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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
This is exactly the sort of things people should read in their spare time; classics that have emerged from pulp and can now stand alone.
I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a read that's not going to bog them down. It's got all the "charms" of the era, scenes straight from classic drama where one can almost imagine the stage lights going down, and that wonderful sepia tone that gangster noir has for modern readers. (I've also got some sort of color confusion?)
As an added bonus, we don't use some of the language of Hammett's time period anymore, so there's charming bits for the language lovers.
In short; a good time.
I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a read that's not going to bog them down. It's got all the "charms" of the era, scenes straight from classic drama where one can almost imagine the stage lights going down, and that wonderful sepia tone that gangster noir has for modern readers. (I've also got some sort of color confusion?)
As an added bonus, we don't use some of the language of Hammett's time period anymore, so there's charming bits for the language lovers.
In short; a good time.
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I love crime noir novels of this type. It's a great story, but I can't help but love Raymond Chandler and his entertaining way of writing better than Hammett. And I couldn't get Humphrey Bogart out of my head as Sam Spade.
The "dramatization" sounds nearly verbatim to the film, am wondering how it differs from the print. I am also wondering why the heck the On the Same Page people picked this one for the community reads - not a lot of material for discussion, other than general 20s culture: hats, gloves, manners. Maybe they picked for the programming possibilities?
Very nice book, this one. I really can't say if I prefer it to any of Chandler's or what - they both waddle in what (a white middle aged guy would conceive to be) the worst of humanity in their times, BUT, Chandler was far less flamboyant in the intricacies of the "case", his Marlowe was off the start more of a rounded character (he grew to become far less in the series, IMHO), while Sam Spade is little more than a snarky conniver, his only real traits are being hard-ass and difficult to pin down.
In fact, I was in part surprised when secondary characters describe Spade as "hard to predict", I thought it was a not so nice piece of "tell", but reality is that Sam Spade is REALLY, deliberately nebulous and is *shown* being so. This is necessary for the story, but ultimately is to the detriment of the character himself.
This is really well written, and it punches SO far above its weight. I can see why The Maltese Falcon changed the crime genre, but I'd say that its big rival and epigone The Big Sleep went just beyond what Hammet achieved in distancing a story from the previous status quo.
In fact, I was in part surprised when secondary characters describe Spade as "hard to predict", I thought it was a not so nice piece of "tell", but reality is that Sam Spade is REALLY, deliberately nebulous and is *shown* being so. This is necessary for the story, but ultimately is to the detriment of the character himself.
This is really well written, and it punches SO far above its weight. I can see why The Maltese Falcon changed the crime genre, but I'd say that its big rival and epigone The Big Sleep went just beyond what Hammet achieved in distancing a story from the previous status quo.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It had begun like a normal day, but when the charming Miss Wonderly appears in his office asking him to follow someone called Floyd Thursby. He lets his partner Miles Archer do this one and it seems straightforward. Turns out that it isn't going to be easy when Thursby and Archer turn up dead shortly after and the police are there sniffing around for evidence.
A scared Miss Wonderly appears shortly after and begs him to help her. Turns out she is not who she said she was and the two men died because of the missing Maltese Falcon. Others are interested in this too, and Spade is visited by Joel Cairo wh offers him a large sum to find it, before threatening him and searching his office. More armed hoodlums appear, Casper Gutman and Wilmer Cook who are desperate to find this falcon too. As the intensity builds, someone is going to get hurt and Spade does not want it to be him
I am not normally a crime reader, finding a little predictable often. However, this classic private eye novel that spawned a 1000 imitations and I'd thought that I'd give it a go. The two main characters are strong and well supported by the minor characters. I really enjoyed the twists and turns that Hammett includes in the plot and the tensions that he builds in the narrative. A short and well-executed book.
A scared Miss Wonderly appears shortly after and begs him to help her. Turns out she is not who she said she was and the two men died because of the missing Maltese Falcon. Others are interested in this too, and Spade is visited by Joel Cairo wh offers him a large sum to find it, before threatening him and searching his office. More armed hoodlums appear, Casper Gutman and Wilmer Cook who are desperate to find this falcon too. As the intensity builds, someone is going to get hurt and Spade does not want it to be him
I am not normally a crime reader, finding a little predictable often. However, this classic private eye novel that spawned a 1000 imitations and I'd thought that I'd give it a go. The two main characters are strong and well supported by the minor characters. I really enjoyed the twists and turns that Hammett includes in the plot and the tensions that he builds in the narrative. A short and well-executed book.
I'm a long lover of film noir, grew up listening to the radio dramatization of this book, and yet never read it. I enjoyed it. Well worth your time. Books used to be well written and well edited, and this is one. The fact that he wrote The Thin Man means I'm not done with him yet.