Mrs. Pollifax Pursued (Bookcassette(r) Edition)

Rating:
Summary: A few too many coincidences, but still fun
Review: For a change, trouble finds Mrs. Pollifax instead of the other way around, when she finds a young woman hiding out in her closet. An extended chase ensues, ending up with Mrs. Pollifax and Kadi, the young woman, hiding out in a carnival subsidized by Mrs. P's CIA friends for just such a purpose. The threads are complex, and there are a few more coincidences than are comfortable, but it all boils down to a plot to take over the African country where Kadi grew up and where her friend Sammy has a politically prominent position.

It's another enjoyable Pollifax romp, weakened a bit by the coincidences, but again brilliantly read by Barbara Rosenblat, whose skill I admire ever more increasingly with each new voice she comes up with.

Rating:
Summary: Not Gilman's greatest, i'm afraid
Review: I had read a Mrs. Pollifax novel before and not enjoyed it at all. This is the first time i've tried one after reading two other Gilman novels, and i expected to like it. I do. It is a funny thing, however, that i do not enjoy it as much as her other, non-series novels. Somehow it is a little forced, a bit as thought she feels she really needs to write this to satisfy the readers who love Mrs. Pollifax. It is far less believable a story than "Thale's Folly" was, for instance, though the characters are, perhaps, less exotic than "Thale's". There is something about the set-up, some fashion in which Gilman is saying, "I know none of this is at all true to life, but here you are ~ you wanted it ~ hope you like it." Several of the characters ~ Kadi, Willie, Boozy Tim, Mrs. Pollifax herself ~ are nice, believable, real even; it must be the situation they find themselves in which displeases me. The plot relies on coincidence too much for its resolution, and does not carry the ring of truth a perect novel makes echo in my mind. Looking back onto it, i feel that all it is is some real charactes interacting on a cardboard plot; i was never drawnn in the way i want to be by any book i read. Nevertheless, a fun read; i will try another Mrs. Pollifax, to be sure ~ along with any non-Pollifax Gilmans i can find.

Rating:
Summary: My Least Favorite Pollifax Adventure
Review: Mrs. Pollifax is an senior citizen who works for the CIA. When Mrs. Pollifax finds a college student hiding in her storage closet, she soon becomes the target of hitmen. Can Mrs. Pollifax elude her pursuers and protect Kadi (the college student) from harm?

I am a big fan of Mrs. Pollifax, but I found Mrs. Pollifax Pursued to be a bit disjointed, and cluttered with too many annoying minor characters. I liked the circus theme, but I found Kadi very irritating and too helpless for my taste. She acts like an infant, rather than a college age adult. I also wished the author had stuck with the Circus theme. I found the dynamics of the sideshow much more interesting than the farfetched African theme. Overall, while I enjoyed Mrs. Pollifax pursued, I wished it had been a tad more realistic. This novel was too farfetched for me to find it as enjoyable as the other adventures.

Rating:
Summary: Run, Emmyreed, Run!
Review: The story starts in medias res and the action never lets up! Gilman tries a little too hard to inject youth through her new character of Kadi Hopkirk, but the arc of the story still works. "Pursued" is very, VERY exciting!

Rating:
Summary: Delightful Mrs. Pollifax adventure
Review: This time Mrs. Pollifax begins her adventure right in her own back yard when she discovers Kadi, a young woman who is fleeing her pursuers and is hiding in Mrs. P's house. She tries to help the girl get away, but the pursuers are right on her tail, so she appeals to Carstairs, her CIA contact, who sends her to a "safe house". Much to her surprise the safe house turns out to be a carnival and Mrs. Pollifax and Kadi learn some new skills to become part of their new environment. Someone who is also on the run and is hiding in the carnival is badly beaten and Mrs. Pollifax has a new angle to explore. This is all tied in with Kadi's friendship with a young man from a small African country and the disappearance of a wealthy American businessman. Before it's over, Mrs. P. and Kadi are whisked to Africa and new problems surface before a satisfactory ending is achieved. This is a delightful romp with the intrepid 60-something heroine and most of it is set in the United States, a nice change of pace from her other adventures.

Rating:
Summary: Delightful Mrs. Pollifax adventure
Review: This time Mrs. Pollifax begins her adventure right in her own back yard when she discovers Kadi, a young woman who is fleeing her pursuers and is hiding in Mrs. P's house. She tries to help the girl get away, but the pursuers are right on her tail, so she appeals to Carstairs, her CIA contact, who sends her to a "safe house". Much to her surprise the safe house turns out to be a carnival and Mrs. Pollifax and Kadi learn some new skills to become part of their new environment. Someone who is also on the run and is hiding in the carnival is badly beaten and Mrs. Pollifax has a new angle to explore. This is all tied in with Kadi's friendship with a young man from a small African country and the disappearance of a wealthy American businessman. Before it's over, Mrs. P. and Kadi are whisked to Africa and new problems surface before a satisfactory ending is achieved. This is a delightful romp with the intrepid 60-something heroine and most of it is set in the United States, a nice change of pace from her other adventures.

Rating:
Summary: Solid entertainment.
Review: _Mrs. Pollifax Pursued_ is definitely candy for the mind. It's a very quick read, entertaining precisely long enough to be a treat, contains nothing challenging and nothing difficult. The characters are fun, the plot isn't too unbelievable, and the writing is excellent. It should be just the thing if you're in the right mood.

Mrs. Pollifax finds young Kadi hiding out in her closet, and takes her on the run to escape her pursuers. The Bishop stashes them in a rather unusual safe house-- a carnival in rural Maine-- and together they need to discover why Kadi is in so much danger.