked like drops of dark blood, and some of which one might have sworn were truly black;. . .
It is not a surprise that Chesterton’s writings as saturated, as it were, with his religious beliefs - doubly so since his hero is a Roman Catholic priest. Father Brown’s character is complex and sometimes seems to hold contradictory views. He upholds traditional values, and so would be today classified Conservative. And yet he is very much on the side of the so-called “common people;” the workers, the poor, the rag-dressed beggars. Most would today call that a Liberal view. And yet in Chesterton’s Christianity, that is the orthodox view; it follows the teachings of Christ.
I deliberately read this slowly; I allowed myself two or three stories per day, and I think this is the most effective and beneficial way of reading it. I didn’t read from it every day, and thus I didn’t tire of so many stories back to back.
One final note: this book was published in 1899, and it contains many slang words relating to ethnicities that are considered offensive and taboo today. There are points at which Father Brown’s character makes statements that a modern reader will interpret as racist. I tried not to judge this book - published over 100 years ago - by my modern sensibilities. If you have less tolerance for this sort of thing, you might want to skip it. Honestly, there was one story that was so bad that I skimmed over it. (The God of the Gongs in “The Wisdom of Father Brown” had virtually no redeeming features.)
That is why I gave this 4 stars instead of 5; because while I try not to judge older writings for this aspect, still, it lessens my enjoyment.
to-reread
July 9, 2022I remember really enjoying these when I was a pre-teen (and also feeling like my brain exploded every single story); should definitely come back to the collection sometime.
September 23, 2025
I first read a Chesterton Father Brown story at the same age I read a Saki story and, though I would not claim I did any comparisons when I was 12, even then I thought Chesterton's Father Brown was more smoke and mirrors then first rate deductive reasoning. In that first story 'The Queer Feet', Fr. Brown demonstrates his analytical powers by distinguishing between the way a waiter and gentleman walks to solve the crime. But if you pause to look at the set up, a small, exclusive hotel/restaurant in Mayfair/Belgravia in London it is apparent that there is no corridors of sufficiently length to make either the deception or Brown's detection of it possible.
The same might be said of his other famous story and much anthologised story 'The Blue Cross' which has Brown being followed from Victoria to Hampsted Heath by police officers who use various 'clues' left by Father Brown, upset table settings, broken windows and other things, to leave a trail to follow Brown and Flambeau the great criminal. But the whole 'plan' would have been ruined if Flambeau had taken Brown onto a bus, the underground or into a cab which would have been normal as it is a six or seven mile walk from Victoria to Hampsted Heath.
Most of Chesterton Fr. Brown stories are like that, too clever by half. They allow a great deal of clever phrase making:
"...I caught him, with an unseen hook and invisible line which is long enough to wander to the ends of the world, and still to bring him back with a twitch upon the thread."
If you understand that line you will understand that Chesterton was writing apologetics not detective fiction. One of his stories depends on Fr. Brown solving a murder by recognising that the murdered woman, who he never met alive, was blind though we are supposed to believe she successful concealed this from family and friends. Not just unlikely, or improbably, but just stupid.
Not that I don't like all his stories, I think 'The Honour of Israel Gow' which involves a 'holy fool' who was promised all the gold someone owned, and took it, but lefty the stones from rings and the mechanisms of watches behind was rather splendid.
What I don't like, and recognised at a young age, is the particular 'catholic' slant of the stories, most of it is very opaque but in one story Fr. Brown doubts the innocence of Dreyfus and suggests the case was created to discredit the church.
There is a reason that the Fr. Brown stories that appear on TV or films never use the plots of the stories and have never, and will never will be, be adapted the way the Sherlock Holmes stories were with Jeremy Brett - they have as many holes and idiocies as the Catholic doctrine Chesterton was trying to promote. I believe that there may be half a dozen good Father Brown stories but I doubt it. I think my two stars is over generous.
