Mrs. Pollifax on Safari

I have been waiting for the Mrs. Pollifax books narrated by Barbara Rosenblat since I became an Audible member. I am crossing my fingers and hoping they get the rest of them.

I really enjoy the way Ms. Rosenblat handles all the different accents these books require. Having heard her versions first, I just can't get into those read by different narrators.

If you aren't familiar with Mrs. P, she is a grandmother who ends up working for the CIA and traveling the world making friends while confronting the bad guys with wit and aplomb. These books are sort of "cozy" espionage tales with plenty of excitement & adventure but definitely character based.

This one is #5, but you don't really have to have read the previous ones to be able to get into this one. It is one of my favorites.

"Mrs. Pollifax on Safari" is an exciting story. It's about international terrorism, kidnapping, assassins, romance and spies.

Bored with retirement life Mrs. Pollifax became a courier for the CIA. Needing an agent in a hurry to join a safari to find an elusive assassin and the party who wants to hire him/her they call on Mrs. Pollifax who is the only one in their files available to be sent to Africa on short notice. She is sent on safari by the CIA to take a lot of pictures of everyone on safari; nothing else. They need the pictures to try to identify their man, but in true Mrs. Pollifax style she becomes embroiled in the country's political intrigue and loses her pictures.

The story is brought to life by the extraordinary talent of Barbara Rosenblat, and the length of the story is just right for an evening of listening pleasure.

Most people Mrs. Pollifax meets are not who they claim to be (including herself) which makes for an interesting story.

Once again, Mrs P sets off on what seems a fairly simple mission, only to be drawn into a very dangerous situation. In this case, she goes on a safari in Zambia with instructions to take photos of all her fellow tourists, which will be used to identify a hired assassin. She ends up being kidnapped by "freedom fighters " and then rescued by a band of loyalist guerrillas. (You must remember that the book was written in 1977, so that apartheid played a large role in the politics of that part of Africa at that time.)

And along the way through the wilds of jungle and plain, Mrs. Pollifax finds time to fall in love with a lovely, gentle man named Cyrus.

This book is the fifth in the Mrs. P series. The plot is as entertaining as ever, but is slightly more serious. While there are still lovely amusing moments, the situations depicted are less fanciful and more plausible than in the previous books.

As with the previous books, I cannot adequately describe the magnificence of Barbara Rosenblat's performance as narrator. If you know her from the Amelia Peabody books, you know that she is masterful with accents and voices. But I am amazed that she provides Mrs. Pollifax with a voice that is totally unlike any of the voices I have heard from her before: the perfect voice for a 60-ish widow lady from New Brunswick, NJ. She must be able to produce hundreds of distinct voices. I am in awe.

A totally wonderful experience.

I had quite a few laughs. Hubby thought I had gone over the edge. go for it you will be glad you did!

this entry into the polifax series is timeless. its hard to realize this was pre-cell phone and internet -- google maps! what a relief! worth the time!

Dorothy Gilman does it again . She takes us on a wild safari, entertains us with a host of characters and we watch Mrs Pollifax use her brain and nerves of steel. Glad I used another credit on this series.

Mrs. Pollifax and her hats are so much fun! And her hat plays an important role in this story. She is off to Africa on another mission for Carstairs; she simply has to photograph everyone in her safari group. But nothing is that easy when it comes to Emily Pollifax! There are kidnappings, forced marches, and attempted assassinations. And Mrs. Pollifax is in the middle of it all. And meeting a very attractive man while she's at it!

Once again Barbara Rosenblat does a fine job of narrating. I couldn't help but laugh at the way she voiced Amy - perfect! These books can stand alone, but if you read one, you'll want to read the whole series....

This book is fun to listen to. Written with vivid descriptions of the characters and the country, the listening can easily visualize Mrs. Pollifax's adventure.

I'm ready to read more to find out if Emily Pollifax gets married.

Narration is great and the story is upbeat and fun. Old style romance and suspense. We love to listen on road trips, it's always fun to guess who will turn out to be the bad guy.

Mrs pollifax is once again called to duty this time to Africa. Twists, turns suspense, even some romance and kept me guessing to the very end.