The Innocence of Father Brown Audiobook

" Lost interest for no apparent reason beyond that I simply couldn't seem to really LIKE Father Brown the way you instinctively like Sherlock Holmes and like Hercule Poirot. Maybe FB needed a sidekick like Watson or Hastings to humanize him or at least tell the reader what to think about him, just to save us the trouble of trying to figure it out! "

" As always Chesterton delivers. The story follows the titular character, a seemingly innocent priest as he solves crimes using only his uncanny understanding of human nature. Not as great as some of his others works (definitely missing his signature sunrises and sunsets) but funny, insightful, and surprising nonetheless. If only all conversations about religion and philosophy could be more like this. "

" A Sherlock Holmes set of mini stories. Okay, but probably wouldn't read again. Tended to get pretty verbose at times. "

" More like 3.5 stars. I liked the collection of shorts and the development of his friendship with Flambeau, but felt like I was kind of reading the same story again and again with a slightly different theme. "

" This was very fun to read! I read it right on the heels of finishing the other volume, The Wisdom of Father Brown, so I probably would have enjoyed it more if I had put a little more time between them. "

" Don't read them for the mysteries; you'll get too much of the "All Shakespeare did was write down a bunch of famous quotations" effect if you do. Just read them for their place in the history of the mystery story and for Chesterton's wonderful ability to turn a phrase. "

" Enjoyable, well constructed mysteries in the classic short story form. "

" Very enjoyable reading. Father Brown is an unassuming little priest who can spot the clues in a mystery that everyone else missed; sort of like Monk, but without the major quirkiness. I love the subtle faith aspects that come into play in the priest's thought processes and explanations. "

" Meh. The stories are almost too short to get any joy out of the plotting, but yet there are still holes. I don't tend to like mysteries that are very "atmospheric" anyway--there's too much mysticism about good and evil and walks in dark forests, etc, for me. Lots of period racism in these as well. The one thing I did like was the way he (invariably, which gets a bit tiresome) gets the culprit to confess. A clever sort of play on him being a Catholic priest. "

" it's a good one .. "

" #1 in the series of Father Brown short story collections. Father Brown is widely acclaimed as being one of the world's first true detectives. This 1911 collection contains 12 stories originally published in U.S. and British magazines in 1910 and 1911. This collection is listed in Barzun and Taylor's Classics of Crime Fiction 1900-1950. I waded through the collection but doubt very much if I shall ever read another word written by G.K. Chesterton. The mysteries are ridiculous, the characters implausible, and the deductive reasoning is impossible. Add to this the fact that Chesterton, if you can credit his written word, is a bigot, religiously intolerant, and a racist. Celebrated author Martin Gardner admires the Father Brown stories but says in the afterword to The Wrong Shape: "In my judgement this is the most unsatisfactory tale in the book. It is not just that the events are wildly implausible - all Father Brown stories are implausible - but that Dr James Harris is totally implausible." Further, about The Hammer of God: "No matter. We are in Chesterton's world of bizarre semi-fantasy where improbable events are as commonplace as improbable characters". Gardner continues about The Wrong Shape with the reason I managed to finish the book - "For me its greatest merit is in the cadences of its descriptions: the wind ' creeping up the dim garden path and shuffling the fallen leaves', and the white lightning that 'opened its enormous eye in one wink' before 'the sky shut up again'. Father Brown series - The 12 stories is the first Brown collection, which introduces not only Father Brown himself but Flambeau, the daring thief. Father Brown worked on Flambeau during their early confrontations, and eventually persuaded him to give up his life of crime. He became Father Brown's friend and sometime sidekick, and appears in three-quarters of the stories herein, in one capacity or another. Father Brown series - The 12 stories is the first Brown collection, which introduces not only Father Brown himself but Flambeau, the daring thief. Father Brown worked on Flambeau during their early confrontations, and eventually persuaded him to give up his life of crime. He became Father Brown's friend and sometime sidekick, and appears in three-quarters of the stories herein, in one capacity or another. "

" my friend O just reminded me that I did read this back in 2006. I'll have to do it again soon. "

" The Shelf: Accepted. Favored Author. "

" I'm glad I invested the time in these. Similar in pace to Agatha Christie, although they lack the "coziness" of the small village. "

" Uneven quality -- Some of the short stories were too "atmospheric" for my taste while some were excellent. "

