What is it about Mrs. Pollifax?

I'm binge reading the Mrs. Pollifax novels again, as I find myself in need of comfort. And it's got me thinking. What is it that's so comforting about them? Something in their construction? Can I dig into it for my own writing on the novel. I think first of all, you fall a little in love with Mrs. Pollifax. She's non-judgmental, self-reflected, strong-minded, no nonsense, a bit quirky with her wild hats, and ultimately utterly likable. She's very open and curious to everyone she meets. She doesn't waste time, she gets straight to business, even when it seems like she's off on a tangent - speaking to some budding it-girl model on a plane - it's actually all about business. She's RELATABLE. I definitely want to be her, down to pondering whether I should sign up for karate lessons.

As far as the progression of the novels themselves, I find them different than Agatha Christie, whose work they are compared to. Agatha Christie is so self-consciously holier than thou - you could never figure out who did it because you're clearly too stupid. Sherlock Holmes is like this too. Here, she's often the one who is underestimated by her peers, not the one with a slightly thick sidekick.

Everything that happens in these novels moves the plot forward and while you might not see it coming, how she's going to get through it - breaking in to the main prison in Sofia, Bulgaria was just pure guts - you are along for the ride, rather than having vital clues hidden from you to be revealed by a pompous little Belgian in the final chapter.

I love how Bishop becomes more and more of a Q figure as the novels progress - providing her with the clandestine kit she may need to affect the mission. Though her kit is more along the lines of special hats that hold passports and cameras built into an elaborate brooch, than guns and fancy cars. Again, she's just so RELATABLE.

The books are also easy-reads. I'm reading basically one a day and I'm not spending all day doing it, I'm just reading for a couple of hours at bedtime and then maybe a little late afternoon to unwind. But what is it that makes them easy? That forward motion of the plot? It's not like it's super simplistic language and there's clearly a lot of research about locations and their history woven into the plots, so they're not just throw-away broad brush strokes.

As I was reading the first one, which ends up in Albania, I found myself thinking that there was no way Dorothy Gilman could have written it without having been to Albania. It has a legit Balkan feel, as does the one set in Turkey and the one in Bulgaria. She had to have visited the Balkans and in the 60s and 70s, when she was writing these, that wouldn't necessarily have been an easy feat. If she didn't, I'd love to know how she did it.

One of the mechanisms she uses is that Emily Pollifax has to figure out who someone is. Sometimes it's someone who is working with her and sometimes it's someone who is working against her. But that said, I don't find them necessarily formulaic, other than maybe that they feel a bit cinematic. I'm surprised that only a couple of them were made into films or made-for-tv movies. Angela Lansbury played Emily Pollifax, which I'm not sure is the best casting, but perhaps it was for that era. Hmm, who do I think should play her? I don't know how Geena Davis looks these days, but maybe someone like her? If Meg Ryan hadn't ruined her face with too much plastic surgery, I might think she would be good, but I'm afraid she has. There has to be a quirky streak and I don't think Angela Lansbury really had that. Though I haven't seen the film. I should see if it's on YouTube.

Ok, today's musings aren't really on the topic of Finding Lumke, but yet, they kind of are. Because thinking about what makes a good, compelling story that you really want to read is important work. So, to sum up what I think it is, it's a likable, relatable main character, it's a plot that moves forward all the time, and it's letting the reader in on things and not making them feel stupid, while also keeping that fine balance of keeping them guessing and moving along with you. Of course, our novel isn't a mystery or a spy story, but surely the same elements matter.