The Innocence of Father Brown & The Wisdom of Father Brown: Two Detective Novels

This is described with no apparent disapproval by Chesterton. Most of the stories are not as awful as this one however, and Chesterton does a better job of ensuring that his worldview does not intrude into the stories as often as it did in The Innocence of Father Brown. Whatever their flaws, the stories are amusing and clever, and make a good read. For the most part excellent, particularly The Duel of Dr. The God of Gongs, however, is quite hard to read due to its racism, which may well be typical of its time, but it still made me uncomfortable.

I enjoy the variety of tones, settings and styles Chesterton uses. He conjures up very vivid locales very quickly, and packs a lot in to 20 pages or so. They are hugely atmospheric and have a very odd, hard to describe tone. I also like the way Father Brown often enters each story some way in as a background figure who only comes to the fore towards the end of most of the stories.

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Fun, but not so great as "The Innocence" On the whole I found the first of the Father Brown collections to be more timeless and classic. There are some fun stories in this book, but some of them drag and a few teter on being racist enough to rob me of any enjoyment.

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3. The Wisdom of Father Brown (Father Brown, #2) by G.K. Chesterton.

You can read my review at http: Feb 12, Amariah Dixon rated it it was amazing. Nov 18, Jam rated it really liked it Shelves: The phrases are more flowery than I'm used to, but they're so witty and wonderfully subtle, I can't wait to use some of them myself, in real life even. The book is an anthology of short stories about Father Brown. Father Brown, I imagine, would fit very well as a spy if he ever chose to change vocations. He's described as utterly ordinary, but also undeniable brilliant. He's a lot like Detective Conan and Shelock Holmes. He notices the little details and pieces them together.

His stories, howeve The phrases are more flowery than I'm used to, but they're so witty and wonderfully subtle, I can't wait to use some of them myself, in real life even. His stories, however, show a difference from the common detective. Perhaps, it's because he's a priest. His clues aren't little pieces of evidence left behind like blood, fingerprints, or remnants of hair in a bowler hat. Instead, he picks up on expressions, twitches, body movements, etc. He deduces conclusions from a man's background, his standing in life, his job, and how his neighbors see him. Of course, its never anything too complex.

Some of the stories in this book are fairly easy to figure out. This book would be perfect on a YA shelf. It's easy enough to read and just enjoy. Well, I guess once I start something I have to finish them--this said by someone who has read the Complete Sherlock Holmes more than once.

There is a great deal of fun reading a mystery series that you don't know, especially if it is complete as in anthology of stories published more than years ago. You get to see the development of characters, especially the priest-sleuth Father Brown and his friend, reformed criminal Flambeau. I will say that, while Flambeau seems to grow and change, Bro Well, I guess once I start something I have to finish them--this said by someone who has read the Complete Sherlock Holmes more than once.

I will say that, while Flambeau seems to grow and change, Brown remains static. It is still fun to watch the way Brown's mind works and the way Chesterton conceives of and executes a short story. Thematic touches are light; except for the fact of the creation of the main character Brown , a ready might never know Chesterton himself was Catholic. Fun, diverting reading, but nothing in them that can make me say, with any degree of honesty, "you have to read this!

Sep 07, robyn rated it liked it Shelves: The prose is purple! Sometimes the situations seem blown up out of all proportion in terms of how frightening or shocking they are. Then again, Chesterton's use of language is so beautiful that I can't mind. He's a gorgeous writer. And his use of paradox is often so surprising as to excuse any tendency toward extravagence.

There are a couple of extremely good mysteries in here, one or two that are merely so-so in terms of interest, I mean - all of them are worth reading and some, The prose is purple! There are a couple of extremely good mysteries in here, one or two that are merely so-so in terms of interest, I mean - all of them are worth reading and some, re-reading.

Flambeau is much in evidence in these stories. Their friendship is so incongruous, and so charming.

