Rating: Very Good
Source: Purchased (Audible)
Description: Mrs. Virgil (Emily) Pollifax of New Brunswick, New Jersey, was a widow with grown children. She was tired of attending her Garden Club meetings. She wanted to do something good for her country. So, naturally, she became a CIA agent. This time, the assignment sounds as tasty as a taco. A quick trip to Mexico City is on her agenda. Unfortunately, something goes wrong, and our dear Mrs. Pollifax finds herself embroiled in quite a hot Cold War—and her country's enemies find themselves entangled with one unbelievably feisty lady.
Genre: Mystery - Cozy
Why I Picked This Book: I read Dorothy Gilman years and years ago but I'm not sure I ever read this one and I always kind of wondered just how Mrs. Pollifax became a spy.
My Impression: If you need your stories to be completely believable then you should back very slowly away and forget you ever heard the name Pollifax. Is it lots of fun? Definitely! Is it realistic? Not even a little bit. I was a bit worried it would be very dated but for the most part it really wasn't. Yes, the political issues they're so concerned with aren't really an issue at the moment and there's not a cell phone to be found but it still felt fresh and enjoyable. The "gimmick" is that Mrs. Pollifax is a perfectly proper woman in her 60s and so people vastly underestimate her and I feel like that would still be the case today. Though you'll know after reading this that one should never ever underestimate Mrs. Pollifax.
If you're looking for a madcap adventure and don't mind pushing the pause button on reality then this is a fun read. Barbara Rosenblatt did a good job on the audio but I'm not sure the narration really enhanced the book. It's a good audio but not a book that must be listened to if that makes sense.
Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Absolutely! I already ordered the 2nd book. It's lots of fun and a good escape.
Would I Recommend this Book? If you can handle a madcap mystery with spies and sinister villains then I think you would enjoy this read.
This sounds so good! May be adding it to my very long tbr list!
ReplyDeleteI love this series so much though not the later books. It definitely pushes the believability factor but it was fun.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed this. Obviously, I loved the series. :)
ReplyDeleteBelievable? Not in the slightest. Fun? Absolutely!
BTW, I tried the audio version years ago and couldn't get into it. It wasn't how I pictured Mrs. Pollifax. Funny how that comes through in a audio book, isn't it?
I think she sounds wonderful and its great it has stood the test of time. Nice to be cell phone free - those were the days!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a lot of fun!
ReplyDelete