P.S. This is not the edition I read, I did read the complete stories, but I couldn't be bothered to search out my edition from the hundreds listed.
The same might be said of his other famous story and much anthologised story 'The Blue Cross' which has Brown being followed from Victoria to Hampsted Heath by police officers who use various 'clues' left by Father Brown, upset table settings, broken windows and other things, to leave a trail to follow Brown and Flambeau the great criminal. But the whole 'plan' would have been ruined if Flambeau had taken Brown onto a bus, the underground or into a cab which would have been normal as it is a six or seven mile walk from Victoria to Hampsted Heath.
Most of Chesterton Fr. Brown stories are like that, too clever by half. They allow a great deal of clever phrase making:
"...I caught him, with an unseen hook and invisible line which is long enough to wander to the ends of the world, and still to bring him back with a twitch upon the thread."
If you understand that line you will understand that Chesterton was writing apologetics not detective fiction. One of his stories depends on Fr. Brown solving a murder by recognising that the murdered woman, who he never met alive, was blind though we are supposed to believe she successful concealed this from family and friends. Not just unlikely, or improbably, but just stupid.
Not that I don't like all his stories, I think 'The Honour of Israel Gow' which involves a 'holy fool' who was promised all the gold someone owned, and took it, but lefty the stones from rings and the mechanisms of watches behind was rather splendid.
What I don't like, and recognised at a young age, is the particular 'catholic' slant of the stories, most of it is very opaque but in one story Fr. Brown doubts the innocence of Dreyfus and suggests the case was created to discredit the church.
There is a reason that the Fr. Brown stories that appear on TV or films never use the plots of the stories and have never, and will never will be, be adapted the way the Sherlock Holmes stories were with Jeremy Brett - they have as many holes and idiocies as the Catholic doctrine Chesterton was trying to promote. I believe that there may be half a dozen good Father Brown stories but I doubt it. I think my two stars is over generous.
P.S. This is not the edition I read, I did read the complete stories, but I couldn't be bothered to search out my edition from the hundreds listed.
August 29, 2009
Clever, endlessly clever little mysteries of the old-school end-of-the-British Empire sort that unspool in about a dozen pages or less... Chesteron isn't as consistently ingenious as Agatha Christie, but he's sure as hell a better prose stylist: his beautifully spare descriptions of British geography, often opening the stories, are glorious in their economy ("a stormy evening of olive and silver was closing in;" "that singular smoky sparkle, at once a confusion and a transparency, which is the strange secret of the Thames, was changing more and more from its grey to its glittering extreme as the sun climbed to the zenith over Westminster"). And what's not to love about a most unlikely of protagonists--a short, unassuming country priest with a face "as round as dull as a Norfolk dumping?"
Chesterton also has a knack for situating his little tales in a highly moral universe in a way that isn't offputting or obnoxious--Father Brown never preaches, and though always quick to credit his faith, his perpetually correct conjectures are more elegant (and admirable) in their simple, unselfconscious pragmatism.
"Humility is the mother of giants. One sees great things from the valley; only small things from the peak."
Chesterton also has a knack for situating his little tales in a highly moral universe in a way that isn't offputting or obnoxious--Father Brown never preaches, and though always quick to credit his faith, his perpetually correct conjectures are more elegant (and admirable) in their simple, unselfconscious pragmatism.
"Humility is the mother of giants. One sees great things from the valley; only small things from the peak."
December 9, 2020
Father Brown, the diminutive, sharp-witted, pious clergyman and a part-time detective, is rather a fun character by Chesterton. Comprising of all stories written by him starring Brown and the gentleman thief turned faithful companion Hercule Flambeau clearly modelled after Lupin, is a veritable read around the holidays. This along with the audio dramatization by BBC and the long-running ITV series starring Mark Williams form a complete package of sorts for lovers of whodunits and whimsical characters!
Definitely goes to my yearly re-read list along with Christie and MR James.