Jun 20, Joyce rated it it was ok. This book was the first work of fiction by GKC that I have read, and it underachieved for me, likely because his non-fictional apologetic work is so sharp and witty. The short chapters makes the book very digestible, since it is taken in small tidbits. I enjoyed reading the unconventional thinking that comes through Fr.

Brown's sleuthing abilities to show a different side to each of the stories, but I personally would have liked to have invested my time elsewhere perhaps a book with a more sust This book was the first work of fiction by GKC that I have read, and it underachieved for me, likely because his non-fictional apologetic work is so sharp and witty. Brown's sleuthing abilities to show a different side to each of the stories, but I personally would have liked to have invested my time elsewhere perhaps a book with a more sustained plot or argument.

That is why atheism is only a nightmare. I think the best way to describe the detective priest would be male Miss Marple; they use similar method in their investigations - by utilizing their knowledge of human nature. The twelve short stories included in the book are different in nature, some of them are humorous, some fairly gruesome. On the whole, this collection feels slightly worse than the first one; I think some o Further adventures of Father Brown, this is the second collection, the first one being The Innocence of Father Brown.

On the whole, this collection feels slightly worse than the first one; I think some of the stories lack polish, some of them end abruptly. Still, Father Brown earned his place among the world greatest detectives. The book deserves 3 solid stars. Oct 09, Doina rated it liked it Shelves: I don't really enjoy fictional short stories, and yet I cannot seem to stop reading these kinds of collections.

Chesterton's writing voice, and that's what helped me finish these. What I didn't like was the development of the plot in most of these stories. I'm not sure if the author would have developed the plot a little more if these stories were longer, but I didn't really like the way that Father Brown is just a quiet observer, almost fading into the background, and then he comes I don't really enjoy fictional short stories, and yet I cannot seem to stop reading these kinds of collections. I'm not sure if the author would have developed the plot a little more if these stories were longer, but I didn't really like the way that Father Brown is just a quiet observer, almost fading into the background, and then he comes and enlightens everyone on how the murder happened.

I liked the development of his character, as well as Flaubert's character, but the overall plotting could have been better. Oct 27, Toby rated it really liked it. I really enjoyed this one. Father Brown is a little priest who traipses about and somehow always ends up in a mystery of some sort. You thought the Sherlock Homes was good? Well, Father Brown almost always solves a mystery before ever leaving the scene of the crime. He is also crazy with mercy and grace. He often lets criminals to go, just so long as they promise not to to it again. His deductions are amazing. He needs so little to understand the mystery.

And of course Chesterton is an absolute I really enjoyed this one. And of course Chesterton is an absolute master of the English language. Wit and humor permeate his very grammar and word usage. Mar 18, F. Yes Father Brown does solve the mystery, but often hours — sometimes even years — after the crime has taken place. Chesterton is far too good a writer not to make these tales entertaining, but they often come across as delicate little baubles without much in the way of substance.

Sep 20, Judy rated it liked it. Still reading those old mysteries. I'm really thinking that I need to snap out of this phase and get onto something else.

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Maybe I need to talk to someone about this compulsion. However, having said that, I enjoyed these short stories about the wise Father Brown. Oh to have a priest like that at my disposal sorry David, I wasn't talking about you negatively in any way. He lets people run around chasing red herrings all over the county and then at the last moment Father Brown steps in and makes Still reading those old mysteries. He lets people run around chasing red herrings all over the county and then at the last moment Father Brown steps in and makes the entire situation clear.

Father Brown: the empathetic detective | Books | The Guardian

Aug 14, Mary rated it liked it. I read this set of mysteries out loud to my son as part of his summer reading program. This was an exercise in vocabulary-building! Chesterton was an influential Christian intellectual who wrote on apologetics and philosophy, among other topics. His mystery stories are clever, but they are sometimes a bit hard to follow! Several mysteries end abruptly, and I found myself having to talk through the characters and the plot to discover what had actually happened, and who was guilty! Others, ho I read this set of mysteries out loud to my son as part of his summer reading program.

