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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
I am not sure what I expected from this book but I think I was looking for more of an adventure than it had. I was a little disappointed at how the characters developed.
The good: I’m reminded of a quip from “The Squid and the Whale” w/r/t Elmore Leonard. “Genre, but the best of it.” I’m not sure that there need be a qualifier at all. Hammet’s San Francisco is gorgeous and brooding and his detective is the archetype for most all who have come after him.
The ugly necessity of the “fall guy” elevates the story’s third act.
Love the steady inflation of stakes vis-a-via increasing bribes $200 is enough to put Miles in his grave—Spade bargains with a $10,000 envelope in hand by the story’s climax.
The bad: Hammet’s female characters are written almost entirely in service of their male counter-parts. Somebody tell Sam Spade to keep his hands to himself.
There’s a healthy sprinkling of homophobia and anti-semitism levied at Cairo, a minor antagonist.
Also, the melodramatic proclamations of love in the final scene are jarring. There’s no real chemistry to speak of in the love scenes, so the love angle feels less like a legitimate development and more like a way for Spade to play tragic hero. I can’t help but compare the love we get here with Irene Adele’s introduction in “A Scandal in Bohemia”: “To Sherlock Holmes she is always THE woman.”
The ugly necessity of the “fall guy” elevates the story’s third act.
Love the steady inflation of stakes vis-a-via increasing bribes $200 is enough to put Miles in his grave—Spade bargains with a $10,000 envelope in hand by the story’s climax.
The bad: Hammet’s female characters are written almost entirely in service of their male counter-parts. Somebody tell Sam Spade to keep his hands to himself.
There’s a healthy sprinkling of homophobia and anti-semitism levied at Cairo, a minor antagonist.
Also, the melodramatic proclamations of love in the final scene are jarring. There’s no real chemistry to speak of in the love scenes, so the love angle feels less like a legitimate development and more like a way for Spade to play tragic hero. I can’t help but compare the love we get here with Irene Adele’s introduction in “A Scandal in Bohemia”: “To Sherlock Holmes she is always THE woman.”
Couldn't finish reading it, the writing style really wasn't for me and Sam Spade is one annoying mf
3.5
Not my genre, but PACKED with Noire if you're into that. Fast read. Many plots and pithy one-liners.
Not my genre, but PACKED with Noire if you're into that. Fast read. Many plots and pithy one-liners.
No matter how many of these early 20th century PI/Noir books I read, I just can't get into the genre. There seem to be a ton of them on the [b:1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die|452208|1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die|Peter Boxall|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320483996s/452208.jpg|814053] list, so I keep trying them thinking maybe I just haven't hit the right one yet. I guess it's just not for me. The mysteries don't excite me. I'm not left on the edge of my seat. I don't care about any of the characters. Frankly, I'm bored out of my mind as I read seemingly endless dialogue. If I could, I would give it a 2.5 star rating. I'm not sure that I will read any others from this genre anytime soon, unless someone can give me a convincing argument otherwise.
My third reading spread out over several decades and the book remains a tour de force of fiction, detective or otherwise -- a damn fine novel. With its third-person narration having no character POV (readers are never in any characters's head) the book unravels its mystery as main character Spade encounters it. Amazing and deft storytelling, the epitome of show, don't tell. Thrilling and satisfying.
This book was an odd read. The pacing for the first 5 chapters is insanely fast, and the whole book is quick like that, but after those first couple chapters, the story manages to catch up.
Also, for the first half of the book, I was so confused about what was happening. Which, I guess, is the point of a mystery novel.
Now, all of that said, I literally could not set this book down for very long. It was such an engaging read, and when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. It's a classic for a reason.
Also, for the first half of the book, I was so confused about what was happening. Which, I guess, is the point of a mystery novel.
Now, all of that said, I literally could not set this book down for very long. It was such an engaging read, and when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. It's a classic for a reason.
I would recommend reading this book before watching the movie, as I did that opposite. The writing is gripping and the story is fun and solid, but I can't get Bogart out of my head as Spade. I rarely laugh out loud to books, but reading how Spade constantly belittles a punk thug is hilarious! Fun book and great movie!
Lights, camera, action...
When luscious Miss Wonderly hires the detective firm of Spade and Archer to find her sister, who has run off with a man named Floyd Thursby, Sam Spade might not believe her story but he's happy to accept the $200 dollars she pays them upfront. So is Miles Archer, though his interest is more in the lady's lovely legs. The job turns out to be more than either partner bargains for though, when both Miles and then Floyd are shot dead. With Miss Wonderly begging for his help to protect her and find the Maltese Falcon of the title, Miles' wife hoping his death means she and Sam can finally be together, and the police accusing him of murdering Floyd in revenge for Miles' death, Spade is in trouble up to his neck. But nothing he can't handle...
Did Dashiell Hammett invent noir? I don't know, but Sam Spade is the earliest iconic noir detective, and the one that has spawned a zillion clones down the years. The book reads like a film, making it understandable why the film of the book works so well. Heavy on dialogue, the camera stays focused on Sam Spade at all times and yet we are never allowed inside his head. As he twists and lies and manoeuvres his way through the plot, the reader has no more idea than anyone else what his true intentions might be. Has he fallen for Miss Wonderly, aka Brigid O'Shaughnessy, or is he using her? Will he double-cross her and take the money offered by the mismatched baddies Casper Gutman and Joel Cairo? Or will he trick them all, and take the fabled golden bird for himself? It's only as the end plays out that we discover whether Spade does have some kind of moral code hidden beneath his smooth chain-smoking exterior.
