(Audio)Book Blog - The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman

 


The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman

In a case of “you’re never too old”, we meet The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax. Mrs. Emily Pollifax of New Brunswick, New Jersey has raised her children, buried her husband, and is doing what 60-something year old widowed grandmothers are expected to do – join the Garden Club and volunteer at the hospital. She has also grown bored with her life and wants to change things up a bit, so she decides to fulfil her childhood fantasy – to be a spy!

She travels to Washington D. C. to apply for a spy job with the CIA, much to the shock of the CIA. However, she ends up being the perfect candidate for a particular assignment – a courier, playing the role of a tourist in Mexico City. She’s thrilled to get to live her childhood dream, but things soon take a frightening turn. It takes every ounce of chutzpah she has to get out of this mess.

Sometimes, the narrator can ruin a book for you, but I very much enjoyed Barbara Rosenblat’s narration. Listening to her read, I got a mental picture of Mrs. Pollifax. If you’re looking for a “clean” read, this book has a bit of cursing, but not a lot, and no worse than you hear on network TV. It’s a spy novel, so you won’t be surprised that it’s violent but not graphically so. The book was originally published in 1966, so cultural references may be obscure to younger readers/listeners.

The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax is available in ebook and audiobook formats through the Libby app. Questions? Contact your Sullivan County Public Library circulation staff.

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