Two Mrs. Pollifax books by Dorothy Gilman

47. The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax - first in the Mrs. Pollifax series
by Dorothy Gilman
mystery, 1966
library book
unabridged audio read by Barbara Rosenblat
finished, 8/18/10

49. The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax - second in the Mrs. Pollifax series

by Dorothy Gilman
mystery, 1970
library book
unabridged audio read by Barbara Rosenblat
finished, 8/25/10



Before I begin my rave review of the Mrs. Pollifax books, I'd like to take a minute to explain how my reading situation is different in the summer months. One of the interesting features of our homestead is that a few years ago we began getting no-see-ums; little tiny bugs that come right through any screens. They have a terribly itchy bite. They are present mostly when the sun goes down and are attracted to light so over time we have learned to keep the lights off in the evening. The television seems to be okay and there we sit in the evenings, watching our Netflix dvds. What this means is that I don't read print books after dark, but what I can do is listen to audio cds or tapes. It may well be that the reason I stayed with The Man Who Loved Books Too Much is the fact it was an audiobook. I often stick with an audiobook longer than I would a print version because I don't have a lot of choice at the libraries I visit. I am simply not interested in many of the books they offer so that I continue with one that is even mildly appealing just to have something to read. I have had times when I've rented from Recorded Books, a great source of unabridged audio, but the cost is steep, and again they don't always offer what I want to read.

This summer I revisited my beloved Mrs. Pollifax books. I have probably listened to the whole series three times already but it never ceases to delight me. Barbara Rosenblat is such a gifted narrator. I loved her as Amelia Peabody and I love her as Mrs. Pollifax.

When we first meet Emily Pollifax, she is quite depressed. Her husband is dead. Her children are grown and live far away. She lives in an apartment in New Brunswick, New Jersey. She is active as a volunteer but she feels unfulfilled. One day when she goes up on the roof to water her geraniums, she almost takes a step off. She realizes she must do something about her life, and recalls that as a child she wanted to be a spy. She heads off to Langley, Virginia to the Central Intelligence Agency to apply for a job. She accidently gets that job when she is mistaken for an occasional courier. She does her assignment so well in her first adventure that she is hired by the CIA.

In the course of the books, she visits Mexico, Albania, Turkey, Bulgaria, Africa, and many other places, some real and others fictional. The landscape details are so precise, so well-written that the reader can really visualize her surroundings. Various people appear in all, or most of the books: Carstairs her boss, his assistant Bishop, and a free-lance, field operative named John Sebastian Farrell.

Mrs. Pollifax is not simply a cute older lady off on adventures or mis-adventures. These books are spy books, with real bad guys who do serious harm. Emily is a believable character who works very hard at her job. She is truly kind and caring. She learns karate to help her in difficult encounters. She grows with each book, and even remarries and moves to a house. Cyrus, her husband travels with her occasionally.

I so recommend these books. They are excellent spy stories, travelogues, mysteries, and character studies. There is occasional humor but for the most part they are serious adventures for Mrs. Pollifax and her readers. I was thrilled that Dorothy Gilman was the Grand Master at the Edgar Awards this year, a well-deserved recognition of her work.

I wrote about one of my favorite books, A Nun in the Closet here, and intend to read all the other books which Dorothy Gilman has written.