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    The Man Who Knew Too Much
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    The Man Who Knew Too Much

    3.8
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    €90,00
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    Customer Reviews

    A novel in Eight short storiesLet's face it- you either like late Victorian/early 20th century mysteries or you don't. There doesn't seem to be any middle ground. The language is more formal and, in the short stories especially, the mysteries tend to be simpler, less complex than later works. It isn't until later in the era with Sayres , Marsh, Christie etc that the stories seem to connect with modern readers.It happens that I do enjoy these mysteries and other fiction from that time and have been reading a lot of it lately. I wasn't familiar with Chesterton other than some Father Brown short stories so I thought I would try this free kindle version of "The Man Who Knew Too Much" (Nothing to do with the Hitchcock movies, by the way:-))I'm not surprised now that I had never met Thorne Fisher, "The Man Who Knew Too Much". Set in the years leading up to WWI and heavily involved with the politics of the time, initially these stories seemed to be standard fare for the genre. But there was a subtle subversive twist in each one, rare in mysteries especially at that time, that kept me interested. Then in the final two stories, the full picture emerges. All of the stories coalesce and this becomes, not a collection of short stories, but a striking novel. Publishing one story separate from the others would completely ruin the impact of the whole.If I were rating this book based on one or two stories, I would probably have given it four stars- three as OK for its genre and one for that unusual twist. But taken as a whole, I have to say I love it. I think it is far more than most of its contemporaries. 5Edwardian detective seriesG.K Chesterton wrote during the Victorian/Edwardian periods in England. This book is a series of short stories. Modern readers will find an element of quaintness about the characters he describes. This is not a weakness, just the reflection of a different age. Chesterton s prose is very good. Fluent, concise with beautiful structure of sentences and storyline. His central character, Horne Fisher, is the detective who knows too much.As a consequence there is no surprise to him that human frailties result in duplicity and murder. Most interestingly Chesterton appears to support a moral view which regards punishment less important than justice. Or perhaps I should say that justice is sometimes better served by letting the criminal go free. A very interesting idea particularly as most crime writers ensure their bad guy faces court or dies as a consequence of the events they set in motion. 4Awesomely surprising; not what I expected, but still great!I went into this book blind; I had no idea what it was about, other than that someone may know too much of something or other. I think I enjoyed it even more that way. If it had been recommended, or if I knew all about it, I don't think it would have been as refreshing, surprising and original. If you want the same experience, stop reading reviews and just grab a free Kindle edition on Amazon :)The book is made up of several brief accounts of strange and mysterious events witnessed/experienced by Horne Fisher, a fascinating character that successfully pulls off combining disinterest and limitless curiosity. The character reminded me of a more cynical Sherlock Holmes; his detective and deductive skills, and no doubt being set in Britain, caused me to remember Holmes frequently in the first few stories. This did not detract from the book or the stories, but it did distract me a little bit at times.Because of its particular writing style (a result of its era, I believe), sentences were at times a little difficult to fully comprehend on the first quick read, and a quick review of the preceding lines was sometimes needed to avoid missing crucial information, or scene transitions.This was, however, an absolutely enjoyable read. It kept me interested, and really made me think about actions, causes, and consequences. I envy Fisher his ability to seek out and recognize the larger implications of the petty acts around him, and to be able to compartmentalize his own feelings or desires for individual justice. I did not always agree with his decisions, but I respected his ability to make them. 4Chesterton on rapid fire"The Man Who Knew Too Much" is an enjoyable read about the dirty world of politics and intrigue. Horne Fisher (equivalent to Sherlock) Harold March (equivalent to Watson) discover in less than obvious ways conclusions to heinous crimes and dirty dealings.But unfortunately, this book is realistic. The good guys do not win. And the bad guys do not lose. This then is from Chesterton, part mystery and part political commentary of the corruption of the English government during his time. For Chesterton things are never as they seem--and the man who knows too much is too enveloped in the muck to do anything about it.I like Chesterton, and this is well written. However, I prefer Orthodoxy and Manalive to the rapid mysteries in quick succession in this volume. Many times I lost track of Chesterton in the midst of a twist due to the amount of characters he had introduced.Still, a good read. And if you like it you should try Orthodoxy. 3Multi-layered stories of detectionI'm no longer a whodunnit fan, but G.K. Chesterton's "The Man Who Knew Too Much" isn't just about finding out who committed the crime. Chesterton offers social commentary, insights into the human soul, and an alternately depressing and encouraging certainty that affairs are always more complex than they seem.This selection of stories center around Horne Fisher, the languid, well-connected title character, and Harold March, the hopeful journalist. Horne Fisher is the kind of person you'd want to call in "Who wants to be a millionaire," and Harold March the upstanding young man you'd trust to bring your daughter home on time. In all the stories, a crime happens; Fisher finds out who did it and why, and very often also explains why the truth needs to be covered up.Warning: Refined modern tastes may be offended at some unfavorable stereotyping. 