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The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax  By  cover art

The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax

By: Dorothy Gilman
Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat
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Publisher's summary

Mrs. Virgil (Emily) Pollifax of New Brunswick, New Jersey, was a widow with grown children. She was tired of attending her Garden Club meetings. She wanted to do something good for her country. This first in the series sends Emily on her first case after she successfully persuades a skeptical CIA recruitment officer that she is the best person for the job.

©1970 Dorothy Gilman (P)1989 Recorded Books, LLC

Editor's Pick

Smart, snappy, cozy series with sublime narration
"Barbara Rosenblat is one of my favorite narrators. Nowhere does she elevate a story more than with The Unexpected Mrs. Polifax. Dorothy Gilman started the series in 1970—the story of a garden-club wife from New Brunswick, NJ, who joins the CIA in a madcap series of events—and Barbara Rosenblat narrates a dozen titles, all available at Audible. If you love John D. Macdonald or Rhys Bowen, may I suggest your next audio binge?"
Christina H., Audible Editor

What listeners say about The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax

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    5 out of 5 stars

great start to a super neat series.

Senior citizen decides to be a spy, hilarity and luck follow. cute plot, and only the beginning of the series.

Narrator did a wonderful job with voice differences. easy to listen to in a couple of sessions.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

She has age, character, strength of conviction as a surprising heroine

Intrepid, old but enormously gritty Mrs. Pollifax, blessed with rare life force, wit and good will to do great works for all!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Amazing read

Barbara Rosenblat made Mrs. Pollifax sound exactly as you would expect her to and made her all the more endearing.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Delightful

I had read these books years ago. Lighthearted, implausible, and funny. You want to keep listening. I am looking forward to another Mrs. Pollifax listen.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Fun and Easy Listen

What a fun old fashioned adventure/mystery I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the characters. The narrator was wonderful. Not a book I would have normally chosen, but gave it a try based on review and a recommendation from Modern Miss Darcy. I’m glad I did!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

B+ story, great narration

So far I’ve listened to the first and second books of this series. I preferred the second. Quick reads, a bit of fun. The narrator makes it a worthwhile audible pick.

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Thoroughly enjoyable read

This was my first in this series but certainly won't be my last. A wonderful character and as unbelievable as she was, she was convincing in her escapades.

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So much fun!

Would you listen to The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax again? Why?

I have loved this book for decades and reread the series every few years. I am now working my way through the audible version with just as much joy.

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Always an unexpected delight

I have reread this series several times over the years. It never fails to make me laugh and smile. Barbara Rosenblat was the perfect narrator for this story. She has such a wide range of accents that draw you into the story even more.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Delightful!

A delightful, fun story! You can definitely listen to this one with your kids in the car.

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