The Innocence of Father Brown Paperback – June 30, 2017

This book contains the first G. K. Chesterton piece I ever read. I was 14 years old, attending high school in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and my language teacher assigned “The Invisible Man.” I thought the story was clever and entertaining, and for some reason the fact that it began with a strange conversation in a restaurant intrigued me. I didn’t forget the name of Chesterton. Six long years passed until I read him again, this time in the US, while attending a theology class at a Catholic university.While I enjoy mysteries immensely, I am not a connoisseur of the genre. In a sense, I am not even “trained” to read whodunits: I do not try to figure out who in fact did it as I read, I simply let the story lead me to the conclusion. I like the Sherlock Holmes stories, of which I’ve read a handful, and Poe’s detective fiction (especially “The Gold Bug”), but for the most part I go for noir: James M. Cain, Horace McCoy, and above all, Raymond Chandler’s novels (no Hammett for me, thank you). I like authors who employ elements of mystery for their own purposes, such as Camus or Modiano. I love Borges, and thought his (and Bioy Casares’) idea of a detective who solves crimes from a prison cell was brilliant, but the actual stories failed to move me.My positive response to the Father Brown stories came as no surprise to me. It seems to me that both enthusiasts of mystery and readers who are new to the genre can enjoy Chesterton’s detective fiction. These stories also transcend religious affiliation. Sharing Chesterton’s faith and worldview may give you a fuller appreciation of the stories’ implications, but these tales are meant to be enjoyed by readers of all faiths or no faith. Fr. Brown does take advantage of the opportunity to preach, but he is such an agreeable character: it is impossible for him to offend. Here is a detective with a philosophy, and his strength is that, thanks to the Catholic sacrament of Reconciliation, he has learned quite a bit about human beings, the things they do, and the motives that drive them. He has come not only to a knowledge, but also to an understanding of human nature. His method (as the Wikipedia article points out) is not deductive, but intuitive.Most of the stories included in this volume feature Fr. Brown’s sidekick, because all detectives must have one: Flambeau. He is a thief who eventually repents, embraces Catholicism, and becomes an amateur detective. The priest’s enigmatic observations often exasperate him.I will comment on the 12 stories included in this Fr. Brown collection, the first of five, which appeared in book form in 1911. I also include, at the end of each commentary, my personal judgment (**** = Excellent, *** = Very Good, ** = Good, * = Poor). The symbol # indicates Borges included the story in the Chesterton volume for his “biblioteca personal,” the best books he ever read.* The Blue Cross: the story that introduced Fr. Brown, and Flambeau, to the world. The priest carries a valuable silver cross with blue sapphires, which Flambeau hopes to steal. A French detective, Aristide Valentin, is trying to catch Flambeau in London. A great beginning, especially when one considers the final talk between Fr. Brown and Flambeau. The priest’s comments help the reader to understand why he is so good at solving crimes. It is here that Fr. Brown says: “Has it never struck you that a man who does next to nothing but hear men’s real sins is not likely to be wholly unaware of human evil?” **** #* The Secret Garden: During a gathering, the body of an unknown man is found in a closed garden with its head severed. The chief of police, the atheist Aristide, is present, and the first suspect is an American skeptic, who leaves the premises when everyone was ordered to stay at the place. It has been said that one way to read the Fr. Brown stories is as apologias. This tale is a very good example. *** #* The Queer Feet: the story begins with a description of a select group of gentlemen who dine at a specific hotel. Fr. Brown’s profession takes him to the place right before the silverware disappears. Like “The Invisible Man,” this story contains direct social commentary. Perhaps most interestingly, meta-mystery is involved, as the conventions of the genre are discussed within the story. Listen to this description of death: “a very aged rioter and demagogue who breaks into the most refined retreats with the dreadful information that all men are brothers.” Look out also for the “unseen hook” and “invisible line” of Catholicism, which can bring back those who have been “caught" no matter how far away they are. **** #* The Flying Stars: three diamonds (the “stars” of the title) are stolen during a Christmas pantomime. One of the characters is a socialist, which gives Chesterton the opportunity to criticize this political view. My least favorite of the stories