Reviews with content warning for Antisemitism - The Thirty-Nine Steps

For a novel that's more than a century old now, it's clearly a product of its time. The story is rife with the xenophobia and paranoia typical to a world in the midst of war, and there's some early-20th-century antisemitism which mars a first reading of the book in the modern age.
However for all of that, when the adventure gets going it's easy to lose yourself in the chase. There are twists and turns, and protagonist Richard Hannay always feels one foul step away from death or disaster. John Buchan knows his craft and he puts together a superb mystery thriller - it's outdated, but it's a classic for a reason.

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carolinebl's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

A fool tries to look different: a clever man looks the same and is different.

This was my first audio novel (free from Apple) and I really enjoyed it. I’m not sure I would have read the book otherwise, but it turned out to be interesting and far more believable than any modern crime/detective/spy stories I have read. It is plot-heavy, and Hannay receives negative points for colonialism and the Boer War, but I enjoyed following his escapades.

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bloomingpear's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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flawedamythyst's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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erebus53's review against another edition

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Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

Written in 1915, this is a story of a rich man on the run, galivanting about the countryside as a self-styled spy, after a chance encounter with an earnest conspiracy theorist. Originally published as a magazine serial it is quite the adventure story. I hazard to suppose that the author had no interest or talent in writing female characters, as he has none in his story, even going so far as to make some of the characters widowers. As far as fantasies go, a world where women are only the "downstairs" maids is a little flat.

The backdrop of the action is picturesque and botanical. Richard Hannay steals expensive motorcars, sleeps rough in Scotland, impersonates wealthy businessmen and lowly workers, wears disguises and fakes accents to carry off his Method acting, solves puzzles and discovers secret bases, and even sets bombs.. all in a mad dash to escape nefarious Germans and the confused local constabulary. He claims to be able to rub shoulders with both the working-man and the upper-class, but is terrified and mystified by the middle-class.

Some of the older language was a little confusing for me. This is in part due to it being an audiobook so I could not see the spelling of some things. Some descriptions felt hilarious in their absurdity.

A pink and blue June morning found me at Bradgate, looking from the Griffon Hotel over a smooth sea to the light ship on the cock sands which seemed the size of a bell-boy.

The archaic setting was also probably the reason for some of the obvious anti-semitism, and the fanciful tales from far-off lands, such as a man recounting how his horse was eaten by a lion in Senegal. It's probably literary device that has rich men in urgent meetings discussing important matters, while also indulging digressive but exotic anecdotes... or maybe that is just the wont of the Upper-Class .. I wouldn't know.

I find it interesting that one of the recurring themes is the omnipresent boredom of the Rich, but I don't know if this is an observation that the author is self-describing, or an off-hand criticism of his "betters".

I felt myself imagining how this tale would differ if it was portrayed on screen, as much of the tension is carried off by men who are dressed in disguises. Only after the book was finished did I look it up and discover that Alfred Hitchcock had made the film, but I haven't seen his rendition. I can see how it could form the bones of an interesting film, but the book was not much to my taste, so I won't be chasing down any more of these serial adventures any time soon.

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cbt00004's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

An enjoyable book to listen to, certainly of its time, but the story was entertaining and engaging.
I loved listening to the section set in Dumfries and Galloway, I grew up there and it was fun to hear place names I knew in a book.

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sophiefreeman's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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dhughes10's review against another edition

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mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.25

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