Monday, July 3, 2017

In Praise of Mrs. Pollifax


by Shari Randall

I’m traveling a lot this summer, packing my wooly socks and pashmina for the flight, my brand new Kindle, and one of my most delightful travel companions – Dorothy Gilman’s Mrs. Emily Pollifax.

I discovered the first Mrs. Pollifax book, The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax, in an airport in Bermuda many years ago, before cell phones and Kindles made travel so easy for book lovers. The thin paperback was perfect for slipping into a beach bag or pocket. This was also before publishers decided that paperbacks had to be several pages longer. Have you noticed that? Perhaps vacations are longer today? A Mrs. Pollifax book was perfect for my long weekend.

Mrs. Pollifax is a senior citizen and widow from New Jersey. Her children are grown. She’s an intelligent woman who longs for more than garden club and charity teas. So, she decides to serve her country by joining the CIA.

What!

Great credit goes to author Dorothy Gilman who made this scenario work for 14 books. Mrs. Pollifax faces danger – and stubborn CIA bureaucrats – with aplomb, picking up karate, yoga, shadowy tails, and many devoted friends over the course of the series.

She’s definitely of the Miss Marple pattern – the lady of a certain age who hides a razor sharp mind under a sweet exterior. But Miss Marple never traveled too far from St. Mary Mead (there was a trip to the Caribbean, maybe?)

What sets Mrs. Pollifax apart is the exotic travel that is part of her job as a spy. Gilman wrote these books during the Cold War, so Mrs. Pollifax matches wits and karate moves with operatives with a decided Russian accent. But her itinerary – Mexico, Istanbul, communist China, a safari in Africa – take her around the globe.

Escapism? You bet. If you’re looking for a perfect summer read, take Mrs. Pollifax on vacation with you.

If you’d like to know more about the series, check out the fan page:

Have you ever read a Mrs. Pollifax book? What book is your summer read this year?

9 comments:

  1. I had forgotten about Mrs. Pollifax! I remember devouring the books in the late 1960 through the 1980s and then for some reason, no more. They were the perfect airplane read. I'll have to pick them up again - - on Kindle this time.

    Thinking back, I think I picked the first one up in an airport too. And if I remember, it was the cover that attracted me.

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  2. Having been retired 15 years now (how the heck did that happen) I no longer think about summer reads (or vacation reads) as a separate class. I have a TBR pile and I have the library. So, my most recent book I thoroughly enjoyed was Michael Connelly's The Wrong Side of Goodbye featuring Harry Bosch.

    ~ Jim

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  3. I love Mrs. Pollifax! I wish the series was longer. The problem is that I read them out of the library, (sorry, that's the problem with the library) and I don't have any copies. I may do what Kait is planning--downloading some to my Kindle. Thanks for reminding me of the series because I loved it.

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  4. I've read and enjoyed Mrs. Pollifax books. Anticipating the new Daniel Silva thriller, which we'll pass around the family.

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  5. I am ALLL about escapism these days! Will give this book a try!
    CARLA

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  6. I read the Mrs. Pollifax books and enjoyed them.

    Right now, I'm reading a few of Lawrence Block's burglar books for my book club (I'm the one doing the presentation) I decided I like the earlier ones better than the latest. I may continue to read more of them, since I forget most of them (they are light & humorous)

    At the book club, we try to feature refreshments mentioned in the books. That's easy for the Burglar books--single malt scotch, wine & a cheese tray worthy of the shop Suffering Sweet Cheeses. Not to mention, perhaps, a bit of Juneau Lock of some sort.

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  7. My sisters and I read all of the Mrs. Pollifax books. In fact I still have all of them and may start reading them again.

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  8. Fun books! I think of Mrs. Pollifax when I see my neighbor who gardens, wears a hat with a flower on it while playing with her grandson, and says things like "kill shot" in everyday conversation.

    Happy travels, Shari.

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  9. I'm getting to this blog a few days late, but I had to chime in. I loved, loved, loved all of the Mrs. Polifax books. What a terrific series to show that we woman of a certain age still have a lot to offer--of course, some more than others. I'm not quite up to the level of adventures Emily Polifax had. Publishing is so difficult these days it makes me wonder if you could get a series like that published now.

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