The Man Who Was Thursday (Barnes & Noble Library of Essential Reading): A Nightmare Paperback – Import, 14 October 2004

My fav Chesterton book. Had to have a personal copy. It's witty and philosophical at the same time.

The Man Who Was Thursdayby GK ChestertonAudience: Teenage and aboveGenre: Farcical thrillerThere is a 'detective' in this book who is 'recruited' to bust a ring of 'dangerous anarchists' in perhaps late 19th century or early 20th century England. To reveal what the book is actually about would be a spoiler; however, the reader needs to be warned that although there is definitely a thriller element, the book thrives on absurdities, extravagant speech and action, excessive philosophy, and elegant but flowery prose. The ending is a disappointment.Is the book worth reading? The only way for the reader to find out is to actually get past a few chapters. This book has been highly acclaimed, but its readership is likely to be niche.

For a book that is this short, "The Man Who Was Thursday" is pretty packed. G.K. Chesterton's classic novella tackles anarchy, social order, God, peace, war, religion, human nature, and a few dozen other weight concepts. And somehow he manages to mash it all together into a delightful satire, full of tongue-in-cheek commentary that is still relevant today.As the book opens, Gabriel Symes is debating with a soapbox anarchist. The two men impress each other enough that the anarchist introduces Symes to a seven-man council of anarchists, all named after days of the week. In short order, they elect Symes their newest member -- Thursday.But they don't know that he's also been recruited by an anti-anarchy organization. And soon Symes finds out that he's not the only person on the council who is not what he seems. There are other spies and double-agents, working for the same cause. But who -- and what -- is the jovial, powerful Mr. Sunday, the head of the organization?Hot air balloons, elaborate disguises, duels and police chases -- Chesterton certainly knew how to keep this novel interesting. Though written almost a century ago, "The Man Who Was Thursday" still feels very fresh. That's partly because of Chesterton's cheery writing... and partly because it's such an intelligent book.He doesn't avoid some timeless topics that make some people squirm. Humanity (good and bad), anarchy, religion and its place in human nature, and creation versus destruction all get tackled here -- disguised as a comic police investigation. And unlike most satires, it isn't dated; the topics are reflections of humanity and religion, so they're as relevant now as they were in 1908.But the story isn't pedantic or boring; Chesterton keeps things lively by having his characters act like real people, rather than mouthpieces. From Symes to the Colonel to the mysterious Sunday himself, they all have a sort of friendly, energetic quality. "We're all spies! Come and have a drink!" one of the characters announces cheerfully near the end.And of course, once the madcap police investigations are finished, there's still a mystery. Who is Sunday? What are his goals? And for that matter, WHAT is Sunday -- genius, force of nature, villain or god? The answer is a bit of a surprise, and as a reflection of Chesterton's beliefs, it's a delicate, intelligent piece of work."The Man Who Was Thursday" is a wacky little satire that will both amuse and educate you. Not bad for a book often subtitled "A Nightmare."

I was a bit surprised at the number of reviews talking about it being dated and of its time because to me the tale is a complete one off and difficult to categoriseBest to use one description as being " a metaphysical thriller "Written in 1908 and I had to check that was correct , it starts off quietly except for the weather being rather hellish with a bright red sunset and two of the main characters Gregory an anarchist revolutionary and Syme an anti anarchist police spy recruit and a believer in law meet in a suburb of Saffron Park .This is part thriller and part a revelation of GKC's Christian beliefs which are triumphantly and gloriously revealed in the closing pages .Syme is like his fellow police named after days of the week .It is pretty harum scarum as the story gathers pace and I loved the multiple identities of the other days of the week 's characters as they come to lightIf TMWWT is mentioned as an influence on Kafka and Borges this may seem a stretch given the author's orthodox Anglican later Catholic life but not innacurateA masterpiece no less

Divertida, sagaz, irónica y culta... el gran escritor británico nos adentra en un mundo de intriga y pesadilla lleno de humor y alta literatura. Una joya.

interessant

Ótimo livro; fácil de ler e difícil de interpretar, como são muitos textos profundos. Pode, como todos os grandes livros, ser relido muitas vezes ao longo da vida, com intervalos de vários anos (por exemplo) e não perderá sua atratividade. Já o conhecia como livro de papel; comprei o e-book para tê-lo sempre comigo...

It's a great book.I don't know why people feel the need of going into an explanation of a book as if they're writing a paper. It's so much nicer to jump into a book (or movie) not knowing anything about it. Heck, even knowing the genre gives away some elements as you begin to expect things. Papers always should assume the reader knows something about the book, so that's why I feel they don't translate into good reviews.Also, I found the first chapter quite boring, but it got more and more exciting as the book went on, so power through if you find the same.It's short and keeps you turning pages. I recommend.