My rating - 5/5
Definitely goes to my yearly re-read list along with Christie and MR James.
My rating - 5/5
December 5, 2024
In the pages of The Complete Stories of Father Brown, one finds a curious and unique manifestation of the detective genre, one that is marked by a distinctly Catholic sensibility. The author of these tales, G.K. Chesterton, himself a Catholic convert, infuses his work with a deep reverence for the traditions and teachings of his faith, and this is evident in the way in which his protagonist, the eponymous Father Brown, approaches the mysteries that confront him. What is perhaps most striking about these stories is their sense of calm and order. Unlike many other works of detective fiction, there is little in the way of gore or violence here, and the tone is one of quiet contemplation rather than frenetic action. Father Brown is not a man of action, but rather a man of deep insight and understanding, and it is through his conversations with the perpetrators of the crimes he investigates that he is able to arrive at a solution. But it is not simply a matter of solving the puzzle; for Chesterton, the ultimate goal is absolution. Father Brown is not interested in punishing the guilty party, but rather in bringing them to a state of contrition and spiritual renewal. In this sense, his investigations are less about the law than they are about the soul.
May 14, 2009
Father Brown is one of my favourite fictional detectives because G. K. Chesterton embodied him with a wonderful sense of time and place. The strength of Chesterton's Father Brown stories lie in their diversity (brilliant, contemplative and bizarre - sometimes all at once) consistent cleverness and wide range of themes (far more depth then I usually expect from mysteries). 'The Complete Father Brown' is a volume packed with so much top-notch quality material that one read really only captures the surface. I now understand completely why Chesterton's Father Brown was so transformative for the mystery genre (especially when other authors like Agatha Christie seem superficial by comparison).
May 11, 2020
Got myself re acquainted with these old classics. They are witty, wordy, beautifully written examples of golden age mysteries. One loves them, fondly remembers them, then goes for something completely different since these mysteries were absolutely improbable. I could almost hear Raymond Chandler gnashing his teeth as I read and enjoyed 'The Worst Crime in the World'.
Recommended for pleasant reading. Take your time. Know that whatever you are reading are fantastic and not to be taken too seriously. Then and only then you might extract maximum pleasure from them.
Recommended for pleasant reading. Take your time. Know that whatever you are reading are fantastic and not to be taken too seriously. Then and only then you might extract maximum pleasure from them.
February 10, 2017
When I was young there was a Father Brown TV show which I loved. Much later, I decided to actually read the short stories, and enjoyed them as well. Good, old fashioned vintage mysteries.
And now with the new BBC version with Mark Williams, I'm beginning to wonder whether I ought to read them again.
And now with the new BBC version with Mark Williams, I'm beginning to wonder whether I ought to read them again.
February 13, 2020
As I have said many times in the past,it is difficult giving a rating to a
compilation. This is the case again as I rate the stories individually from 2 to 4. So I feel I have to split the difference and give it a 3.
compilation. This is the case again as I rate the stories individually from 2 to 4. So I feel I have to split the difference and give it a 3.
December 24, 2024
Well I liked Father Brown and then grew weary of him and then liked him again.
January 27, 2025
I fell in love with the character Father Brown when I started watching the 2013 TV series. A Roman Catholic priest who loves murder mysteries and being an amateur sleuth.
I dip my hat for the screen writers who changed the short stories for the period of the 50s.
These short stories are completely different even though they have the undertone for the TV episodes.
I enjoyed the first short stories, but I could pick up that the author got tired of his creation. The stories became a bit boring and took a swipe at Sherlock Holmes, and became more of a religious ramble.
The short stories are written in a way that makes Father Brown a Witness of what is evolving around him and then gives the solution on how the mystery is solved. I think the stories pull the reader in to make them forget that a mystery should be solved by giving fewer 'clues' and just concentrating on narration and the clueless detectives surrounding most of the cases.
I am still happy I picked this up while dabbling in my growing fondness of murder mysteries.
