It is very difficult to classify THE MAN WHO WAS THURSDAY. It is possible to say that it is a gripping adventure story of murderous criminals and brilliant policemen; but it was to be expected that the author of the Father Brown stories should tell a detective story like no-one else. On this level, therefore, THE MAN WHO WAS THURSDAY succeeds superbly; if nothing else, it is a magnificent tour-de-force of suspense-writing. However, the reader will soon discover that it is much more than that. Carried along on the boisterous ...
Read More
It is very difficult to classify THE MAN WHO WAS THURSDAY. It is possible to say that it is a gripping adventure story of murderous criminals and brilliant policemen; but it was to be expected that the author of the Father Brown stories should tell a detective story like no-one else. On this level, therefore, THE MAN WHO WAS THURSDAY succeeds superbly; if nothing else, it is a magnificent tour-de-force of suspense-writing. However, the reader will soon discover that it is much more than that. Carried along on the boisterous rush of the narrative by Chesterton's wonderful high-spirited style, he will soon see that he is being carried into much deeper waters than he had planned on; and the totally unforeseeable denouement will prove for the modern reader, as it has for thousands of others since 1908 when the book was first published, an inevitable and moving experience, as the investigators finally discover who Sunday is.
Read Less
I finally bought this book after years of hearing about it. I found it slightly dated, but still a good,comical read. Basically, an undercover detective unwittingly befriends a real anarchist, who introduces him into his "underground" anarchy group/ club. The detective, having further outwitted the "real" anarchist, takes over a position the anarchist was meant for. What follows is a right-side up turn of the world the detective thought he knew. The book has a little bit of a Wonderland feel to it, but for adults. It's short, only about 150, 160 pages, so it's a quick read as well. Chersterton artfully unfolds the story and I reccommend this book to anyone wanting a quick, clever detective tale.
