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tamararama's review
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
pachypedia's review against another edition
3.0
Es lo primero que leo de Chandler y la verdad es que me ha decepcionado un poquito... Marlowe no es el personaje carismático que me esperaba, sino que simplemente es un duro, sin más ni más. Además, la historia se desarrolla de una forma muy lenta, y las 200 páginas parecían 500.
batbones's review against another edition
4.0
Chandler's rendition of romance is usually more conservative than Parker's, who made this novel's romantic moments rather cheesy/steamy and out-of-character at some points. That aside, it was a very impressive effort at finishing what he had started and was not able to complete. The reviews on the cover claim the subtlety of the seam, and they are by and large correct. Chandler's style is characteristic but slippery, and Parker manages to convey and sustain the atmosphere one has sad nostalgia for after finishing the rest of the Marlowe series. His attempt at something this difficult was very brave and strikingly accurate. Where the familiar sparkle begins to fail (the writing for the first few chapters seems more floppy than usual) it was Chandler who seemed to be losing his touch (with the premise? with Marlowe's nearly-frantically blunt attempts to save his dignity and not be a 'kept' husband?), and Parker who mounts a restorative attempt to the old stories one remembers too well with his take on clever comebacks. Regrettably, this novel was lacking in those memorable quiet intermittent times where Marlowe (over a sorry meal, or with a cup of coffee or alcohol of his choice) does a running commentary on the vacuous windows of city dwellings and the lonely people in it, filling up with conversation where these parts would've been, but that's a minor point compared to what Parker has actually achieved.
mickeymole's review against another edition
4.0
Having read and loved all of Chandler's Marlowe novels, I came to this one timidly, thinking no one would be able to capture Marlowe and his time. I know of Parker's reputation with his Spenser novels, but I haven't read them. That will change after reading "Poodle Springs". The story was good, and Parker came fairly close with most of the dialogue. The only thing that really got on my nerves was the way Marlowe talked to his wife. I could understand what Parker was trying to do, but I just thought it stupid. It may have not been so disrupting if it had been once or twice, but it just went on and on. Drove me nuts. Other than that, it was nice to have another Marlowe story. There were a few quotes that tickled me as well.
"He rummaged the cheap Scotch out of the drawer and poured some into a couple of paper cups. I had a swallow. It tasted like something you'd take for mange."
"Hollywood Boulevard looked like it always did in the morning, like a hooker with her make-up off."
Chapter 11 was probably the best dialogue of the novel, with Marlowe interacting with the guests at his wife's party.
Marlowe being married just didn't work, and was totally unnecessary and distracting.
"He rummaged the cheap Scotch out of the drawer and poured some into a couple of paper cups. I had a swallow. It tasted like something you'd take for mange."
"Hollywood Boulevard looked like it always did in the morning, like a hooker with her make-up off."
Chapter 11 was probably the best dialogue of the novel, with Marlowe interacting with the guests at his wife's party.
Marlowe being married just didn't work, and was totally unnecessary and distracting.
hsblechman's review against another edition
4.0
I really thought this book would be awful, but then it wasn't. At all. It was actually quite good. The mystery is fine, and Parker captures Chandler's voice and style remarkably well. It's one of the better Marlowe books not written by Chandler that I've read.
steg's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.0
jakekilroy's review against another edition
4.0
I don't know how much was Chandler and how much was Parker, but this may be the most in-line outing of a new writer completing another author's unfinished final novel featuring a beloved character in a popular series after they pass, at least that I've come across. As a whole, all the elements of a fun, squirrelly dance of violence and wisecracks are here. There's just perhaps an irreplaceable heart missing somewhere beneath it all. Parker does both Chandler and Marlowe justice, but it's a bit of a slow dance instead of a rambunctious dance floor. But that may also have to do with ol' self-assured firecracker at odds with himself in a marriage he wants to see work, despite him being a man unto himself. So he goes.
bundy23's review against another edition
4.0
Very short, not as many twists and turns as expected and Marlowe isn't as much of a dick (actual not private) as usual... I liked it much more than expected.
edboies's review against another edition
3.0
Half Chandler and almost a parody of him but then isn't the rest if it almost a parody as well. Fun!