Rating: 
Summary: Intellectual autobiography, dressed in fantasy
Review: Having recently read this book again, I have to say that it made considerably more sense this time than when I read it in my teens. In fact the symbolism, while superbly thought-out, was, I thought, made too explicit at several points, when characters simply say outright what all of it means. I still loved it. It is exalted above mere autobiography by Chesterton's light spirit and vigorous fantasy, but even if it were merely autobiography, it would be a treasure, fully the equal of "The Education of Henry Adams."For those to whom its nature as intellectual autobiography is not clear, I advise a closer reading of the poem to E.C. Bentley that prefaces the story. The poem speaks of the intellectual chaos of their shared youth and the wisdom ("touching the root" as he puts it) that was created from it. The creation of wisdom from chaos explains Chesterton's use of symbols from Genesis, also a story of creation from chaos. Chesterton in his youth was intellectually volatile, by his own account descending into solipsism. The six days of creation represent different stages of his own intellect; Professor de Worms, for example, is solipsism, Gogol socialism (which Chesterton never took seriously), Bull materialism, and so on. Just as each is revealed to be an agent of order, so Chesterton found that as he confronted each philosophy it was disarmed, and that in doing so he moved ever closer to wisdom, which is faith in God. Sunday is perhaps a bizarre symbol for God, but further reading in Chesterton (or indeed the Bible, especially Job, as was pointed out in the Ignatius collected edition) will show that all the most baroque and incomprehensible aspects of Sunday are the most literally orthodox. It's all dressed in an entertaining if sometimes confusing fantasy, but it should not be necessary to say that Chesterton did not actually advocate "thought police" any more than he advocated turning suburbs into armed, walled cities, as in his book "The Napoleon of Notting Hill." As to the review that considers the book "Dali in anarchist drag," I recommend that he read the preface in which Chesterton explodes that idea, which had already been advanced in his lifetime. Finally, all readers should re-read the first chapter of Genesis before beginning the book, to have the source of the symbolism fresh in the mind.
Rating: 
Summary: It's not a novel
Review: This wonderful novel is not a detective story; not an allegory; especially not a work of theology. I haven't the audacity to attempt to define what it is. Chesterton did, however, and it's right there in the title: "A Nightmare". The story unfolds as a dream does, illogically and vividly. I approach it (and I have read it many times) as a prose poem, and a picture painted with words. Certainly it shows GKC's intensely visual imagination, and his ability to create a landscape in the mind. It is also an extended commentary on the Book of Job; in both, a mystery is answered with a greater mystery. Thus the enigmatic ending. GKC was a modern mystic, who saw creation as a pageant to be lived - and loved - rather than a propostion to be solved.
Rating:
Summary: Witty, bewildering, challenging, rewarding
Review: Those who read "The Man Who Was Thursday" as an attack on free thought are taking it at a terribly literal level. Aptly subtitled "A Nightmare," it has the qualities of a dream: the sudden nonsensical leaps that make perfect sense, the joyful sense of play and paradox, and the anticipation of some Final Meaning that never quite arrives, yet still somehow satisfies. The transition from satirical detective story to spiritual allegory is suffused with a growing elation, hinting at truths we already knew, if we could only remember them. At its heart is the belief that every life, no matter how prosaic on the surface, despite its suffering - especially through its suffering - participates in the ongoing glory of Creation; and while Chesterton was writing from a distinctly Christian perspective, his story transcends any one orthodoxy. He was clearly drawing on the depths of the psyche in writing this book; one gets the feeling he was a little puzzled at its ultimate sources himself. Other reviewers have drawn different meanings from it - I have myself after various readings - but this is one of its chief delights. Read and decide for yourself!
Rating:
Summary: Charming and Chaotic
Review: This is a really good book, though you may find it confusing when you first read it. It has the haughty panache of a good Wildean comedy & the strangeness of a Virginia Woolf novel. It is basically Dalí in drag, anarchist drag. Some of it is more than hilarious, it is incisive & it doesn't sound the least out of date. I don't know much about Chesterton, though I have his Father Brown stories & they are some of the most boring & horrible writing I have ever encountered in my life. Chesterton was a conservative IRL, but his writing is positively post-modern: it's as if he spent a large part of his creative life mining the fundaments of his political standpoint, & doing it better than many an opponent. I think it is basically schizophrenia turned lucidity, that modern prerogative of objectivity & how it allows you to detach yourself from experience in any way you desire. It is convenient for factual clarity (& this book is wonderful in descriptive minutiae) but it leads to a sort of grotesqueness that comes from strange scientific findings like quantum mechanics (& you see that present in the rocaille tilt of the prose). By the time you are halfway through the book you have suspended belief & renounced your common sense, only to realise that that is the most common sense thing to do. The masks seem to duplicate themselves progressively & by the end of the book you become sure that the truth was uttered in the last few pages, although that is no guarantee of uplifting moral choice. Chesterton very probably was a conscious buffoon: he espoused the most ridiculous & stubborn values IRL since that would be the most stubborn thing to do. It's like knowing that the end is nigh & that the best way to deal with it is to greet it with champagne & caviar.
Rating:
Summary: Strange, Funny, Profound -- Pure Chesterton
Review: This is undoubtedly one of the most bizarre books I've ever read, and it takes more than one reading to "get it," but taking the wild ride that is this book it well worth it. This book is, in every sense of the word, a mystery -- and the mysteries it explores range from simple crime to suffering to the peace of God. Chesterton, as always, evokes laughs all along the way, from the unsettling beginning to the quite unexpected end. I could never have guessed who Sunday was. There is much here for our entertainment and our edification. As we know, reality is frequently not what it seems -- so it is in this fantastic story. Read it, re-read it, digest it. I'll warn you in advance: it isn't easy to digest. But it's worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Read first, let it brew, read it again
Review: This book is not about anarchy or suppression of thoughts; that is incidental in this story. TMWHT is about a man's journey to discover: how much he cares, the mysterious and powerful "gut feeling", what it is he actually cares about. His life is essentially opened up to understanding and life. The message of Sunday would seem to be: I know YOU; I found you to be of worth; now that your eyes are opened, go really live your life. The journey is then, a gift to each other day of the week.... I will be getting my own copy now--can't mark pages in the library's copy....
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book, but can anyone help me with the ending.
Review: TMHWT is another Chesterton masterpiece; suspenseful, well written, and thought provoking. Those who accuse Chesterton of anti-Semitism must have read something else, or be slightly off their rockers (and all done anonymously) No one, unfortunately, seems to be able to shed any light on the last 2-3 pages. Based on what I know about Chesterton, I think Sunday may be a Christ figure, but to what end? Where are the lit PhD's when you need them...
Rating: 
Summary: I can't think of a clever way to say "right-wing garbage"
Review: This is the most despicable piece of far-right proselytizing I've ever come across. Openly opposed to a free interchange of ideas.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: So far, I think this is the best Chesterton work I've read -- it's certainly the best of his novels. It's hilarious, surreal, and profound all at once. Read it! You won't be sorry.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing literary talent exhibited in this Chesterton classic
Review: The Man who was Thursday is one of the most enjoyable books I have ever had the pleasure of reading. G.K. Chesterton has an unbelievable ability to startle his reader as he tells the story. The Man who was Thursday is also an engrossing books which will stimulate your imagination. I consider it to be the best book Chesterton has ever written and encourage anyone who enjoys an exciting and suprising book with lasting quality to read this classic.
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