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The Thirty-Nine Steps hasn't aged particularly well, but when looked at as a product of it's time and one of the first in the espionage/thriller genre, it's still an enjoyable and brief diversion.
The first two and last two chapters contain pretty much the entire plot, while everything in between involves our hero literally killing time in the Scottish highlands, where he runs into a bunch of colorful characters that reminded me of "Big Fish" (the movie, not the book which I haven't read) as much ...more
The first two and last two chapters contain pretty much the entire plot, while everything in between involves our hero literally killing time in the Scottish highlands, where he runs into a bunch of colorful characters that reminded me of "Big Fish" (the movie, not the book which I haven't read) as much ...more

On merit, the book earns 3-stars, but for clarity of writing, pace and a publication date over one hundred years ago you have to award another star to Mr. Buchan. The plot has holes, but you don't really care.The 39 Steps is a quick read and highly entertaining.
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Apr 04, 2013
K.
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