Oh what a delight! Where have you been all my life, Dorothy Gilman & Mrs. Pollifax? Oh, I know the answer to that... I would never have imagined reading a "spy novel." Just not a genre that interests me.

But I am so glad I stumbled across this! Because I love reading about older women breaking out of the mold (especially difficult in the 1960s), and having an adventure or two. Enterprising, somewhat prim, yet steel nerves when it comes to it. She is wonderful, the writing is droll and the plot is mesmerizing. Could not put it down after the first half.

Such fun! Bring on the next one! ( )

I really enjoyed my first visit with Mrs. Pollifax and fully expect to continue on dipping into this adventurous and amusing series. Mrs. Pollifax is a sixtyish widow who decides to follow up on her ambition to become a spy. She presents herself at CIA headquarters and it just so happens that an elderly tourist is required to courier information from Mexico City to Washington and Mrs. Pollifax would be perfect in the role.

Almost before she knows it, she finds herself in Mexico City and this is where things start to go pear-shaped. She and another CIA agent are captured and spirited to a prison cell in Albania. Mrs. Pollifax then shows her true colors, she never gives up, always looks to the positive and actually enjoys meeting new people.

Of course the story is highly unbelievable, but the author has supplied a great setting and some wonderful characters so while you are reading the book, you fully accept what is happening. Mrs. Pollifax is the spy that we all wish we could be and I am already looking forward to her next adventure. ( )

A very unusual sort of cold war spy thriller from 1969. Emily Pollifax is a widow in her sixties, feeling bored and depressed about not having anything interesting to do with her life now that her children are all grown. Perhaps now is the time to chase the unfulfilled dreams of her youth? She did have fantasies, once upon a time, about being a secret agent. So she presents herself at CIA headquarters and volunteers her services. And, wouldn't you know, thanks to an unusual set of circumstances, they just happen to need someone who fits her exact profile for a very simple, low-risk mission... which, of course, doesn't go quite according to plan.

It's a silly premise, but fun. The plot isn't in itself super compelling (although it does end in a pleasantly satisfying way), but the main character is so appealing that she effortlessly carries the story all by herself. She's just such a great combination of an everywoman whose reactions to her situations are immediately relatable (like just really, really, really wanting a bath after multiple days in captivity) and a surprisingly impressive and admirable person: formidable, practical, adaptable, intelligent, and oh-so-easy to underestimate. Honestly, I was already fond of her five pages in, and I only grew more so the more I saw of her. ( )

I'm sure I turned the pages of a paperback version of this book years ago. However, so much of the plot was forgotten, that listening to it was a delight. I'm on a recorded book jag of this series and wanted a refresher on the origins of the charming Mrs. Pollifax and her career in espionage. Gilman's plots unfold with freshness and a host of lively characters that make my commute and house cleaning stints fly by. ( )

2019 reread via Recorded Books audiobook narrated by Barbara Rosenblat. Rosenblat gives an excellent narration of this, though her voice for Farrell didn't match the accent I had imagined.
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This was my fourth or fifth time reading this first Mrs. Pollifax book since I was introduced to the series in the 1970s, and I still love it! Despite the fact that I know the plot so well that there are no surprises, I enjoy the characters and situations.

If you like spy books with a sense of humor, I would recommend this series. ( )