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This was a terrific read, one of those books that are as fresh and funny a hundred years later as they were when written (I just read another, also, if anyone wants to check my GR page). I love how Chesterton constructs a sentence and his unerring ability to create an unexpected yet exact simile.
There were some disappointments, however. I think the whole was less than the sum of its parts; as 'possum said in regard to Father Brown, perhaps it would have been better to read the stories individually, although I admit that the payoff with Basil wouldn't have been nearly so satisfying. I was left with the sense that Chesterton didn't do his conception justice. Fully half of the stories involved actors/acting, and while this might have been an early manifestation of the service economy, I was looking for more than one concrete product out of the six trades. A few more stories to flesh out his conceit and I'd have been totally won over. As it was, the collection while hghly entertaining, didn't have quite the heft I'd have liked. I wanted more.
I agree with Bookpssum's objection to Professor Chadd and I'll just note that while green seemed the ideal choice of color for Lieutenant Keith's domicile, come winter it was going to be rather conspicuous!
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