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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
As I've come to expect from Chandler's classic PI stories, this book had style, sass, intrigue and more 1930s glamour than you can shake a stick at. This series embodies everything I want from the genre; the dames, the danger and the devil-may-care attitude. Phillip Marlowe (the MC) is the epitome of Private Dicks, and what these stories may lack in [worthwhile] substance, they more than make up for in style.
The truth is, I can't help but feel that Chandler was just trying too hard to impress his audience with his cleverness when coming up with his plotlines. They tend to become convoluted, with the involvement of too many (unnecessary) characters, dozens of possible outcomes and enough red herrings to feed a flock of gulls (even the greedy ones from round my way).
The plotline of this particular story suffered from all of the maladies listed above, but I found it to be an improvement on its predecessor ([b:The Big Sleep|2052|The Big Sleep|Raymond Chandler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1371584712l/2052._SY75_.jpg|1222673]). It was more polished, and the ending was a good fit too.
It's worth noting that the book hasn't aged well. Lots of racist terminology (including the n word) and there was a scene when Marlowe continually mentioned his disgust at how a Native American character smelt. There was some sexism to boot, so just be warned about these issues when going into it.
I listened to the audiobook and I can't praise the casting director highly enough. The narrator's voice is exactly what I always imagined a PI from the '30s to sound like (no shade - this is probably one of the best compliments I can dole out, to be honest). Bravo.
This book (and - despite having only read two from it so far - the series) is pure escapism from modern day life and it earned three stars for style alone. It was a good, fun read and - as before - I had a blast listening along. Perfect for reading on holiday, or when you just want something shamelessly glamourous to take you away from the drudgery of normal life.
As I've come to expect from Chandler's classic PI stories, this book had style, sass, intrigue and more 1930s glamour than you can shake a stick at. This series embodies everything I want from the genre; the dames, the danger and the devil-may-care attitude. Phillip Marlowe (the MC) is the epitome of Private Dicks, and what these stories may lack in [worthwhile] substance, they more than make up for in style.
The truth is, I can't help but feel that Chandler was just trying too hard to impress his audience with his cleverness when coming up with his plotlines. They tend to become convoluted, with the involvement of too many (unnecessary) characters, dozens of possible outcomes and enough red herrings to feed a flock of gulls (even the greedy ones from round my way).
The plotline of this particular story suffered from all of the maladies listed above, but I found it to be an improvement on its predecessor ([b:The Big Sleep|2052|The Big Sleep|Raymond Chandler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1371584712l/2052._SY75_.jpg|1222673]). It was more polished, and the ending was a good fit too.
It's worth noting that the book hasn't aged well. Lots of racist terminology (including the n word) and there was a scene when Marlowe continually mentioned his disgust at how a Native American character smelt. There was some sexism to boot, so just be warned about these issues when going into it.
I listened to the audiobook and I can't praise the casting director highly enough. The narrator's voice is exactly what I always imagined a PI from the '30s to sound like (no shade - this is probably one of the best compliments I can dole out, to be honest). Bravo.
This book (and - despite having only read two from it so far - the series) is pure escapism from modern day life and it earned three stars for style alone. It was a good, fun read and - as before - I had a blast listening along. Perfect for reading on holiday, or when you just want something shamelessly glamourous to take you away from the drudgery of normal life.
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Confession the first: I took a film noir class at university and, for the most part, hated it.
Crime fiction has never grabbed me. I forget characters’ names (particularly if they have nicknames or their first and second names are used interchangeably); I inevitably lose track of who is on which side; and by the time a character is reintroduced, I seldom remember why they were involved in the first place. And what’s with the constant descriptions of every piece of furniture?!
Confession the second: It took me about 3 reads of the first 2 chapters before I decided not to give up on this book.
Enough of my shortcomings as a reader. Admittedly, I’m glad I stuck with it.
Farewell, My Lovely is the story of Philip Marlowe, a private detective who is corralled into the company of the less-than-obsequious Moose Malloy, who, in search of his lost love Velma, shoots and murders a black man in a bar. While in search of Malloy, Marlowe digs his teeth into a case involving jewel thieves. Inevitably, the plots merge.
Despite my resistance, Chandler’s descriptions, replete with stunning metaphors and turns of phrase, allowed me to cast aside my issues with over-exposition and enjoy the ebb and flow.