I dip my hat for the screen writers who changed the short stories for the period of the 50s.
These short stories are completely different even though they have the undertone for the TV episodes.
I enjoyed the first short stories, but I could pick up that the author got tired of his creation. The stories became a bit boring and took a swipe at Sherlock Holmes, and became more of a religious ramble.
The short stories are written in a way that makes Father Brown a Witness of what is evolving around him and then gives the solution on how the mystery is solved. I think the stories pull the reader in to make them forget that a mystery should be solved by giving fewer 'clues' and just concentrating on narration and the clueless detectives surrounding most of the cases.
I am still happy I picked this up while dabbling in my growing fondness of murder mysteries.
May 25, 2023
A slight preamble: This collection isn't actually complete, and instead contains the contents of the short story collections The Innocence of Father Brown and The Wisdom of Father Brown. There's a lot more Father Brown content which isn't included, but that's okay because after 24 stories I'm ready to move on.
I originally picked this up because Ace Attorney creator Shu Takumi namechecked Father Brown as one of his influences, and while I'm not really seeing too much of a connection, for the most part I'm glad I explored this avenue of the mystery canon. Essentially, G.K. Chesterton created a fun little collection of mysteries that also act as Catholic propaganda. Despite the cloistered nature of priests, Brown is a worldly—but still odd and awkward—little character who knows a lot about the nature of crime and criminals thanks to what he hears in the confession booth. And thanks to his connection with The Big Man Upstairs, he also comes equipped with a lot of insight when it comes to human nature. Also, his partner is a retired criminal. They're the original odd couple!
Surprisingly, the religious nature of these stories didn't really turn me off. It's startlingly obvious when Chesterton is trying to be preachy, especially with his little asides or tendency to make the villains pagans or atheists. But this Catholicism of the early 20th century has a more pro-social and socialist bent to it, so it doesn't really bear any resemblance to the popular, modern forms of Christianity that have been poisoned and propagated by hate-mongering Evangelicals. And these days it'd be a challenge to root for a Catholic priest protagonist for reasons too dark and numerous to go into here.
The mysteries that rely on Brown's knowledge of human nature—especially in terms of how different social classes act—ended up being pretty inventive and made for some of my favorite stories in this collection. Chesterton also writes some fairly standard whodunnits, though often the execution can be a bit clumsy, and he often relies on the same devices a bit too often. With the way these were originally published (in magazines), I get the feeling that readers weren't supposed to read them all back-to-back. This quickly becomes apparent when a number of stories feature a missing person who's actually in disguise as a character that's present in the story.
So yeah, some solid b-tier mysteries that I don't really feel the need to return to until I explore more authors who do this thing a little better, like Agatha Christie, Ellery Queen, Rex Stout, and John Dickson Carr. And with source material like this I have to imagine that newer BBC series is a good time.
I originally picked this up because Ace Attorney creator Shu Takumi namechecked Father Brown as one of his influences, and while I'm not really seeing too much of a connection, for the most part I'm glad I explored this avenue of the mystery canon. Essentially, G.K. Chesterton created a fun little collection of mysteries that also act as Catholic propaganda. Despite the cloistered nature of priests, Brown is a worldly—but still odd and awkward—little character who knows a lot about the nature of crime and criminals thanks to what he hears in the confession booth. And thanks to his connection with The Big Man Upstairs, he also comes equipped with a lot of insight when it comes to human nature. Also, his partner is a retired criminal. They're the original odd couple!
Surprisingly, the religious nature of these stories didn't really turn me off. It's startlingly obvious when Chesterton is trying to be preachy, especially with his little asides or tendency to make the villains pagans or atheists. But this Catholicism of the early 20th century has a more pro-social and socialist bent to it, so it doesn't really bear any resemblance to the popular, modern forms of Christianity that have been poisoned and propagated by hate-mongering Evangelicals. And these days it'd be a challenge to root for a Catholic priest protagonist for reasons too dark and numerous to go into here.
