Reviews

Death Is a Lonely Business by Ray Bradbury

likji's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

mon_cher's review against another edition

2.0

Ew it was weird and boring

bev_reads_mysteries's review against another edition

4.0

Finished up Death Is a Lonely Business--Ray Bradbury's 1985 non-SF novel. Set in 1949, this novel evokes the atmosphere of the time as well as giving a tribute to hard-boiled detective novels. But, I tell you, if Hammett and Chandler had written like Bradbury I would be a hard-boiled fan instead of hooked on British Golden Age. Well, maybe. He uses their style, but twists it to display his own particular Bradburian flair. His descriptions echo the hard-boiled era but the exaggerations sound so much more believable flowing from his pen..."No sooner had I hit the back seat than the limousine swerved in one boa-constrictor glide away from the curb." and "I waited a full minute for something to happen. When it did not, I slid out of the back of the limousine, like a shoplifter, guilty for no reason and wondering whether to escape."

I love Bradbury. I love his way with words, and turns of phrases, and characters, and setting, and mood. The man can write. In this one, he had me from the fourth paragraph when our narrator/protagonist meets up with Death's friend on an old red trolley. Death is visiting the citizens of Venice, California and the protagonist finds himself in game of hide and seek that seems to be leaving all his friends and acquaintances at the mercy of the stalking shadow. He aligns himself with detective Elmo Crumley, who isn't quite sure if his young friend is quite sane. Whispery breathing on stairways? Dripping visitors beneath his window who leave behind seaweed? Shadows that follow but disappear like the morning mist?

The plot line is a bit shaky...disappearing in the mist at times like the shadowy character of Death's friend, but his descriptions are solid and the clues are there if the reader is quick enough to spot them. His characters are real and you feel the unnamed hero's frustration and fear as he tries to figure out who is next on Death's list and unmask the killer before he claims all his victims.


This review was first posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting any portion. Thanks.

momsterhouse's review against another edition

4.0

Both homophobic and homoerotic!

readingrobin's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

A noir departure from Bradbury's usually horror and sci-fi tales, but still manages to hold that same level of mystery and elegance that comes from his style. I'm not a big fan of the genre, so I didn't enjoy this book on the same level as his other stories. There were many lullish moments and I didn't really find anything interesting about the paper thin characters, but there's still something to admire about the images he evokes in his writing here: a decrepit boardwalk that is past its prime, wagons taken in by the ocean, the corpse of a roller coaster resting on its beach, an old theater house devoted to stars of the past. Once you key into the fact that the main character is essentially Bradbury's self insert, it kind of brings up an interesting theme of relevance, of if this man writing stories about Martians will truly survive in this world that's crumbling around him. Given that this is one of his later books and comes off as a reflection on his earlier years as a writer, it seems like something worth noting.

uwu_owo_666's review against another edition

2.0

Начинаясь как нуарная, весьма мрачная детективная история, книга скоро теряет большую часть атмосферы напряжения и тайны, превращаясь в некое подобие "вина из одуванчиков" про не успевшего повзрослеть 27-ми летнего писателя. Возможно книга мне понравилась бы больше, если бы я увлекался творчеством Брэдбери и американской культурой середины 20-го века - образ протагониста взят с самого автора, а среди действующих лиц много известных лиц того времени.
При этом на историчность роман не тянет - в центре действия стоят не убийства и атмосфера разрушающегося города, а сам автор и его довольно оригинальное отношение к ним.

ravenalexandra's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

annehodx's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

lah_reads's review against another edition

5.0

I'm not sure how many times I've read this book, now, but I've loved it every time. Bradbury's style is beautiful in this novel. The way his narrator (believed to be a young Bradbury in a fictitious situation) talks about his writing process really hits home, and the idea of this struggling young writer helping a no-nonsense detective with a murder case is quite enjoyable. He also takes you back to Venice, CA in 1949 when the old pier was being knocked down and the whole world was changing. This book is a glimpse into the past and into the mind of one of the greatest American writers as his narrator writes what he calls "The Next Great American Novel" and tries to solve a series of murders before he finds himself in the grave.

astrid421's review against another edition

funny mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25