Others, however, were easier to understand and quite entertaining. Oct 22, Larry Piper rated it liked it Shelves: This is a book of short stories, and I wasn't all that intrigued by any of them. Perhaps I'm not a short-story person. Father Brown is a priest Roman Catholic who studies human nature. He is, thereby, able to puzzle out conundrums more easily than most Whatever, each story is a little baffling mystery.

I didn't find them all that interesting, but perhaps I'm in a state of distraction these days. I had read previously The Innocence of Father Brown and liked it moderate This is a book of short stories, and I wasn't all that intrigued by any of them. I had read previously The Innocence of Father Brown and liked it moderately well. This volume is ok, but May 02, Marti rated it liked it. It is somewhat shorter than the first, and set up the same way, with a series of short stories involving Father Brown, and the renowned French detective, Flambeau.

Chesterton writes with a wry sense of humor, which does not seem at all dated, in fact, once phrase which I cannot recall right now, struck me as almost modern slang. These stories are tightly crafted, and some seemmore enjoyable than others. There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Gilbert Keith Chesterton was born in London, educated at St. In , 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 more, hundreds of poems, including the epic Ballad of the White Horse , fi Gilbert Keith Chesterton was born in London, educated at St.

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He wrote a hundred books, contributions to 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. They are free to wander the world according to their free will until they are ready and receptive to God's grace, at which point he acts in their lives and effects a conversion.

The Innocence of Father Brown , The Wisdom of Father Brown The Incredulity of Father Brown The Secret of Father Brown The Scandal of Father Brown Uncollected Stories , From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The Wisdom of Father Brown

For other uses, see Father Brown disambiguation. Some of this section's listed sources may not be reliable. Please help this article by looking for better, more reliable sources. Unreliable citations may be challenged or deleted.



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August Learn how and when to remove this template message. Bowling Green State Univ. Retrieved 21 August Retrieved 28 February A Catalog of Over Shows. Books 1—7 , Classics, Starbooks. TV Series — ". Retrieved 3 August In his most purple passages, he writes like Oscar Wilde on steroids; there's sometimes a Pater ian luxuriance in the prose, a specifying gorgeousness. He embraced a view of the world based on an essential excitement that it should exist at all. Chesterton declared that "the aim of life is appreciation", his version of DH Lawrence 's dictum that there is no point living with a bad grace.

It may seem anomalous that the literary form that gave the best opportunity for displaying this enraptured gratitude was the detective story, filled as it is with murder, guilt and corpses. Yet Chesterton was given over to paradox, and his imagination was ideally fitted to a form that turned on the revelation of small surprises. Of course every surprise must also seem a solution.

It must persuade us that it fits the facts, and so unmask the mystery that preceded it as having a hitherto undetected coherence.

Father Brown: the empathetic detective

In this, his religion aided him, for it meant in his eyes that the truth was what hardly anyone else believed. Each unexpected twist reveals a world that is both endlessly strange yet undeniably apt. The early Father Brown stories begin with a picture; the early Holmes short stories begin with a debate about the nature of the stories themselves, a consideration of methodology. Every great detective was meant to have his distinguishing quirks, but far more importantly, he was to have his "method".

At times, Brown's "method" can look like a matter of inspiration, not deduction; as such, it would leave the reader looking on admiringly, but seldom able to participate in the story's puzzle-like aspects. In an earlier story, Brown makes a distinction between approval and sympathy, a distinction that is the soul of his approach. Empathy, a leap into another's point of view, is his tactic, just as it is also film's ultimate goal. Like Edgar Allan Poe 's Dupin, Father Brown doubles himself with the killer, but does so in a spirit of humility and charity. The criminal comes close; indeed Brown places himself inside him.

In presenting his approach to crime in this way, Chesterton was giving not so much a method for detection as his creed as a writer. Chesterton was emphatically an artist, and in the Father Brown stories he sought to investigate the foundations of his art.