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denitsadd's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
brianlokker's review against another edition
4.0
Nobody writes L.A. noir quite like Raymond Chandler (although James Ellroy is no slouch).
In The Little Sister, Chandler’s fifth book featuring private detective Philip Marlowe, readers are treated to a portrait of late-1940s Los Angeles as seen through Marlowe’s weary, cynical eyes. Marlowe muses that he used to like L.A., but he doesn’t like the way it’s changed. Much of it, including his own “scrubby little office,” is down at the heels. The sheen of the city streets at night is manufactured and fake:
“I drove on past the gaudy neons and the false fronts behind them, the sleazy hamburger joints that look like palaces under the colors, the circular drive-ins as gay as circuses with the chipper hard-eyed carhops, the brilliant counters, and the sweaty greasy kitchens that would have poisoned a toad.”
When a plain young woman from Manhattan, Kansas, with the preposterous name of Orfamay Quest visits him in his office and asks him to locate her brother, he’s not too impressed with her either, but out of boredom he agrees to take on the case for the grand sum of $20. Marlowe figures it won’t be too tough to track down the brother, but before he knows it he’s knee-deep in gangsters, thugs, blackmailers, and other shady characters. And there may be more to Orfamay and her story about her brother than meets the eye.
The brother’s trail leads Marlowe into Hollywood, and it’s no surprise that Marlowe is pretty cynical about that glamor factory and its denizens too.
“Wonderful what Hollywood will do to a nobody. It will make a radiant glamour queen out of a drab little wench who ought to be ironing a truck driver’s shirts, a he-man hero with shining eyes and brilliant smile reeking of sexual charm out of some overgrown kid who was meant to go to work with a lunchbox. Out of a Texas car hop with the literacy of a character in a comic strip it will make an international courtesan, married six times to six millionaires and so blasé and decadent at the end of it that her idea of a thrill is to seduce a furniture mover in a sweaty undershirt.”
But Marlowe is a man of principle who will do what it takes to find the truth and set things right, even if he has to skirt the law to do it, and even if he’s being used in the process by people with their own agendas.
If you like noir detective stories, you can’t miss with The Little Sister. It’s got everything — guns, girls, grit, and glamor, and of course, the world-weary, wise-cracking detective. Marlowe claims he’s not hard-boiled, that he’s a very sensitive guy. You can reach your own conclusion, but I’d say he’s both.
In The Little Sister, Chandler’s fifth book featuring private detective Philip Marlowe, readers are treated to a portrait of late-1940s Los Angeles as seen through Marlowe’s weary, cynical eyes. Marlowe muses that he used to like L.A., but he doesn’t like the way it’s changed. Much of it, including his own “scrubby little office,” is down at the heels. The sheen of the city streets at night is manufactured and fake:
“I drove on past the gaudy neons and the false fronts behind them, the sleazy hamburger joints that look like palaces under the colors, the circular drive-ins as gay as circuses with the chipper hard-eyed carhops, the brilliant counters, and the sweaty greasy kitchens that would have poisoned a toad.”
When a plain young woman from Manhattan, Kansas, with the preposterous name of Orfamay Quest visits him in his office and asks him to locate her brother, he’s not too impressed with her either, but out of boredom he agrees to take on the case for the grand sum of $20. Marlowe figures it won’t be too tough to track down the brother, but before he knows it he’s knee-deep in gangsters, thugs, blackmailers, and other shady characters. And there may be more to Orfamay and her story about her brother than meets the eye.
The brother’s trail leads Marlowe into Hollywood, and it’s no surprise that Marlowe is pretty cynical about that glamor factory and its denizens too.
“Wonderful what Hollywood will do to a nobody. It will make a radiant glamour queen out of a drab little wench who ought to be ironing a truck driver’s shirts, a he-man hero with shining eyes and brilliant smile reeking of sexual charm out of some overgrown kid who was meant to go to work with a lunchbox. Out of a Texas car hop with the literacy of a character in a comic strip it will make an international courtesan, married six times to six millionaires and so blasé and decadent at the end of it that her idea of a thrill is to seduce a furniture mover in a sweaty undershirt.”
But Marlowe is a man of principle who will do what it takes to find the truth and set things right, even if he has to skirt the law to do it, and even if he’s being used in the process by people with their own agendas.
If you like noir detective stories, you can’t miss with The Little Sister. It’s got everything — guns, girls, grit, and glamor, and of course, the world-weary, wise-cracking detective. Marlowe claims he’s not hard-boiled, that he’s a very sensitive guy. You can reach your own conclusion, but I’d say he’s both.
astrangerhere's review against another edition
4.0
A bit more tawdry than Chandler's prior novels, but still a helluva noir ride. I have enjoyed this noir self-challenge immensely this year.
natalie001's review against another edition
dark
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
3.0
vondrake's review against another edition
5.0
Another amazing Chandler book. Philip Marlowe tries to help a seemingly innocent client, but of course finds himself wrapped up in a Hollywood scandal.
pedanther's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Drug use, Police brutality, Sexual content, Homophobia, and Racism
jwmcoaching's review against another edition
4.0
This was a great reminder for me why Chandler is considered such a master; his writing is unparalleled when it comes to crime fiction. Ironically, Chandler is frequently crap when it comes to plot, but a wizard when it comes to description and characterization. The Little Sister is hardly ever mentioned among his more well-known works, but it's really, really good and very underrated. The descriptions of Marlowe's mental digressions are sublime, along with the always sparkling dialogue. The plot, of course, gets bogged down near the end and he keeps throwing in one too many red herrings and too many endings, but that's just Chandler for you. This was also a complete contrast to Trouble is My Business, which I read last month. This reminded me that the reason I was so disappointed with that is that it focused almost completely on plot, which is what Chandler is weakest at doing. This was much more about great dialogue and descriptions of a lost era.
jakewritesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Probably my favorite Marlowe after The Big Sleep. I don't know if it was age or what but Chandler's plots have gotten less convoluted (though this one still kind of is but is easier to follow) and his dialogue snaps. This one is a bit of an anti-Hollywood polemic but is still a readable tale. The whole Los-Angeles-the-fallen-city routine is beyond cliche now but it felt original and authentic here from Chandler.
jurassicreader's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
miramanga's review against another edition
3.0
Every girl that Marlowe meets wants to kiss him. That's because Chandler writes him so well.