The verdict? I'm glad I gave it a whirl. Since Farewell, My Lovely is widely considered Chandler's best work, however, I'm in no rush to delve further into his bibliography.
http://unculturedcritic.blogspot.com
Crime fiction has never grabbed me. I forget characters’ names (particularly if they have nicknames or their first and second names are used interchangeably); I inevitably lose track of who is on which side; and by the time a character is reintroduced, I seldom remember why they were involved in the first place. And what’s with the constant descriptions of every piece of furniture?!
Confession the second: It took me about 3 reads of the first 2 chapters before I decided not to give up on this book.
Enough of my shortcomings as a reader. Admittedly, I’m glad I stuck with it.
Farewell, My Lovely is the story of Philip Marlowe, a private detective who is corralled into the company of the less-than-obsequious Moose Malloy, who, in search of his lost love Velma, shoots and murders a black man in a bar. While in search of Malloy, Marlowe digs his teeth into a case involving jewel thieves. Inevitably, the plots merge.
Despite my resistance, Chandler’s descriptions, replete with stunning metaphors and turns of phrase, allowed me to cast aside my issues with over-exposition and enjoy the ebb and flow.
The verdict? I'm glad I gave it a whirl. Since Farewell, My Lovely is widely considered Chandler's best work, however, I'm in no rush to delve further into his bibliography.
http://unculturedcritic.blogspot.com
Farewell five stars? Chandler's second novel, my third of his I read and my first non-5-star rating. I really liked his first novel, The Big Sleep and then found The Long Goodbye, published 14 years later, to be an excellent read and hardboiled social commentary. I was looking forward to Farewell, My Lovely and left not upset but not happy.
The hardboiled lingo he used so well in The Big Sleep was fleshed out with too many descriptive words in this book. It reminded me of advice I received in a writing class about how much description to use and how you should hit so many senses with each sentence. The crisp, rapid-fire pace of his other books, and the genre in general, is slowed down so much that it was a chore to read some sections. When Chandler dropped into dialogue mode, his touch returned, but the narrative never matched the pace of his characters talking to each other. While that was my bigger beef, I wasn't as interested in the plot line in this novel. It seemed forced, less believable and with too many two-dimensional characters.
If you want to read Chandler, start with The Long Goodbye. So far, that's been my favorite book of his and it earned a spot on my favorites bookshelf.
The hardboiled lingo he used so well in The Big Sleep was fleshed out with too many descriptive words in this book. It reminded me of advice I received in a writing class about how much description to use and how you should hit so many senses with each sentence. The crisp, rapid-fire pace of his other books, and the genre in general, is slowed down so much that it was a chore to read some sections. When Chandler dropped into dialogue mode, his touch returned, but the narrative never matched the pace of his characters talking to each other. While that was my bigger beef, I wasn't as interested in the plot line in this novel. It seemed forced, less believable and with too many two-dimensional characters.
If you want to read Chandler, start with The Long Goodbye. So far, that's been my favorite book of his and it earned a spot on my favorites bookshelf.
The smirk never left my face as I read this. What dialogue! What turns of phrases! This was so much better to me than The Big Sleep. I can't wait to read everything Chandler has written.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Insufferable
Another Philip Marlowe novels knocks it out of the park!
This one lives up to the gold standard I've come to expect from Raymond Chandler, full of unlikely conference of multiple plots, suspicious dames, heavy drinking and blows, and a detective that just doesn't know when to quit. If you like any other Marlowe novel, you'll like this one. If you prefer the hectic nature of Dashiell Hammett, you might find this one slightly closer in nature than most in the series.
This one lives up to the gold standard I've come to expect from Raymond Chandler, full of unlikely conference of multiple plots, suspicious dames, heavy drinking and blows, and a detective that just doesn't know when to quit. If you like any other Marlowe novel, you'll like this one. If you prefer the hectic nature of Dashiell Hammett, you might find this one slightly closer in nature than most in the series.
A private dick finds himself in the wrong place at the right time to get caught up in melodrama involving jewel thieves, a murder, a fortune-teller, a couple more murders, corruption, gangster's molls and all manner of seediness.
So we have all the makings of a rollicking tale, and Raymond Chander's second novel is very much that. With a punchy prose-style, his tone of voice, his oft-imitated (but seldom matched style) overcomes any sense of ludicrousness of the plot twists and turns.
Well worth chasing down and reading.
So we have all the makings of a rollicking tale, and Raymond Chander's second novel is very much that. With a punchy prose-style, his tone of voice, his oft-imitated (but seldom matched style) overcomes any sense of ludicrousness of the plot twists and turns.
Well worth chasing down and reading.