in the collection. ** The Invisible Man: as I mentioned, this was the first text I read by GKC. Perhaps I am biased, but I still think it is one of his best stories. If someone asked me where to start with Fr. Brown, “The Invisible Man” would be my reply, without hesitation. This is simply an amazing tale involving robots, letters, marriage proposals, and the things we do not notice because they are too evident. **** #* The Honour of Israel Gow: set in Scotland. The man of the title is a methodic servant whose master has just died. As they investigate the master’s death, Flambeau and Fr. Brown find a series of apparently random objects. There is a parody of deduction (the Holmes method) when Fr. Brown “interprets” the possible connections between the items. As in “The Secret Garden” and, in a sense, “The Invisible Man,” there is a missing head here too. I’m reminded of an observation from _Orthodoxy_: “It is easy to be a madman: it is easy to be a heretic. It is always easy to let the age have its head; the difficult thing is to keep one’s own” (107, in the Ignatius edition). ** #* The Wrong Shape: A poet with a taste for things oriental dies leaving a message: “I die by my own hand, but I am murdered.” The wrong shape refers to a Chinese dagger and to pieces of paper with their corners cut, which the poet liked to use. At one point, Fr. Brown calls Flambeau his only friend. *** The Sins of Prince Saradine: Fr. Brown and Flambeau visit a prince who lives on a “fairy-tale” island. The prince has invited Flambeau because he admires the criminal he used to be, especially his trick of getting one detective to arrest another. Fr. Brown knows that fairyland is a wonderful place where terrible things can also happen. Another favorite story of mine, this one involves a duel, look-alikes, and tricks with mirrors. I loved the image of the tapestry, which can be used as metaphor for our earthly life: “We here are on the wrong side of the tapestry. […] The things that happen here do not seem to mean anything; they mean something somewhere else.” ***** The Hammer of God: the story concerns two brothers, one of whom is a pastor, and the other a drunkard. The latter wants to seduce the blacksmith’s wife, but he is soon found dead, his head destroyed by the blow of a small hammer. The blacksmith is an obvious suspect, but he was out of town when the murder happened. The village idiot is another possibility. A great story with great philosophy. “Humility is the mother of giants,” says Fr. Brown. **** #* The Eye of Apollo: Flambeau is moving to his new office. Among his new neighbors are two typists who are sisters and the leader of a new religion who describes himself as a priest of Apollo. Chesterton comments on cults based on human “self-liberation” and (more subtly) on feminism and/or the modern “working woman” (I use quotation marks because this common phrase seems to imply that there was a time when women did not work). *** #* The Sign of the Broken Sword: Fr. Brown and Flambeau see the statue of a local hero who holds a broken sword. The priest proceeds to tell the story behind the statue as he and his friend walk around the area. I had trouble following this one. There were too many details for my taste, and Fr. Brown is not directly involved in the events but goes back in history. Here’s a good observation, at any rate: “It is useless for a man to read his Bible unless he also reads everybody else’s Bible.” Also, look out for Fr. Brown’s thought-provoking decision at the end. *** The Three Tools of Death: a lecturing teetotaler is found dead. The weapon may have been a rope, a gun, or a dagger. As Fr. Brown knows, things are not what they seem. Teetotalism, it is well known, was another favorite target of GKC’s, and one of the many areas in which he disagreed with his friend George Bernard Shaw. As someone who does not drink, I side with GBS on this one, but I still love this story. Like the previous one, it ends with a interesting decision on Fr. Brown’s part. ***I once had a non-Catholic coworker who had Chesterton’s complete works in his office. His favorite books were Chesterton’s famous collections of brief essays on anything and everything. “His Catholicism I can take or leave,” my coworker said. I didn’t say anything, but thought to myself, “You can definitely take it, but you can’t leave it.” If you “leave” GKC’s Catholicism, what is left? Chesterton once said, and I am paraphrasing, that it was impossible for a Catholic to write (or to do anything) without showing that he/she was a Catholic. Chesterton is a great writer largely because (not in spite) of his Catholicism. I have enjoyed the work of authors who disagree with and sometimes even hate or attack my faith. I hope you will enjoy these stories whether you agree with Chesterton or not.My next book by GKC will be either _All Things Considered_ or _Tremendous Trifles_.Thanks for reading, and enjoy the book!

