Mrs. Pollifax on the China Station

Mrs. Pollifax #6

by Dorothy Gilman

Once again, Mrs. Pollifax, the cheerful little woman with the flyaway white hair and a penchant for old hats is plunged headfirst into another hair-raising CIA mission. Posing as a tourist in China, Emily Pollifax meets the sinister challenges of the Orient to safeguard a treasure for the CIA...and all but loses her life in the bargain.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Adventure, Cozy Mystery, Espionage, China

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Dorothy Edith Gilman started writing when she was 9 and knew early on she was to be a writer. At 11, she competed against 10 to 16-year-olds in a story contest and won first place. She attended Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and briefly the University of Pennsylvania. She planned to write and illustrate children's books. She married Edgar A. Butters Jr, in 1945, this ended in divorce in 1965. Dorothy worked as an art teacher & telephone operator before becoming an author. She wrote children’s stories for more than ten years under the name Dorothy Gilman Butters and then began writing adult novels about Mrs. Pollifax–a retired grandmother who becomes a CIA agent. The Mrs. Pollifax series made Dorothy famous. While her stories nourish people’s thirst for adventure and mystery, Dorothy knew about nourishing the body as well. On her farm in Nova Scotia, she grew medicinal herbs and used this knowledge of herbs in many of her stories, including A Nun in the Closet. She travelled extensively, and used these experiences in her novels as well. Many of Dorothy’s books, feature strong women having adventures around the world. In 2010 Gilman was awarded the annual Grand Master Award by the Mystery Writers of America. Dorothy spent much of her life in Connecticut, New Mexico, and Maine. She died at age 88 of complications of Alzheimer's disease. She is survived by two sons, Christopher Butters and Jonathan Butters; and two grandchildren.

Series:
* Mrs. Pollifax

Reviews

[Phrynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The books in this series are always good but this one was outstanding! I love the humor of an elderly lady having a brown belt in Karate and working as a spy. She is charming, very smart and full of life experience. She is also very brave as events in this story prove.

I am not going to provide a summary of the story as I do not want to give spoil anything. However the title gives away the fact that it takes place in China, and we are given a lot of information about its culture and history. I would love to be able to experience the trip Mrs P and her acquaintances were enjoying - minus the spying and the dead bodies of course.

The final scene left me with tears in my eyes and goosebumps up my arms. Absolutely delightful.

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard an audio version of a Mrs. Pollifax adventure many years ago while I was commuting to work. As I recall, it was somewhat over the top and silly. However, this Mrs. Pollifax is more believable and serious when she goes on an assignment in Red China as part of an American tourist group. I wasn't sure what her age is, maybe mid-40s. At any rate, she certainly is subjected to lots of danger and suspense while showing a clever mind and dry sense of humor while she outwits the antagonists (Communist Chinese officials and Russian KGB). Enjoyable and diverting, just the way I like my mysteries.

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

My final read of 2022 but certainly not my last in this series. I thoroughly enjoy travelling with Mrs Pollifax, the CIA’s secret weapon! In this book, we travel through rural China with a small tour group; one is another CIA agent whom Mrs Pollifax has been sent to assist, once they identify themselves to her, and there may be another hostile agent in the party. As always, we learn a little about the country, in this case China in the years immediately following Mao’s death. It’s fairly superficial information but enjoyable nonetheless. The danger and excitement build fairly quickly. It’s a quick read but great fun. Roll on No 7!

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

All of the books in the Mrs. Pollifax series are good, but Mrs. Pollifax on the China Station is one of the best.

Mrs. Pollifax is off to China, this time - a country which has fascinated her ever since she was young. (That strikes a chord with me, and it is the first chord of many that this book strikes.) Mrs. P is to join a tour group for Americans, seeing many of the sights of China, as cover for her meeting with an informant who can supposedly pinpoint the location of a secret labor camp deep in the wilderness, where a man of great interest to the CIA (as well as other organizations) is being held. Mrs. P has to find the location of said camp, at which point another agent - also in the tour group, but at the outset unknown to Mrs. P - will then take over and get the secret man (referred to as "X" safely out of China).

