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jamelon13's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
loddytops's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
justinmorlock's review against another edition
1.0
There's something sickening about realizing just how many beloved classics of literature are disgustingly homophobic and filled with female characters that exist only for the purpose of manifesting straight male machismo-based fantasies. Gross book! Glad I don't have much else for books written by old straight men on my shelf left at this rate.
miranda_coward03's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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? No
natalumizz's review against another edition
1.0
I see how this book might have been ground-breaking in 1939, but today - it's just cliché. The plot was ridiculously convoluted and hard to follow, the payoff was not worth it.
Our main character is an "alpha male" but also "not like other boys..". He's just smarter than everyone else. Everything always goes his way. Even when going in blind, completely unprepared, he still comes out on top without a scratch. Miraculous or convenient?
Second, I know this was written in different time and some leeway should be given, but it still astounded me how misogynistic & homophobic this book was. Every woman was a sex-craved half-wit.. Every other guy was a faggot.. Not to mention the all the violence, especially towards women. Oh, she's drugged? I should repeatedly hit her in the face to help her sober up! Oh, it's not helping? Let's hit her some more! ...Brilliant.
Overall, we should leave this "classic" in the past, where it belongs.
Our main character is an "alpha male" but also "not like other boys..". He's just smarter than everyone else. Everything always goes his way. Even when going in blind, completely unprepared, he still comes out on top without a scratch. Miraculous or convenient?
Second, I know this was written in different time and some leeway should be given, but it still astounded me how misogynistic & homophobic this book was. Every woman was a sex-craved half-wit.. Every other guy was a faggot.. Not to mention the all the violence, especially towards women. Oh, she's drugged? I should repeatedly hit her in the face to help her sober up! Oh, it's not helping? Let's hit her some more! ...Brilliant.
Overall, we should leave this "classic" in the past, where it belongs.
bigaaal's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
3.25
bluejay21's review
dark
mysterious
tense
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
4.0
sydsnot71's review against another edition
4.0
This is a fine book. I kept thinking I'd read it before but I think that's because I've seen the superb Bogart/Bacall film version several times and they sort of blurred into each other on occasions.
Marlowe is the last true hero pushing on in the face of threats and danger. He can resist a dame when he knows he's being played. And he knows when he's being played. He gets a great speech here to Mrs Regan where he lays out his philosophy. He's smart and cool as a cucumber fresh out of the fridge. He's both a cynic and a romantic. Indeed, there's a quote from 'The Tall Guy', which I think sums I'm Marlowe: "I'm not a cynic. I'm a romantic who is consistently proved wrong."
The plot twists and turns. There are dames. There's a great butler. There's a gangster. The type of gangster who keeps his hands clean because he's got other people to do the dirty work. So, of course, there's a killer. Actually, there are several killers but one of them is the kind of dirty, professional cold-hearted thug.
Chandler's writing is so economic. There's barely a word wasted. He can find a great turn of phrase when he needs to. Especially when describing the women in the book. Mrs Regan's introduction, in particular, is fine writing.
Yes, he - or Marlowe - has a low opinion of women. Whether this is just a symbol of his times, the genre he's writing or Chandler's own opinions I don't know. I do now want to know more about Chandler himself.
But give it a read. You'll thank me one day.
Marlowe is the last true hero pushing on in the face of threats and danger. He can resist a dame when he knows he's being played. And he knows when he's being played. He gets a great speech here to Mrs Regan where he lays out his philosophy. He's smart and cool as a cucumber fresh out of the fridge. He's both a cynic and a romantic. Indeed, there's a quote from 'The Tall Guy', which I think sums I'm Marlowe: "I'm not a cynic. I'm a romantic who is consistently proved wrong."
The plot twists and turns. There are dames. There's a great butler. There's a gangster. The type of gangster who keeps his hands clean because he's got other people to do the dirty work. So, of course, there's a killer. Actually, there are several killers but one of them is the kind of dirty, professional cold-hearted thug.
Chandler's writing is so economic. There's barely a word wasted. He can find a great turn of phrase when he needs to. Especially when describing the women in the book. Mrs Regan's introduction, in particular, is fine writing.
Yes, he - or Marlowe - has a low opinion of women. Whether this is just a symbol of his times, the genre he's writing or Chandler's own opinions I don't know. I do now want to know more about Chandler himself.
But give it a read. You'll thank me one day.
a_writer_guy's review against another edition
3.0
It's hard to review a book that was written so long ago, especially something like this. It's just a whole different point of view and beliefs. A lot of sexism and off-handed homophobia. If you can just kind of move past that and remember it's just part of the time period that this book was written, it's really quite a good story. Raymond Chandler basically invented the detective novel so reading his work is reading history. Overall, it was a pretty fun read.