I picked up the Free Kindle edition of Father Brown and for the most part I like it. Father Brown is one of the most cleverest investigators I've seen, on par with Sherlock Holmes. The stories are quite amusing, often intriguing, and some times funny. So why did I give it 4 stars? Because Father Brown let's everyone go. For example, Flambeau who is Father Browns close friend and associate, has murdered at least twice, and yet he is buddy buddy with Father Brown.Others in the stories that Father Brown corners(because he never captures them) that have killed are all let go. This is the part I don't like. Yes, Father Brown is a priest, but in my opinion that shouldn't matter. But I suppose to the author, a priest has no business determining the morals of a character. I just don't get that part.Other than that, I'm still reading it, and I'm still enjoying the stories. They're quick and entertaining, but only if you can ignore the fact that everyone gets away with murder when it comes to Father Brown.

The Innocense of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterson is an asssemby of 12 short detective stories with the main character, Father Brown, as the super sluth who identifies the clues as the stories develope.The expectation is that the reader will have an idea as to who, what, where, why and how things happened. Many of the stories are quite easy to figure out ex. The Eye of Apollo, some much harder ex.The Sign of the Broken Sword, but most are fairly entertaining. (I had a problem with one The Flying Stars; it was so boring, I couldn't finish it. That was the one disappointment in the collection.) G.K. Chesterson was a prolific writer, author, philosopher, etc. in the late 19th and well into the 20th century. This collection of Father Brown stories is is a good representation of his detective works. He leaves clues which lead you to the answer of the mystery, but he doesn't develope the characters very much, partly because the stories themselves are relatively short. For the most part, this is fairly entertaining, but certainly not the best mysteries you will read. 3 stars.

I am so glad I took a chance on this classic work. It is utterly charming! F. Brown is a rather magical character and just what one would hope a holy priest would be. He is humble and kind, forever about his work of redeeming souls. He is not so unassuming when it comes to providing input into mysteries surrounding deaths and offers analysis from his brilliant mind, which proves genius-level in deduction and intuition. I adore his attitude toward the criminal, which is to redeem him. F. Brown is never interested in punishing or apprehending the perps. I read something about the religious aspect of the books in reviews and thought it might turn me off, but it entirely charmed me. I love F. Brown and the recurring character of the international jewel thief Flambeau. I am going to buy the entire series anthology. Be watchful when you buy it, to be sure it includes all the stories because all of them don't.

Those, like me, who enjoy the British TV series will delight in discovering the original stories in book form. Once you've experienced the TV version and it's beloved Father Brown character, it's hard not to imagine the literary character any differently; but I didn't find that distracting or objectionable in any way. I'm partial to having a collection of short stories on hand which are perfect for bed-time reading -- or waiting rooms. These are well written "mini-mysteries" with well-drawn stories that still manage to keep your interest and often, conveniently, reveal the culprit before you are called into the doctor's office.

Perfect

Ein paar Pater Brown Geschichten kannte ich noch von früher, nicht zuletzt durch die Heinz Rühmann Verfilmungen; wenn man sie allerdings im Original liest, merkt man erst richtig, wie vielschichtig und witzig die Figur des Father Brown wirklich ist, und was für ein genialer Schriftsteller Chesterton war!Meine Empfehlung daher: wenn Sie des Englischen einigermassen mächtig sind, und Detektivgeschichten ( z,B. Sherlock Holmes, Poirot ,...) mögen, laden Sie dieses Buch auf Ihr Kindle Gerät. Es kostet Sie keinen Cent, und vielleicht reizt es Sie ja sogar, weiter zu lesen, denn "Innocence of Father Brown " ist nur die erste von - wenn ich mich recht erinnere- insgesamt 5 Geschichtensammlungen über den kleinen Pater mit dem großen Herzen....

Famous series of detective stories of Father Brown and this is the first part....I love Maple Press for, the quality in affordable price...Awesome page quality, nice binding and after all, Excellent stories by the great english novelist, G.K.Chesterton....

A great introduction to Chesterton's wonderful Detective Series' of Father Brown. This collection of short stories truly provide unexpected twists with each telling, without needing to build upon the previous story - even as Fr. Brown is revealed a bit more with each tale told. Highly recommended!

La scrittura di Chesterton è molto fresca e coinvolgente. I personaggi sono caratterizzati molto bene e hanno dei tratti teatrali molto forti. Leggere questi racconti in lingua originale permette senza dubbio di apprezzare a fondo questo testo senza tempo.Lo consiglio a chiunque abbia voglia di esercitare il proprio inglese e al contempo leggere un buon libro.