This book gets much deeper, on several levels, than the last two installments. There are a great many conversations about spirituality, and destiny, and it just hits home so well that it gave me an even greater appreciation of this book, even after reading it for what is the fourth time now. There are so many of those good sentences or phrases, the kind that come out of nowhere and pack a punch, the kind that make me put down the book in astonishment or appreciation for a moment and think "wow...she's so right." For they're not only Mrs. Pollifax's thoughts, but by extension Dorothy Gilman's, as well, and I think part of why I love this book so much is because it reminds me a lot of my own philosphies in life: how things happen for a reason, and especially how people's lives cross path for a reason; how people rarely ever see the whole picture and therefore their inferences are flawed; how there are, to quote Dorothy Gilman "...no happy endings, just happy people." Excellent stuff, here.

I sense a maturity to the prose here; Dorothy Gilman is really at the top of her game in this book. It's not just about adventure. It's not just about mystery. It's not just about people, or about new places, or about chance meetings and friendships; rather, it is about all of those things. The tour group dynamic is different, for a Mrs. Pollifax story; in the past, Mrs. P would aquire a companion or two along her adventures, but she starts out with a whole group, here, at the outset. And she is soon elected "group leader"...and while, as one character observes, she isn't really of the whole "group mentality", she still settles into her role as a leader quite nicely. It is some wonderful character development to behold...to look back at Mrs. Pollifax as she was on her first mission - bright and resourceful, yes, but also naive and sometimes oblivious - and here, she is really a pro. She provides advice, and assistance, to many of the characters, and I quite honestly found myself wishing I could be along on that tour to go on adventure with her.

It was a nice touch, at the beginning, when Mrs. Pollifax took some of the cards and letters out of her desk, at home, and reflected on many of the friends she had made on her previous adventures. I love stuff like that, the connection with the past while looking forward to the future. Very cool, and very touching.

The pacing of the plot was great. The scene was set, both with action and with suspense in equal amounts, and the ending was extremely satisfying. And each of the characters shines in her or his own way, because they, too, are so real. I think we all know somebody who is just like Jenny, for one. And Iris and Malcolm are just the type of people that you would like instantly, if you met.

The settings are also fantastic. Dorothy Gilman was obviously as interested in geography and travel as I myself am, because it is a thrill to read about all of the places that Mrs. Pollifax travels to and explores...almost as good as being there myself.

The character of Peter is one of my favorites, so far. Probably because I see a little of him in myself. And the dynamic of the relationship between Peter and Mrs. Pollifax was awesome. We are given a rare treat, here: to see Mrs. Pollifax through the eyes of a third party (Peter) in a very admiring way. It was one of the things I loved most about this book. There is something very satisfying about that cross-generational connection between two people who really are kindred souls, even if one is a 22 year-old guy and the other is a woman in her sixties.

And, of course, the scene where Mrs. Pollifax and Peter ride out into the desert together, and talk about their lives...that scene is one of my favorites from the entire series, because it is so realistic. Those brief moments, where you're away from whatever usually holds you back, and you're in an unforgettable place and you have a chance to really talk, soul to soul, with a person...we have all had a time like that in our life, somewhere along the way. I really felt like I was along for that ride, and there are very few other fictional characters that I have looked on with such fondness as these two.

The other interesting thing, for me, is that this installment in the series bridges the gap between what was relatively recent political history, and what was slightly older history. It was written in 1983, and the days of the Iron Curtain were numbered. Earlier books - especially the first few - still had echoes of events around World War II being fresh in the forefront of the international scene, as well as in the characters' minds and conversations. It worked well for the first few books, but now we're moving forward and the political situations are starting to sound more contemporary to us, the readers in present day. That may also be why I feel even more of a connection with this particular book - because it's from a time period that I can directly relate with more.

As Mrs. Pollifax herself reflected, you never really stop learning, at any age. It is a joy to watch her as she has blossomed. It has been several (fictional) years since her first mission, now, and if anything, her spirit, her soul, her personality, haven't gotten older but younger. As her fellow agent remarks at one point, she's more flexible than people a third of her age, and it is so much fun to be along for the ride.

[Andrea]

These stories are basically espionage tourism. They're usually fairly respectful of the culture being visited, but I'll add a warning of (highly unlikely) 'native' dress for this one.

I really liked Iris.

