Review of The 39 Steps by Joy Cassidy. 05/02/2013


This month we read John Buchan's The Thirty Nine Steps, a spy-thriller that has been
the basis of many, varying adaptations most famously Hitchcock’s 1935 film version
of the same name.

Although we enjoyed reading this short novel, there were many flaws in Buchan’s
plot; unexplained characters, convenient oversights and implausible anecdotes which
made us feel we were almost reading the unedited version of this classic text. At the
same time, Buchan’s personal writing style draws the reader in, forcing the pages to
turn in quick succession.

The fact that this spy thriller written in 1915, has had so many varying adaptations,
from comedy drama to tense film thrillers, is testament to the fact that Buchan’s novel
is the forerunner of the spy thriller genre. We were even able to draw comparisons
with the like of Bourne and Bond, bringing this one-time current affairs novel,
relevant in the 21st Century.

Upcoming books:
February: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Sallinger.
March: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

We meet on the first Sunday of the month 8pm at The Black Lion, Nantwich.

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or email nantwichbookworms@gmail.com. Or visit our blog
nantwichbookworms@blogspot.co.uk