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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
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.
Enjoyed this. So much happens (in a span of 1 week? 2 weeks?) but it all comes together at the end, and I was stumped right up to it. Chandler writes like no other, though the language is not always kind. Why do I still get (pleasantly) surprised that a "classic" author is so good?
there's was so much racism in this book, i could barely see the misogyny
an enormous step up from the first one in plotting, in atmosphere, in character work, in humor, etc. where the big sleep created the foggy, impenetrable feel through a convoluted plot that never got fully cleared up, here that tone is faithfully recreated-- with an extra doped-up, brain-damaged layer on top-- but in a story where everything comes together, themes are more fully elucidated, every element of the story is in service to each other one.
plus it's also a masterclass in the first person narrative voice. seriously, read this and pay attention if you're writing a book in first person. watch how chandler has marlowe remove himself from so many observations. watch how the story of a little pink bug turns from just a way to indicate marlowe's boredom to a defining statement of his character. and watch lines like "now do something really tough and put your pants on" make you laugh out loud (or maybe that's just me)
plus it's also a masterclass in the first person narrative voice. seriously, read this and pay attention if you're writing a book in first person. watch how chandler has marlowe remove himself from so many observations. watch how the story of a little pink bug turns from just a way to indicate marlowe's boredom to a defining statement of his character. and watch lines like "now do something really tough and put your pants on" make you laugh out loud (or maybe that's just me)
I give it the 4th star because I love detective novels, really this is more of a 3 1/2. Some of the slang was so heavy I had difficulty following the plot at times. Still there were a lot of good witty lines, as usual, and some nice ruminations on society and cops and big-time crooks. I didn't realize until I read the introduction that Chandler was actually English.
Side-note: the casual racism has not aged well.
Side-note: the casual racism has not aged well.
Chandler, in the guise of Philip Marlowe, is always witty and interesting, and Farewell My Lovely is no exception.
The private eye is a liberal mix of intelligence and toughness, and his street smarts are, generally, the only thing that keep him alive.
Marlowe's dialogue stays with you long after the book is finished, a really smart, sassy mix of cultural references and film noir speak.
The book does feature a substantial amount of racial language and references which can be difficult to stomach for a modern reader, I would warn any readers about that.
But in the canon of MArlowe tales, it's another winner, and a must-read for crime fans.
The private eye is a liberal mix of intelligence and toughness, and his street smarts are, generally, the only thing that keep him alive.
Marlowe's dialogue stays with you long after the book is finished, a really smart, sassy mix of cultural references and film noir speak.
The book does feature a substantial amount of racial language and references which can be difficult to stomach for a modern reader, I would warn any readers about that.
But in the canon of MArlowe tales, it's another winner, and a must-read for crime fans.
This was my 2nd book for Noir November, the 2nd book I've read by Raymond Chandler and I think it was his 2nd novel. I was disappointed that I didn't enjoy Farewell, My Lovely as much as I did The Big Sleep. For me, Farewell, My Lovely, was more disjointed and uneven, making it a little more of a difficult read than I expected. I enjoyed many passages, especially in the middle where it seems like the story was chugging along. However, I found the beginning and parts along the way, awkward and my visualization of what was going on was just not working well. Dialog between Marlowe and characters would be going along nicely, then, WAM! something would happen quick and I wouldn't immediately catch what it was. I was often going back and rereading sections. Chandler wrapped it up fairly neatly but many of the characters that seemed important to the story were merely window dressing so maybe they could have been avoided altogether to tighten the story. As others have mentioned this was a combination of three stories he had written and I definitely liked one of them. Chandler's writing and dialog is so clever and fun to read I'll keep going with him and just hope for a smoother ride next time around.
I didn't like this one as much as The Big Sleep. I'm not sure if all the racial slurs and stereotypes got in the way or if my mindset was just different than with The Big Sleep. Even so, I enjoy Chandler's writing: the descriptions, the barbs and insults, and the overall attitude that permeates the novel. Marlowe is great and terrible at the same time. Today's "hard-boiled," anti-hero policemen and detectives, wish they were Phillip Marlowe.