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The Wisdom of Father Brown
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
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The Wisdom of Father Brown
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Summary
G. K. Chesterton’s Father Brown is perhaps the most lovable amateur detective ever created. This short, shabby priest with his cherubic, round face attracts situations that baffle everyone - except Father Brown and his rather naïve wisdom.
The twelve enthralling stories in this book take Father Brown from London to Cornwall, from Italy to France, as he gets involved with bandits, treason, murder, curses, and an American crime-detection machine. And every problem he comes up against he solves with a simplicity of argument that leaves the other characters wondering, “Why didn’t I think of that?”
Stories include:
- “The Absence of Mr. Glass,”
- “The Paradise of Thieves,”
- “The Duel of Dr. Hirsch,"
- “The Man in the Passage”
- “The Mistake of the Machine”
- “The Head of Caesar”
- “The Purple Wig”
- “The Perishing of the Pendragons,”
- “The God of the Gongs,”
- “The Salad of Colonel Cray,”
- “The Strange Crime of John Boulnois”
- “The Fairy Tale of Father Brown”
G. K. CHESTERTON (1874–1936) authored thousands of works, including compilations of his voluminous journalism, novels, short stories, essays, biography, history, criticism, Christian apologetics, poetry, and plays. His work is characterized by tremendous zest and energy, a mastery of paradox, a robust humor, and forthright devotion.
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What listeners say about The Wisdom of Father Brown
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jo
- 09-04-24
Love this character but not the narrator
The narration is sadly old and dull, it does not suit the character at all.
It would be great if these were all re-done with Mark Williams - then I'd happilly rebuy the lot.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ms. E. Morgan
- 25-08-18
A Great Mixture of Crime, Comedy and Compassion
The Second Father Brown Short Story Compilation:
Father Brown is an endearing character who is able to use intelligence, experience humour and compassion in the detection of crime and mystery.
The narrator; Frederick Davidson is an acquired taste but it does not much detract from the stories.
Please be aware that this book was complied in 1914, so some of the language and opinions are a bit out of date / archaic. It also (unsurprisingly for a book featuring a catholic priest) is is written from unashamedly positive Christian and Catholic viewpoint.
Full Story Listing:
1. "The Absence of Mr Glass" - Who is the sinister 'Mr Glass'?
2. "The Paradise of Thieves" - Highway Robbery
3. "The Duel of Dr Hirsch" - Politics and reputation
4. "The Man in the Passage" - A rare case of Father Brown as a witness in a criminal trial
5. "The Mistake of the Machine" - Lie detector tests on trial
6. "The Head of Caesar" - Coin Collecting
7. "The Purple Wig" - What terrible secret s it hiding?
8. "The Perishing of the Pendragons" - A family curse?
9. "The God of the Gongs" - Boxing mystery
10. "The Salad of Colonel Cray" - Who stole the seasoning?
11. "The Strange Crime of John Boulnois" - Neighbours & Alibis
12. "The Fairy Tale of Father Brown" - Ally or Enemy?
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and have re-'read' it many times, I think story 10 is the best.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kilrymont
- 16-03-24
Entertaining
Interesting and varied stories, even though it's highly incredible that one priest should run across so much crime...
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Matthew Hayes
- 01-08-22
terrible narrator
terrible narrator, really off putting voice and supercilious delivery.
I couldn't last more than 10 minutes and have now found a much better version
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Joanna Sheldon
- 13-09-23
Writing ok, ruined by reading
The arch narration deadens
these stories, which some of us have grown to enjoy via the tv series
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Teresa Cooper
- 23-05-15
I've lost Father Brown!!
I felt as if this book was not from the same pen as others I have read. And much to my sorrow I did not enjoy the reader or the stories. However I will dip into the stories again, but not as a whole book.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Michael Hirst
- 06-09-21
Strange and mannered performance
Certainly I have never loved Father Brown stories, or found them easy listens, but the curious and mannered delivery in this case would I think make even Father Brown fans struggle.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Cityslug
- 25-03-22
Spoiled by narrator
The extremely clipped and manored performance makes it very difficult to catch all the words.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- S GEE
- 27-04-22
A bit surprised.
I was surprised by some of the terminology used in this book. Although I would not say remove it from your library, as it shows the type of wording used when it was written. We must learn by our pass mistakes. The reader’s accents were poor.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- RoxyR
- 06-08-22
Not what I expected
Wow, what a strange collection of stories. Some are very confusing and many of them are highly offensive to anyone but a 19th century white British male. I realise that these stories are of their time, but even with that, GK Chesterton must have been incredibly racist for him to have built this into so many of his stories. The “n” word flies thick and fast and he seems to be suspicious of anyone with so much as an olive complexion. I had listened to the first book and enjoyed it very much, but after this second one, I hesitate to go further. It’s a pity as I really like the BBC series, and had hoped to listen to all the original stories. But unless I can be promised better story telling it’s not worth my time. This does, however, give me greater admiration for the BBC writers. They’ve created an enchanting and inclusive series.
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