[Randee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read a Mrs. Pollifax since I was a teenager. I vaguely remember liking the series and that she reminded me of my grandmother. My grandmother was the woman I admire most and if I had found out she was a CIA agent and had a brown belt in karate, I would not be surprised. The woman was a rip-snorter that had more energy in her 70's than I had at 5. I was privileged to have adventures with her up until I was 29, so even though we were grandmother/granddaughter, we also had a friendship and I spent many happy hours going to movies, malls, taking walks, playing cards, gossiping, hanging out and having all sorts of fun. She never lost her zest for life and her curiosity about people and the world. The same can be said of Mrs. Pollifax. I think I shall have to make my way through the entire series eventually. I picked this one (6th in the series) because I like all things Asian and I knew I would enjoy her trip to China. It reminded me to look for documentaries of the first emperor of China......the one that has that fabulous tomb where they found the terracotta soldiers and horses. I put the two I found on hold at my library and will enjoy learning more about this tomb that still has not really been excavated. Thanks Mrs. Pollifax!!!

[Fedra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is always what happens after she goes because all hell usually breaks loose around this woman and we have to sit here in Langley Field, Virginia, and worry about her. How could we have forgotten this?

Another installment for Mrs Pollifax, the elderly CIA agent. This time she is sent on a mission in China! It’s not as funny as the first books, but it kept me good company. The characters are unique, I can see the improvement in Dorothy Gilman’s writing. Just begin this series already, they offer an amazing experience, while teaching you a great deal of history of so many countries.

And it’s a great reminder that getting older isn’t an excuse of giving up, it’s a reason not to.

There are no happy endings, Jenny, there are only happy people.

4.5 stars

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another wonderful entry in one of my favorite series. It did take me awhile in this one to sort out all the characters but this didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the story.

[itchy · Rating 5 out of 5]

karate is deadly this time, hi-yah!

p173: up they went at a 90-degree angle, the crazed horse slowing a little but not, felt mrs. pollifax, from any change in his determination to destroy her, and certainly not from repentance, but due entirely to the steepness of the hillside.
reminded me of the first batman film

p200: "...i found some and saoked them for a few hours in my bathroom sink and you wouldn't believe the hay and dung that floated off them...."

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mrs. Pollifax is off to China in her sixth assignment for the CIA, operating as cover for another agent, unknown to her, that is also in her tour group, and whose mission is to rescue a dissident engineer from a labor camp and smuggle him out of the country. As our gradmotherly heroine gets to know her fellow travelers, she remains watchful, curious as to who this other agent might be. Little does she imagine however, that more than one of the group is hiding a dangerous secret...

I greatly enjoyed Mrs. Pollifax on the China Station when I first read it years ago, as an adolescent, and I greatly enjoyed it upon this recent reread. I seem to be revisiting the entire series, perhaps as a comfort read during this unexpected worldwide crisis and quarantine. What better time to become an armchair traveler? And what better and more entertaining way to do it, than to follow along on Mrs. Pollifax's exciting, humorous and heartwarming trips to various countries, at the behest of Mr. Carstairs of the CIA? Here we have the usual coterie of interesting secondary characters - top marks here to Iris and Peter! - as well as the fascinating geographic locales. Since I was a young girl, I've wanted to visit the tomb of the First Emperor, so that aspect of the story is always quite interesting for me. I was struck, on this reread, by the fact that the trip is to Xinjiang, and features the Uygher people. Published in 1983, it describes a China that is far less developed than it is today, a China that had not yet begun persecuting its Uygher minority with the zeal that it does today. It's rather sad to think that, rather than progressing on issues of human rights and environmental protection, China has actually gotten quite worse in some respects. Leaving these rather melancholy musings aside, this is one I would wholeheartedly recommend to all readers who have enjoyed previous installments of the series.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was sufficiently entertaining, but nothing special ... and, to be clear, my two Goodreads stars are what they are - the book was OK, but, again, nothing special. Definitely not one of my favorites in the series (although the last few pages were pretty good ... but not enough to justify or salvage everything that came before)...

I must admit I was particular disappointed with this one because ... in her travels to China ... Mrs. Pollifax visits both the Xian Drum Tower (a major geographic plot point) and, of course, the Terra Cotta Warriors ... Yet, looking back at my brief time in Xian (where I was working and squeezing in a little tourism), I felt like Gilman failed to do anything with the tourist-friendly spots ... or, for that matter, China, generally. In part, I expect, that's because China was much different when Mrs. Pollifax would have visited ... more than a few decades ago ... and things change and evolve and....