It's a while since I watched the film, but it seems to me that the script stuck very closely to the book, and the casting was pretty much perfect. As a result, I could see the movie characters in my head while reading. It's not just the dialogue that makes the book feel so filmic. Hammett describes every movement that Spade makes in minute detail, from the fight scenes to the rolling of his endless cigarettes, and it gave me the impression of an obsessive director's notes on how he wanted his actors to play each scene. It also feels like a studio film – there's very little description of the world outside and the San Francisco setting could really have been any city in America. It's rare to have quite so little sense of place in a novel, and yet it works. Like a classy film-star, Spade is so compelling that the reader doesn't need to have the background filled out, and the great supporting cast of eccentric characters provides all the necessary contrast to highlight Spade's starring role.
I've seen lots of reviews comparing this book adversely to Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep. My preference is for this one. I found The Big Sleep messy plotwise, and the atmospheric writing didn't fully compensate for that. The plot of this one is tight and controlled, with each twist revealed at the perfect moment, and while the language may not be poetic, it sets a distinctive tone. The device of keeping the reader outside the thoughts of the characters works very effectively – ultimately the real mystery is nothing to do with the falcon, or even who killed Miles. It's about what will Spade do – who is he? He's neither likeable nor particularly admirable, but the enigma that surrounds his moral code makes him intriguing and fascinating. The book is, of course, horribly misogynistic and homophobic, but it was written nearly a century ago (1929) so I graciously forgive it, especially since Hammett manages to tell his gritty, twisted, violent tale without the need for any offensive language.
Orion have reissued this as part of a series they call 'Read a Great Movie' and I have to say that this, for me, was a perfect example of doing just that. I'll be checking to see what else is in the series...
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Orion Publishing Group.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
When luscious Miss Wonderly hires the detective firm of Spade and Archer to find her sister, who has run off with a man named Floyd Thursby, Sam Spade might not believe her story but he's happy to accept the $200 dollars she pays them upfront. So is Miles Archer, though his interest is more in the lady's lovely legs. The job turns out to be more than either partner bargains for though, when both Miles and then Floyd are shot dead. With Miss Wonderly begging for his help to protect her and find the Maltese Falcon of the title, Miles' wife hoping his death means she and Sam can finally be together, and the police accusing him of murdering Floyd in revenge for Miles' death, Spade is in trouble up to his neck. But nothing he can't handle...
Did Dashiell Hammett invent noir? I don't know, but Sam Spade is the earliest iconic noir detective, and the one that has spawned a zillion clones down the years. The book reads like a film, making it understandable why the film of the book works so well. Heavy on dialogue, the camera stays focused on Sam Spade at all times and yet we are never allowed inside his head. As he twists and lies and manoeuvres his way through the plot, the reader has no more idea than anyone else what his true intentions might be. Has he fallen for Miss Wonderly, aka Brigid O'Shaughnessy, or is he using her? Will he double-cross her and take the money offered by the mismatched baddies Casper Gutman and Joel Cairo? Or will he trick them all, and take the fabled golden bird for himself? It's only as the end plays out that we discover whether Spade does have some kind of moral code hidden beneath his smooth chain-smoking exterior.
“When a man's partner is killed he's supposed to do something about it. It doesn't make any difference what you thought of him. He was your partner and you're supposed to do something about it. Then it happens we were in the detective business. Well, when one of your organization gets killed it's bad business to let the killer get away with it. It's bad all around-bad for that one organization, bad for every detective everywhere.”
It's a while since I watched the film, but it seems to me that the script stuck very closely to the book, and the casting was pretty much perfect. As a result, I could see the movie characters in my head while reading. It's not just the dialogue that makes the book feel so filmic. Hammett describes every movement that Spade makes in minute detail, from the fight scenes to the rolling of his endless cigarettes, and it gave me the impression of an obsessive director's notes on how he wanted his actors to play each scene. It also feels like a studio film – there's very little description of the world outside and the San Francisco setting could really have been any city in America. It's rare to have quite so little sense of place in a novel, and yet it works. Like a classy film-star, Spade is so compelling that the reader doesn't need to have the background filled out, and the great supporting cast of eccentric characters provides all the necessary contrast to highlight Spade's starring role.
I've seen lots of reviews comparing this book adversely to Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep. My preference is for this one. I found The Big Sleep messy plotwise, and the atmospheric writing didn't fully compensate for that. The plot of this one is tight and controlled, with each twist revealed at the perfect moment, and while the language may not be poetic, it sets a distinctive tone. The device of keeping the reader outside the thoughts of the characters works very effectively – ultimately the real mystery is nothing to do with the falcon, or even who killed Miles. It's about what will Spade do – who is he? He's neither likeable nor particularly admirable, but the enigma that surrounds his moral code makes him intriguing and fascinating. The book is, of course, horribly misogynistic and homophobic, but it was written nearly a century ago (1929) so I graciously forgive it, especially since Hammett manages to tell his gritty, twisted, violent tale without the need for any offensive language.
Gutman smiled benignly at him and said: “Well, Wilmer, I'm sorry indeed to lose you, and I want you to know that I couldn't be any fonder of you if you were my own son; but – well, by Gad! - if you lose a son it's possible to get another – and there's only one Maltese falcon.”
Orion have reissued this as part of a series they call 'Read a Great Movie' and I have to say that this, for me, was a perfect example of doing just that. I'll be checking to see what else is in the series...
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Orion Publishing Group.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Crime fiction does not get better than this. Hammett's atmospheric prose puts you smack in the middle of 1930 San Francisco. Enjoy with a plate of "chops, baked potato and sliced tomatoes."