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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
I enjoyed the Maltese Falcon, but didn't love it. I think my expectations may have been too high? Hammett's writing style was interesting, and carried the story forward well... but I just ended it feeling "meh." I prefer the movie, in all honesty.
every time they called sam spade by his last name i just pictured david spade and that made this experience more enjoyable
I picked this up for the library book club, which I won't make it to after all - wish I could to hear what people say about the tale and the style. Hammett is called the master of the detective novel, and he does keep the plot twists coming, but the dialogue is dated - in the same way that old movie dialogue feels jarring - stiff, shifty, shouting. I felt like I was reading a movie, with each character carefully described as he enters the room (which also has the effect of pausing the plot).
Here's a good one of Spade's nemesis: "The fat man was flabbily fat with bulbous pink cheeks and lips and chins and neck, with a great soft egg of a belly that was all his torso, and pendant cones for arms and legs. As he advanced to meet Spade all his bulbs rose and shook and fell separately with each step, in the manner of clustered soap-bubbles not yet released from the pipe through which they had blown."
And then there's Cairo, the Levantine, with his "ugly hands."
And of course there are the women who revolve around Spade, the boyish faced secretary, and the others who are for his taking.
Here's a good one of Spade's nemesis: "The fat man was flabbily fat with bulbous pink cheeks and lips and chins and neck, with a great soft egg of a belly that was all his torso, and pendant cones for arms and legs. As he advanced to meet Spade all his bulbs rose and shook and fell separately with each step, in the manner of clustered soap-bubbles not yet released from the pipe through which they had blown."
And then there's Cairo, the Levantine, with his "ugly hands."
And of course there are the women who revolve around Spade, the boyish faced secretary, and the others who are for his taking.
mysterious
tense
fast-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
The Maltese Falcon- Not much can be said for the plot without ruining any of the twists and turns (although the back cover description on my edition gave away big moment, I hate it when publishers do this. Why!?). This book handled conversations in ways I've never seen before. Giving you visuals in your mind without much prompt. Clear and fast paced dialogue between characters, it felt so real as Hammet digs deeper into the subtlety of facial cues and expressions. Loved this one. I will revisit some day. If you want a noir style thriller? It doesn't get much better.
Morris Ruskin left a comment on my review of Lillian and Dash suggesting I read this book, so I have!
As Morris, noted, the book is a bit darker than the movie, but then that's what I always thought Noir was about. (Though a quick search shows me there is a distinction – noir does not have the detective as the protagonist; apparently, when the detective is the protagonist the genre is actually called Hardboiled. Live and learn.)
I always liked the film because the actors were consummate in their professions and they were top-notch as an ensemble. This completely influenced my reading of the book, because each character was the person who played them in the film (Bogart, Greenstreet, Astor, Lorre) and I could not imagine them any other way. Getting back to Morris' comment, I agree that the book was darker and the characters a tad less inviting. And, had I not seen the movie and liked it so much, I might not have enjoyed reading Hammett. Perhaps I need to try another of his stories?
As Morris, noted, the book is a bit darker than the movie, but then that's what I always thought Noir was about. (Though a quick search shows me there is a distinction – noir does not have the detective as the protagonist; apparently, when the detective is the protagonist the genre is actually called Hardboiled. Live and learn.)
I always liked the film because the actors were consummate in their professions and they were top-notch as an ensemble. This completely influenced my reading of the book, because each character was the person who played them in the film (Bogart, Greenstreet, Astor, Lorre) and I could not imagine them any other way. Getting back to Morris' comment, I agree that the book was darker and the characters a tad less inviting. And, had I not seen the movie and liked it so much, I might not have enjoyed reading Hammett. Perhaps I need to try another of his stories?
adventurous
dark
funny
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
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
dark
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
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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:
No