Still, I'll probably keep reading through the series ... whenever my spouse returns to it. (She likes them more than I do, and ... once she buys them ... well, why not read them?) ... And, while I'm not completely sure that it's important to read the books in order ... as we've done ... I'd definitely recommend reading the first one, well, first....

[Rebekah Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eccentric? How else would you describe an older grandmotherly woman who wears lovely hats, knows all about flowers and works for the CIA? And don't forget to add the fact that she's a brown belt too.
As with the other books in the series, the lovable Mrs. Pollifax had me eager to see how she was going to complete her assignment and wonder who the "bad guys" were. This story wasn't as nerve wracking as some of the other books and my heart didn't pound with excitement as I read at top speed, frantically turning pages in hopes that it would help Mrs. Pollifax to safety. But there was excitement and unexpected events. I love the vast array or characters this author includes in her stories. Some you may not like at first grow on you, while others that you weren't sure about, turn into unexpected helpers. And the settings leave you feeling that you might have been there, without being too wordy or drawn out.

There are language issues in this book (and in most of the others). Whiteout is highly recommended.

[hotsake (André Troesch) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely the most serious story of the 8 books in the series I've read thus far. This was a solid 4 stars up until the lackluster finale and wrap-up.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, five stars. I love all these books. It's my second time reading them and I love them just as much the second time around.

Here she is at the tomb of China's first emperor:
"The sheer impact of what she saw stunned her: hundreds of life-sized men standing below her in the broad trenches that honeycombed the earth floor, men like gray ghosts waiting patiently at attention, hundreds of them in battle formation lined up in rows as far as the eye could see, each face different and individual with here and there a hand lifted or a head turned slightly as if to listen. Silent and waiting they filled the hall, so alive in gesture and stance that surely, she thought, they must be breathing as they stood there, liberated from the earth that had held them for nearly two thousand years."

Damn, Dorothy Gilman could write!

There's a gap of six years between #5 (Zambia) and #6 (China) and I can't help but think that Gilman went to China in those years. This book's descriptions leap off the page.

Emily reflects:
"He turned and looked at her as they gained the lobby, and she saw that his eyes were distant and cold, as opaque as they had been when she first met him in Hong Kong. He said curtly, 'I don't think that you ought to know.'
She didn't take this as a rebuff, she merely nodded, understanding the need in him now to withdraw and to build up that lonely austere strength that was familiar to her from her own experience. One couldn't share, not in this business, not with other lives at stake, and perhaps, she reflected, it was this experience of altered selfness that was the meaning behind all of her own adventures: a sense of bringing to each moment every strength and resource hidden inside of herself as well as the discovery of new ones: a sense of life being so stripped to its essence that trivia and inconsequential fell away."

She does not stay the same, she grows with each book, and that is one thing that makes these books so special.

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is just my second Mrs. Pollifax; read the first one for background, but then jumped ahead five books to get to the "Asian trilogy."

So…fun but somewhat weak story; Mrs. Pollifax is a certainly unique character, but this book was ultimately pretty slim on real (or at least realistic) plot. The first half of the book is basically a travelogue, and then when the "action" finally does kick in, it involves too little actual planning, which is only saved by too many impractical coincidences.

So probably only a solid 3-star story, but I'm bumping it up for sentimental reasons. I took a similar guided tour of China (the only way you could visit back then) in 1984* - just a year after this book was published - and so this really brought back a LOT of memories (at least until the story moved out to China's Far West): the Friendship Stores for foreigners and the "Foreign Exchange Certificates" which were the only money foreigners could use; the early days of the Terra Cotta Warriors, when only 300 had been excavated (there are over 2,000 today) and they were basically housed in a single large hangar; the endless banquets and shy crowds on the street wanting to practice their English; how boring Guangzhou was (seriously, why is that included on any tours?); folding seats set up in the aisles of domestic flights; and on and on…

I do have to point out one odd error that appeared throughout the book - the CIA's headquarters is frequently referred to as being in "Langley Field." However, as all good Virginians know, Langley Field is an Air Force base down near the massive Norfolk Naval Station in SE Virginia; while the CIA is located in plain old "Langley," a section of McLean just down the road here in Northern Virginia. Was that maybe different back in 1983? Oh, and just what does this title mean - what is "the China Station," which is never mentioned in the book??