The mysteries that rely on Brown's knowledge of human nature—especially in terms of how different social classes act—ended up being pretty inventive and made for some of my favorite stories in this collection. Chesterton also writes some fairly standard whodunnits, though often the execution can be a bit clumsy, and he often relies on the same devices a bit too often. With the way these were originally published (in magazines), I get the feeling that readers weren't supposed to read them all back-to-back. This quickly becomes apparent when a number of stories feature a missing person who's actually in disguise as a character that's present in the story.
So yeah, some solid b-tier mysteries that I don't really feel the need to return to until I explore more authors who do this thing a little better, like Agatha Christie, Ellery Queen, Rex Stout, and John Dickson Carr. And with source material like this I have to imagine that newer BBC series is a good time.
July 19, 2014
I feel a bit mean in giving this only three stars, but really are the Father Brown stories really that good. I first read them over 50 years ago and on this re reading remembered nothing - apart from the famous postman. Let's think about that first. The story as is well known hangs on the fact that nobody noticed the postman enter the building where the crime was committed. Now I just don't buy that. If a person were asked if anyone had entered a building, surely the answer would be no one except the postman, not just 'nobody'.
I found the lack of a sense of place irritating. Holmes had Baker Street, Wimsey London and the family seat, Rebus Edinburgh, Morse Oxford etc etc. But not so Brown. In the first story where he is noticed on the train by the French policeman seeking Flambeau we learn that Brown is a humble parish priest of a village in Essex. That village is never named again. Much later another Essex village is named en passant but again only once. However, between these two mentions another story puts him as the priest in charge of a fashionable parish in Kensington. In between these posts he dashes hither and yon around England Europe and the Americas. One wonders where this humble priest gets all the money for these junkets.
The series is riddled with inconsistencies. When we first meet Flambeau he is Europe's most wanted. Brown assists in his apprehension but within a couple of stories he's a reformed character and running his own detective business. Did not the master criminal spend any time behind bars?
In the first book of stories we are told that 27 years earlier Brown had spent some time in Chicago where he helped the local police. Yet in a later book he goes to the USA 'for the first time'.
I get the definite feeling that Chesterton didn't really like writing the books - certainly after the first two. Indeed the edition I read had a preface which tells us that he only continued to write further stories for the money. To me it shows.
Which brings me to my last point. The books are very much of their time. The 'n' word is frequently used. Anywhere far off is referred to as 'the Cannibal Islands'. People, especially foreigners and villains are often described as having yellow faces. Something that in all my years I've never seen. Southern Europeans tend to be 'dagoes' and suspect - apart, that is, from the Spanish Flambeau - but even he is stereotyped with long drooping moustaches.i
I found the lack of a sense of place irritating. Holmes had Baker Street, Wimsey London and the family seat, Rebus Edinburgh, Morse Oxford etc etc. But not so Brown. In the first story where he is noticed on the train by the French policeman seeking Flambeau we learn that Brown is a humble parish priest of a village in Essex. That village is never named again. Much later another Essex village is named en passant but again only once. However, between these two mentions another story puts him as the priest in charge of a fashionable parish in Kensington. In between these posts he dashes hither and yon around England Europe and the Americas. One wonders where this humble priest gets all the money for these junkets.
The series is riddled with inconsistencies. When we first meet Flambeau he is Europe's most wanted. Brown assists in his apprehension but within a couple of stories he's a reformed character and running his own detective business. Did not the master criminal spend any time behind bars?
In the first book of stories we are told that 27 years earlier Brown had spent some time in Chicago where he helped the local police. Yet in a later book he goes to the USA 'for the first time'.
I get the definite feeling that Chesterton didn't really like writing the books - certainly after the first two. Indeed the edition I read had a preface which tells us that he only continued to write further stories for the money. To me it shows.