" More classic mysteries from G.K. Chesterton. Now in the public domain, a free electronic copy of the book can be found here. "

" This was very fun to read! I read it right on the heels of finishing the other volume, The Wisdom of Father Brown, so I probably would have enjoyed it more if I had put a little more time between them. "

" I wanted to like this a great deal more than I did. Chesterton is one of those authors one is supposed to like, but after half of this and The Man Who Was Thursday before it, I still have no strong feelings. Still, his reputation is such that I'll give him one more chance. "

" I love these little old mystery stories. Father Brown is Sherlock Holmes in a clerical collar, and tempers his reasoning with a keen eye towards human nature and it's twists and turns. "

" This collection introduces Chesterton's famous character. In the initial story Father Brown seems barely a secondary character until the end. Easy to see why he became so popular. "

" Very funny though it is detective short stories. "

" Locked room-type mystery short stories. Father Brown is a self-effacing character. One of the early (1911) mystery classics. "

" This book was ok, but I just could not get excited about it or drawn in. "

" More like 3.5 stars. I liked the collection of shorts and the development of his friendship with Flambeau, but felt like I was kind of reading the same story again and again with a slightly different theme. "

" A great book in it's genre. "

" A collection of short stories featuring the deductive skills of a simple priest in regards to crime. "

" Not a bad series of stories, especially if you can handle good writing that sometimes lacks compelling plot. G.K. Chesterton is a little more poetic than Conan Doyle ever was, but his plots leave more to be desired. "

" Light and enjoyable little mysteries. Each chapter is a separate mystery which makes for nice bedtime reading. Father Brown is quite endearing. "

" The first time I've read Chesterton, and I'm enjoying it. The short mysteries are good ones, and I really like the characters of Father Brown and Flambeau... Each mystery is unique, and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the Father Brown mysteries. "

" Very well written but structure is dated. "

" The insufferablility of G. K. Chesterton, more like. "

" a little different that what i usually would consider as a collection of detective stories, this one is about the oddness of humans rather than actual detective work. and it is also about forgiving and finding the inner goodness of each soul. "

" Well, I love Chesterton's writing style and I love mysteries so this is a great book for me! "

" I'm glad I invested the time in these. Similar in pace to Agatha Christie, although they lack the "coziness" of the small village. "

" While these are written in a different era from what we are used to now, I still find the intelligence of Father Brown fascinating. "

" I enjoyed many of these stories. My favorite was probably "Saradine", because it threw Father Brown in way over his head. Sometimes he's a little too self-assured, so it was nice to see him flail. "

" I enjoyed many of these stories. My favorite was probably "Saradine", because it threw Father Brown in way over his head. Sometimes he's a little too self-assured, so it was nice to see him flail. "

" Enjoyable collection of mysteries stories with a strong Catholic slant. The first story "The Blue Cross" is one of my all time favorite stories. "

" Enjoyable collection of mysteries stories with a strong Catholic slant. The first story "The Blue Cross" is one of my all time favorite stories. "

" A review will come later "

" a little different that what i usually would consider as a collection of detective stories, this one is about the oddness of humans rather than actual detective work. and it is also about forgiving and finding the inner goodness of each soul. "

" a little different that what i usually would consider as a collection of detective stories, this one is about the oddness of humans rather than actual detective work. and it is also about forgiving and finding the inner goodness of each soul. "

" I expected a mystery book (that's how it was touted) but got a collection of so-so short "mystery" stories. "

" I expected a mystery book (that's how it was touted) but got a collection of so-so short "mystery" stories. "

" "The Hammer of God" had an effect on me that few short stories have ever matched. Well done, Chesterton. And WTF. "

" "The Hammer of God" had an effect on me that few short stories have ever matched. Well done, Chesterton. And WTF. "

" Lots of fun! Father Brown sort of reminds me of a Catholic Matlock; good old fashioned common sense with a dash of "gut feeling". I found there was a definite slant toward the religious, especially when all those lacking in the "proper" faith were killed off, lol! "

" Lots of fun! Father Brown sort of reminds me of a Catholic Matlock; good old fashioned common sense with a dash of "gut feeling". I found there was a definite slant toward the religious, especially when all those lacking in the "proper" faith were killed off, lol! "

" short stories involving the intrepid Father Brown. Not my favourite, but still interesting. "

" short stories involving the intrepid Father Brown. Not my favourite, but still interesting. "