But anyway, really enjoyed this and will definitely read at least the next two Pollifax books at some point, as they take place in Hong Kong and Thailand...but no rush.

* I took that first trip with my own parents, after I'd lived in Taiwan for about six years...it was such a great experience to travel with my folks as an adult and nominal "equal." I then returned to China almost exactly 20 years later with my own wife and sons - and could not BELIEVE how much everything had changed in the meantime. Haven't been back since, so can't even begin to imagine what it's like now, almost another 20 years on...

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best Mrs. Pollifax. The Americans need to get a man out of China before the Russians do, so off Mrs. P goes to meet with a barber who knows where the labor camp is where the man is imprisoned. On a tightly controlled tour, though, in the China of the early 80’s, nothing is as easy as her previous adventures have been. For suspense and no other convincing reason, she is not told the identity of the other agent on the tour, but there are some lovely and not-so lovely people along who need her psychoanalysis. Definitely my favorite Mrs. P and my mid-‘80s paperback cover, a hat photo from when they issued them all by hat, is a favorite too.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

The CIA needs the help of Mrs. Pollifax to get a man out of Chinese work camp. She's sent on a tour group to the country, knowing that one of her fellow tourists is the agent who needs her help but unsure which is. Her job sends her to a Chinese barber shop near a tourist attraction to gather information on the work camp's precise location. The book's setting in the years following Mao's death prompting a re-opening to Western tourism probably appealed to those curious about China when the book appeared in print during that time. While I think there are too many coincidences regarding the composition of the tour group, it still provides an intriguing plot which should appeal to most cozy readers. The espionage element is probably a bit tame for those who prefer thrillers. (3.5 stars)

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite in the series this far! I can't get enough of Mrs. Pollifax and forsee this being a comfort reread series in the future- on to the next one!

Also to note, it's interesting that this entry features the "camps" China utilizes to persecute (and now commit genocide) the Uyghur people. I'm not sure how popular these books were/are, but it's mind-blowing that these atrocities were known and acknowledged when this book was published in 1983, yet so many are still ignorant about the plight of this ethnic group.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of my favorites. If you haven’t yet read any in this series, do not start here. It is more of a travelogue of China than it is a Mrs. Pollifax story. Hoping the next one has more Emily, less Cook’s tour.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mrs Pollifax is on her way to China, where as an innocent tourist; she joins a tourist group. As usual Emily has many adventures and misadventures. I love her books, be sure and find this book, it's a good one.

[Skye Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars! Perfect book to listen to while getting in our 10,000 steps a day!

[Jeanne Adamek · Rating 5 out of 5]

No matter how often read this remains special and magical.

[Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fantastic Mrs. Pollifax adventures. I have enjoyed each and every one I've read. This had a WONDERFUL mix of espionage, history, adventure and mystery. All tied together with the delightfully grandmother Emily Pollifax. Short and easily read, I was engaged from the first page.

[Tanya Knepp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know how Dorothy Gilman kept putting out such fantastic books over such a long span of time, but she did. This was a slower paced book than other Mrs Pollifax and had less of a triumphal ending than sometimes, but "There are no happy endings. Only happy people."

[ValeReads Kyriosity · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually make a point of reading something spiritually edifying on the Sabbath, but after barely making it to church, sleeping till 3:30, barely making it to the psalm sing, and going straight back to bed, my comprehension level was dipping close to zero, so I just went for the next Mrs. P. There were some things in the resolution that were just too lame, but overall it was a fun read.

[Sandy Sonnenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mrs. Pollifax does it again!

[Andria Potter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a bit more action packed than the last few, with spies aplenty, a daring escape and Russian interference. Mrs. Pollifax also has a happy ending. I'm now fully invested in the series. 5 ⭐.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know exactly what I'm getting when I listen to one of these books. So I rate them accordingly.
This one actually taught me some historical and cultural information about China. The political information and tourism was dated.
But it's fun to read and pretend a 70 something widow could do all these things. I listen while I'm safely at home!
Free on Audible adds to the fun.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always love Mrs Pollifax! But this was one of the most pensive and introspective Pollifax books so far, which added another layer of enjoyment.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series. You know that Mrs. Pollifax is going to run into some kind of problem and you know that she will prevail; it is just a lot of fun to see what happens and how she manages to work it out.