Which brings me to my last point. The books are very much of their time. The 'n' word is frequently used. Anywhere far off is referred to as 'the Cannibal Islands'. People, especially foreigners and villains are often described as having yellow faces. Something that in all my years I've never seen. Southern Europeans tend to be 'dagoes' and suspect - apart, that is, from the Spanish Flambeau - but even he is stereotyped with long drooping moustaches.i
October 10, 2015
Wow, that was a LOT of stories...
Father Brown makes for a fascinating counterpoint to Sherlock Holmes. Whereas Holmes uses cold logic and hard facts to solve mysteries, Father Brown relies on his intuition, his knowledge of the human condition, and his ability to imagine himself in other people's shoes. Holmes is tall and lean, while Brown is short and stocky. Holmes projects a sense of unmatchable competence, whereas Brown initially strikes people as a bumbler, possibly even a fool. Holmes is direct and to-the-point; Brown has a tendency to speak in enigmatic riddles.
As much as I enjoy a good Conan Doyle mystery, I find Chesterton's take on the detective formula to be a good deal more clever. For example, Doyle afforded Homes an office on Baker Street, where clients could conveniently show up on his doorstep and unburden themselves of the particulars of a given case. Chesterton, however, denied himself the luxury of this approach and instead came up with a fresh, novel explanation for Father Brown's involvement with each mystery. Often, this means that Brown doesn't even appear until halfway through the story, or he might simply function as a background character up until the moment when he finally steps forward to solve the case. The fact that one can never really be certain when and how Father Brown will turn up gives these stories a greater sense of variety and unpredictability than your typical Holmes adventure. Chesterton also injects a great deal of humor in the proceedings, even poking fun at himself from time to time by subtly referencing the inherent absurdity of a country priest getting wrapped up in more murders than a big city policeman could hope to dream of.
Chesterton also makes things difficult on himself by insisting that each story illustrate a larger philosophical point. It is his success in doing so that makes these stories as satisfying as they are. Because, let's face it, if it's sheer entertainment value you're looking for, then Conan Doyle has Chesterton beat. Comparatively speaking, Brown's adventures are slow, wordy, and lacking in excitement, and Chesterton certainly puts a higher demand on his readers. However, the jaw-dropping sophistication of Chesterton's writing and the weighty philosophical musings he imparts more than make up for the fact that these stories are hard to get into, and that the answers to his puzzles sometimes strain credulity.
Father Brown makes for a fascinating counterpoint to Sherlock Holmes. Whereas Holmes uses cold logic and hard facts to solve mysteries, Father Brown relies on his intuition, his knowledge of the human condition, and his ability to imagine himself in other people's shoes. Holmes is tall and lean, while Brown is short and stocky. Holmes projects a sense of unmatchable competence, whereas Brown initially strikes people as a bumbler, possibly even a fool. Holmes is direct and to-the-point; Brown has a tendency to speak in enigmatic riddles.
As much as I enjoy a good Conan Doyle mystery, I find Chesterton's take on the detective formula to be a good deal more clever. For example, Doyle afforded Homes an office on Baker Street, where clients could conveniently show up on his doorstep and unburden themselves of the particulars of a given case. Chesterton, however, denied himself the luxury of this approach and instead came up with a fresh, novel explanation for Father Brown's involvement with each mystery. Often, this means that Brown doesn't even appear until halfway through the story, or he might simply function as a background character up until the moment when he finally steps forward to solve the case. The fact that one can never really be certain when and how Father Brown will turn up gives these stories a greater sense of variety and unpredictability than your typical Holmes adventure. Chesterton also injects a great deal of humor in the proceedings, even poking fun at himself from time to time by subtly referencing the inherent absurdity of a country priest getting wrapped up in more murders than a big city policeman could hope to dream of.
