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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
I was hoping this review would be “some of this hasn’t aged well, but that plot was great and characters were interesting”, but it’s more like “lots of this hasn’t aged well and the plot was messy and characters goofy.”
I can see why this was a big deal when it came out, but the main character is just so much smarter, tougher, and more in control than the rest of the cast that there is never any feeling of tension. The villains were literally just a group of hapless bozos who he outwitted or beat up every time!
He’s also a jerk, but not in an endearing way.
I can see why this was a big deal when it came out, but the main character is just so much smarter, tougher, and more in control than the rest of the cast that there is never any feeling of tension. The villains were literally just a group of hapless bozos who he outwitted or beat up every time!
He’s also a jerk, but not in an endearing way.
With about 20 pages left to go in this book, I realized what I didn't like about this book: None of the characters seemed to have any redeeming qualities. My dislike of the book was intensified when I got to the last page and went, "What? What happened? THAT'S how it ends??!!?"
The only reason I gave it two stars is that Hammett did have a somewhat-pleasant descriptive style of writing that made reading it not a complete waste of time.
The only reason I gave it two stars is that Hammett did have a somewhat-pleasant descriptive style of writing that made reading it not a complete waste of time.
I listened to a dramatization that was actually pretty cool. I was mostly annoyed by how girly and helpless the women tried to pass themselves off as along with the over-the-top good guy who I didn't really like.
Masterfully written and interesting to note all the anachronisms.
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I have seen the movie but never read the book before, and over the years I've heard all sorts of people call Sam "Cold" and "Hard" and etc etc. But like, I don't think he's exactly any of those things. To me he's clearly a highly functional sociopath, with literally only his secretary able to keep up with him or earning his respect.
Normally in a novel this might create problems, but the unique perspective this novel is written in, mixed with the fact that everybody *else* in the cast is also kinda a scumbag at best, makes for a thrilling noir crime story with a clearly characterized core cast bouncing off of one another and all scheming to get ahold of the nearly mythical Maltese Falcon.
It's definitely the kind of novel where you can see where entire genre's worth of other stories took inspiration from it, to the point that I ended up not being all that surprised by many of its twists. But... I can't deny that Sam Spade himself, the wolfish, devil-faced bastard trickster... he's utterly unique.
Normally in a novel this might create problems, but the unique perspective this novel is written in, mixed with the fact that everybody *else* in the cast is also kinda a scumbag at best, makes for a thrilling noir crime story with a clearly characterized core cast bouncing off of one another and all scheming to get ahold of the nearly mythical Maltese Falcon.
It's definitely the kind of novel where you can see where entire genre's worth of other stories took inspiration from it, to the point that I ended up not being all that surprised by many of its twists. But... I can't deny that Sam Spade himself, the wolfish, devil-faced bastard trickster... he's utterly unique.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Got 3/4 through it and couldn’t be arsed and looked up the plot. Boring, trite, I don’t think this genre is for me
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Let me start by letting you know that I'm 52 years old and even as a very young child, I was far more into black and white classic movies than I was all the stuff kids of that age were supposed to be into. Until Star Wars hit cinemas that is. Needless to say, I've watched The Maltese Falcon probably more than 100 times over the years.
So why read the book? Well, to be honest, I never really had any interest in reading it until I heard it described in a lecture about creative writing I was listening to. It was explained that the author writes no mental insight to the characters. All you get is what they say, what they do, and how they look. I'm pretty sure I've never read a book written in this manner so I just had to give it a try.
The first thing that struck me was just how accurately portrayed it was in the movie. All the names, dialogue and action is just as it is in the book, which I found to be quite refreshing, considering how Hollywood likes to meddle with book portrayals. And yes, you do picture the actors and hear their voices as you read, but that actually fades quite quickly and you just begin to take the book for what it is.
Like the faces of the movie actors, the writing style intrudes a little at first but I think that's just because it's new and different, once you settle into the read it no longer stands out. In fact, the writing style gives a whole other dimension to the read. It helps you to really picture the scenes, to race along with the pace of the story. I also think that's why these characters come across as being so vivid, you aren't privileged to their thoughts so you're left to get to know them like you would real people, through interaction, verbal and visual. And believe me, the characters in this book are very much 3 dimensional, they really do stand right out of the page for you.
Now, if you're thinking, "Well, I've seen the movie, I'm not going to bother with the book," then I'm sorry but you're wrong! Believe me, even though this book essentially is the movie, it's also its very own experience. Knowing these characters and the goings-on via the written word is very much its own reward. Give it a try, you will not be disappointed.
Now, guess which movie I'm of to watch...
So why read the book? Well, to be honest, I never really had any interest in reading it until I heard it described in a lecture about creative writing I was listening to. It was explained that the author writes no mental insight to the characters. All you get is what they say, what they do, and how they look. I'm pretty sure I've never read a book written in this manner so I just had to give it a try.
The first thing that struck me was just how accurately portrayed it was in the movie. All the names, dialogue and action is just as it is in the book, which I found to be quite refreshing, considering how Hollywood likes to meddle with book portrayals. And yes, you do picture the actors and hear their voices as you read, but that actually fades quite quickly and you just begin to take the book for what it is.
Like the faces of the movie actors, the writing style intrudes a little at first but I think that's just because it's new and different, once you settle into the read it no longer stands out. In fact, the writing style gives a whole other dimension to the read. It helps you to really picture the scenes, to race along with the pace of the story. I also think that's why these characters come across as being so vivid, you aren't privileged to their thoughts so you're left to get to know them like you would real people, through interaction, verbal and visual. And believe me, the characters in this book are very much 3 dimensional, they really do stand right out of the page for you.
Now, if you're thinking, "Well, I've seen the movie, I'm not going to bother with the book," then I'm sorry but you're wrong! Believe me, even though this book essentially is the movie, it's also its very own experience. Knowing these characters and the goings-on via the written word is very much its own reward. Give it a try, you will not be disappointed.
Now, guess which movie I'm of to watch...
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced