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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
Wow, they really messed up the plot when they made this into a movie. I’ve seen it several times and never understood it but the novel is fairly straightforward for a crime novel. Now I need to go re-watch the film.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
tense
This was so fun. Great puzzle, perfectly noir detective, really enjoyed it.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Loved traveling through the dark streets of San Francisco with Sam Spade. This book was fantastic!
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Classic Film Noir detective/femme fatale dynamic - can’t go wrong!
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love detective novels and the 1930s lingo and San Francisco setting were fun, but unfortunately this was not for me. I hated the way the protagonist treated women and how somehow they all seemed to fall at his feet despite the terrible treatment they received. The plot was okay but some of the pacing felt a bit jarring because the story would skip descriptions of getting from place to place at times and between one sentence and the next the character would be in a completely different location hours later. In general, it just felt rushed and I didn’t enjoy the portrayal of any of the women.
Read if you like detective novels and don’t mind flat female characters.
Read if you like detective novels and don’t mind flat female characters.
Even if you have seen the classic movie, this is a still an incredible book. The dialogue cuts to the quick and is rich at the same time. In some ways the pacing is quicker than in the movie. And while I've heard people compare the movie to a flower opening up slowly, this book is the city of San Francisco itself. It is a neon, rainy, breathing, bloody and dark living creature that emerges slowly and remains in your mind long after you close the book.