Chesterton also makes things difficult on himself by insisting that each story illustrate a larger philosophical point. It is his success in doing so that makes these stories as satisfying as they are. Because, let's face it, if it's sheer entertainment value you're looking for, then Conan Doyle has Chesterton beat. Comparatively speaking, Brown's adventures are slow, wordy, and lacking in excitement, and Chesterton certainly puts a higher demand on his readers. However, the jaw-dropping sophistication of Chesterton's writing and the weighty philosophical musings he imparts more than make up for the fact that these stories are hard to get into, and that the answers to his puzzles sometimes strain credulity.
on-hold
January 1, 2020Review for THE INNOCENCE OF FATHER BROWN
read 1/06/19 - 1/13/19
4.5:5 stars
How do I review a book that is so thoroughly EPIC?!
Think Sherlock Holmes as a little, round priest, and you have Father Brown. That isn't to say that the Father Brown stories and the Sherlock Holmes stories are nearly identical. G. K. Chesterton and Arthur C. Doyle are two very different writers, and their mystery writing is the first place which proves that.
I've discovered that in the Father Brown stories you often come upon startlingly insightful one-liners. G. K. Chesterton is also a master at creating that deliciously creepy atmosphere perfect for a good mystery (think THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, Poe, and Hitchcock).
Best short quotes:
"The most incredible thing about miracles is that they happen."
"The criminal is the creative artist; the detective only the critic."
"Every clever crime is founded ultimately on some one quite simple fact --- some fact that is not in itself mysterious. The mystification comes in covering it up, in leading men's thoughts away from it."
"Have you ever noticed this --- that people never answer what you say? They answer what you mean --- or what they think you mean."
"You are my own only friend in the world, and I want to talk to you. Or, perhaps, be silent with you."
"We have taken a wrong turning, and come to a wrong place. . . . Never mind; one can sometimes do good by being the right person in the wrong place."
"Cheerfulness without humor is a very trying thing."
Never mind the long quotes. Read this book to unearth them on your own!
I won't go on to reading THE WISDOM OF FATHER BROWN immediately because too many short stories all in a row are the perfect way to ruin my appreciation of a certain author. Even so, I look forward to reading more of G. K. Chesterton's amazing imaginations!
~~~
Read The Wisdom of Father Brown 6/30/19-12/31/19
4 stars
read 1/06/19 - 1/13/19
4.5:5 stars
How do I review a book that is so thoroughly EPIC?!
Think Sherlock Holmes as a little, round priest, and you have Father Brown. That isn't to say that the Father Brown stories and the Sherlock Holmes stories are nearly identical. G. K. Chesterton and Arthur C. Doyle are two very different writers, and their mystery writing is the first place which proves that.
I've discovered that in the Father Brown stories you often come upon startlingly insightful one-liners. G. K. Chesterton is also a master at creating that deliciously creepy atmosphere perfect for a good mystery (think THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, Poe, and Hitchcock).
Best short quotes:
"The most incredible thing about miracles is that they happen."
"The criminal is the creative artist; the detective only the critic."
"Every clever crime is founded ultimately on some one quite simple fact --- some fact that is not in itself mysterious. The mystification comes in covering it up, in leading men's thoughts away from it."
"Have you ever noticed this --- that people never answer what you say? They answer what you mean --- or what they think you mean."
"You are my own only friend in the world, and I want to talk to you. Or, perhaps, be silent with you."
"We have taken a wrong turning, and come to a wrong place. . . . Never mind; one can sometimes do good by being the right person in the wrong place."
"Cheerfulness without humor is a very trying thing."
Never mind the long quotes. Read this book to unearth them on your own!
I won't go on to reading THE WISDOM OF FATHER BROWN immediately because too many short stories all in a row are the perfect way to ruin my appreciation of a certain author. Even so, I look forward to reading more of G. K. Chesterton's amazing imaginations!
~~~
Read The Wisdom of Father Brown 6/30/19-12/31/19
4 stars
October 15, 2019
Nella sua celebre lettera d’amore alla letteratura, Italo Calvino scrive:
Amo soprattutto Stendhal perché solo in lui tensione morale individuale, tensione storica, slancio della vita sono una cosa sola, lineare tensione romanzesca.
Amo Puskin perché è limpidezza, ironia e serietà.
Amo Hemingway perché è matter of fact, understatement, volontà di felicità, tristezza.
Amo Stevenson perché pare che voli.
Amo Cechov perché non va più in là di dove va.
Amo Conrad perché naviga l’abisso e non ci affonda.
Amo Tolstoj perché alle volte mi pare d’essere lì lì per capire come fa e invece niente.
Amo Manzoni perché fino a poco fa l’odiavo.
Amo Chesterton perché voleva essere il Voltaire cattolico e io volevo essere il Chesterton comunista. ..
E' da qui che sono partita per affrontare Chesterton. Lo conoscevo pochissimo e quel poco è così lontano nel tempo da essersi smarrito per strada.
Come inizio ho scelto -leggendoli un poco alla volta, in mezzo ad altre letture- "Tutti i racconti gialli e tutte le indagini di Padre Brown", un bel tomo di quasi ottocento pagine.
La scrittura è sublime, di una bellezza serena, forse una caratteristica di chi "vede" Dio davanti a sé. Ci sono descrizioni paragonabili a pennellate: certi tramonti, il cielo, il mare... raccontati attraverso decine di sfumature.
"La letteratura - scrisse Borges- è una delle forme della felicità; forse nessun scrittore mi ha dato tante ore felici come Chesterton".
Ho riscontrato un solo difetto in questi racconti: troppo brevi per intrecci spesso molto complessi. Così densi da dover essere spesso riletti due volte, alla ricerca di quel dettaglio che è il sale della narrativa gialla, con soluzioni necessariamente sbrigative. Del resto, sono convinta che il racconto breve mal si adatti al genere giallo-poliziesco. Persino il mio adorato Simenon, nel "breve", è sempre meno efficace rispetto al romanzo/racconto lungo.
Amo soprattutto Stendhal perché solo in lui tensione morale individuale, tensione storica, slancio della vita sono una cosa sola, lineare tensione romanzesca.
Amo Puskin perché è limpidezza, ironia e serietà.
Amo Hemingway perché è matter of fact, understatement, volontà di felicità, tristezza.
Amo Stevenson perché pare che voli.
Amo Cechov perché non va più in là di dove va.
Amo Conrad perché naviga l’abisso e non ci affonda.
Amo Tolstoj perché alle volte mi pare d’essere lì lì per capire come fa e invece niente.
Amo Manzoni perché fino a poco fa l’odiavo.
Amo Chesterton perché voleva essere il Voltaire cattolico e io volevo essere il Chesterton comunista. ..
E' da qui che sono partita per affrontare Chesterton. Lo conoscevo pochissimo e quel poco è così lontano nel tempo da essersi smarrito per strada.
Come inizio ho scelto -leggendoli un poco alla volta, in mezzo ad altre letture- "Tutti i racconti gialli e tutte le indagini di Padre Brown", un bel tomo di quasi ottocento pagine.
La scrittura è sublime, di una bellezza serena, forse una caratteristica di chi "vede" Dio davanti a sé. Ci sono descrizioni paragonabili a pennellate: certi tramonti, il cielo, il mare... raccontati attraverso decine di sfumature.
"La letteratura - scrisse Borges- è una delle forme della felicità; forse nessun scrittore mi ha dato tante ore felici come Chesterton".
Ho riscontrato un solo difetto in questi racconti: troppo brevi per intrecci spesso molto complessi. Così densi da dover essere spesso riletti due volte, alla ricerca di quel dettaglio che è il sale della narrativa gialla, con soluzioni necessariamente sbrigative. Del resto, sono convinta che il racconto breve mal si adatti al genere giallo-poliziesco. Persino il mio adorato Simenon, nel "breve", è sempre meno efficace rispetto al romanzo/racconto lungo.
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