5Changed my opinion as I read.This collection of short stories are well enough written and they each do have a twist, but you can often see them coming, and even allowing for his time period, Chesterton used some very offensive stereotypes and prejudices. I know that many writers did, but finding them in an otherwise interesting story jars and distracts and is very disappointing. Otherwise it has an interesting, even fascinating style that stays with you. ***Mild spoiler. In the final tale we see that this is a novel made up of individual episodes, and in the end they all come together when the character is redeemed in a spectacular way. Although I realized that I, the reader, was being manipulated, it was done well enough to work. This novel is hard to categorize but comes near to being dystopian. It is set in an alternate British Empire. In the beginning I gave this three stars and wanted to quit reading it, but it plays out well and finishes with a bang. I recommend this book. 4Great Detective Stories, Fun and EnjoyableG.K. Chesterton was one of Britain's most popular writers and for good reason, he was well versed in the use of the English language, he was full of insights and brilliant reflections on life and people, and he was down to earth and not pedantic. It is obvious that he enjoyed writing as his writing is so enjoyable. Chesterton wrote many series of detective stories likely as his bread and butter work that sold, always telling tales of murder that contain unusual events that happen to unique individuals with interesting backgrounds."The Man Who Knew Too Much" is a series of detective stories with a slightly quirky detective who's a bit of an idiot savant and an outsider, but being highly connected through noble families he knows everyone in the British ruling class, and is freely admitted to the inner circle of the rich and powerful wherever he goes. Our hero befriends a young reporter who accompanies him and who acts as "Dr. Watson" to "Sherlock Holmes", the man that asks questions about the events being investigated so our hero can explain to the reader the development of his deductions as they unfold and the stories evolve.These are good detective stories, nicely developed and with full descriptive exposition, the reader is right there following the action. Chesterton knows how to tell a good story, and reading him today shows how wonderfully the English language was used to express ideas and entertainment to those with reading skills, long before television.In this series of stories, in the last chapter, our hero saves the British Empire, a remarkable feat best experienced in print and not in person.Chesterton was a prolific writer and all his work suffers from greatness, you can't go wrong reading old G.K.(Sorry, Amazon, but readers can find much of Chesterton's long out of copyright work on "gutenberg.org" available for a free download). 5That was the only disappointment. This is a collection of intellectual mysteries in ...I forgot to notice that it is a collection of short stories when I was in the mood for a novel. That was the only disappointment. This is a collection of intellectual mysteries in the detached and logic/observation dependent style of early Christie or Doyle. The stories reflect time, place, mores and style of mostly aristocratic rural England at the close of their colonial period and the beginning of the war, when the social movements played in the back-or foreground and flavored the times. Chesterton writes well with strong visuals but his sentance structure is not the simple, easily accessible one that is in vogue right now. The stories might be work for some modern readers but give an honest look at the times, and their perspective revealed through language. 5What a fun read!I chose this book on a whim because it was short, and I figured that even I (with all the distractions of homeschooling) could make it through quickly. Well! The book actually took FOREVER to read.... because I continuously needed to go back and re-read the good parts. And there were so many good parts! The author is so deliciously descriptive that you just want to memorize the whole thing. A fun detective read, and an interesting look into the attitudes, social biases, and prejudices of the time period. 5Witty, dark, anticlimactic mysteries that poke at British politicsBoy was I fooled by the charming snarky first mystery, because the adventures of Horne Fisher only get weirder and just a little bit more and more depressing as you go along. Horne Fisher is cynical, snarky, a genius, and adamantly patriotic. It's no spoiler to say that every mystery ends with Fisher deducing the improbable series of events...and then just lets the darn murderer go for some greater good. And that schtick is both fascinating and really, really frustrating after a while.I liked "The Vanishing Prince" a lot, which had a clever solution to the mystery of how the heck one guy absolutely wrecked a group of policemen when he was surrounded on all sides. When Chesterton hits his stride, his writing is delightfully witty and unravels in surprising ways. At worst, the setups get so convoluted with red herrings you shrug and say, "What? What was that all about?" The last story, "The Vengeance of the Statue," is --for better or for worse-- a logical end to Horne Fisher's adventures...cranked up to eleven at the last moments.Now, I listened to Harold Wiederman's audiobook narration. I'm a big fan of audiobooks, but I think this doesn't work for audiobook at all. So much of Chesterton's witty prose and Horne Fisher's clever reveals are "blink and you miss it;" it doesn't help that Wiederman's voices (as comfortingly British as his voice is) sound kinda the same and monotone. Save yourself a lot of confusion and just read it yourself at your own pace. 3
    The Man Who Knew Too Much

    The Man Who Knew Too Much

    3.8
    You can't add more than 500 quantity.
    €55,00
    €55,00
    €90,00
    Sold out
    Save 39% (€35,00)