The Collected Works of G.K. Chesterton, Volume 12: The Father Brown Stories, Volume I

Father Brown #1-2

by G.K. Chesterton, John Peterson

This seventh volume fo the Collected Works of G.K. Chesterton brings together three of his most acclaimed works of fiction, with introduction and notes by Chesterton scholar Iain Benson. A must for serious fans of Chesterton, this features the same quality and sturdy binding as the other volumes in this series.

Genres: Fiction, Classic Literature, Christian, Catholic, Short Stories, Mystery, Classics

461 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Gilbert Keith Chesterton was an English writer, philosopher, lay theologian, and literary and art critic.

He was educated at St. Paul’s, and went to art school at University College London. In 1900, 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 200 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. In spite of his literary accomplishments, he considered himself primarily a journalist. He wrote over 4000 newspaper essays, including 30 years worth of weekly columns for the Illustrated London News, and 13 years of weekly columns for the Daily News. He also edited his own newspaper, G.K.’s Weekly.

Chesterton was equally at ease with literary and social criticism, history, politics, economics, philosophy, and theology.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume contains two collections of stories -- The Innocence of Father Brown and The Wisdom of Father brown -- and the story "The Donnington Affair." I had read The Innocence of Father Brown separately and reviewed it here. This review is of The Wisdom of Father Brown and "The Donnington Affair."

What is so brilliant about Chesterton's Father Brown stories is that, on one hand, its detective is totally nondescript, even dumpy, and, on the other, that no one is better able to think outside the box. In some of the stories, there is no crime at all, or suspects are not at all what or who they seem to be, or the crime is so odd as to almost beggar description. And yet, through logic or even through incredible accident, Father Brown is able to zero in on the facts of the case long before anyone else, including the reader. Along the way he delivers himself of gnomic comments like, "What we all dread most ... is a maze with no center. That is why atheism is only a nightmare."

Another time, in the story entitled "The Purple Wig," he says:

"I know the Unknown God," said the little priest, with an unconscious grandeur of certitude that stood up like a granite tower. "I know his name; it is Satan. The true God was made flesh and dwelt among us. And I say to you, wherever you find men ruled merely by mystery, it is the mystery of iniquity. If the devil tells you something is too fearful to look at, look at it. If he says something is too terrible to hear, hear it. If you think some truth unbearable, bear it...."

Chesterton carries his love of paradox into these wonderful little tales. And he also carries his gift for what I call moral landscapes, in which even his descriptions of houses and trees reflect the innate wrongness of whatever has happened or is threatened to happen. It reminds me of s scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Marnie (1964) in which a distraught Tippi Hedren visits her mother in a scene where the end of the street is a painted backdrop of docked freighter with children singing a depressing song while skipping rope. When she has confronted her demons, Hitchcock replaces the backdrop with a real shot of freighters on a sunny day with birds chirping in the background.

"The Donnington Affair" is not quite up to the level of the other stories in this volume, mostly because it was written in two parts, the first by Mex Pemberton in which he poses a mystery, and the second by G. K. Chesterton in which he sets Father Brown to solve it. Unfortunately, there is too much of a difference between the two minds for the two halves of the story to come together. Chesterton did a lot of this sort of jeu during his career, but none of the results are memorable.

[Amy Neftzger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enormously long book that actually consists of 36 individual books. Some of these books were fiction, some nonfiction, and there were a few biographies. I confess that I didn't read the biographies.

Overall, I really enjoyed Chesterton's writing. If I had to rate the individual pieces some would have gotten the full five stars because they were done well, while others would have received fewer stars. I chose four stars as an "overall" rating.

The style of his nonfiction is very clearly written and logical. His use of irony in his fiction is particularly entertaining and The Man Who Was Thursday was a favorite of mine. If you have time to read only one work of fiction by this author, The Man Who Was Thursday would be my recommendation.

[Cindy B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Donnington Affair was started by a magazine editor, who asked several authors to write the ending. Chesterton won, having his ending published. It was, of course, solved by Fr. Brown. I love the Father Brown series.

Interesting novels from one of the early masters of the genre and a great Christian Apologist. Lots of surprises for mystery fans with expected endings.
Available free in eBook or Audiobook form:
Librivox.org
Gutenberg.org

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not entirely sure I enjoyed this or not. The travels that Fr. Brown must have undergone to take place in all these stories makes it hard to believe he was a priest; the conclusions from such small amounts of fact seem unbelievable. The solution was always a mystery to me, often even after reading the entirety of the story. I had a very hard time following the plots.

[Lydia Gates · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not read the whole book; just 1/4. Definitely not like PBS' Father Brown.

[Cindy B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting novels from one of the early masters of the genre and a great Christian Apologist. Lots of surprises for mystery fans with expected endings.
Available free in eBook or Audiobook form:
Librivox.org
Gutenberg.org

[Larry Koester · Rating 3 out of 5]

Difficult reading, perhaps because modes of religious discussion have changed since when the book was written. But to me he makes a lot more sense than does Richard Dawkins and his like. Made some very telling and still pertinate points.

[Andrew THEBEASTWallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always loved Father Brown.

[Amy Katherine Wolff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed this short "who done it" by Chesterton! (Referring to the Father Brown stories).