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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
I heard that the Big Lebowski was indirectly inspired by Chandler's writing - and after reading this, I can see it - ridiculous characters, great dialogue, and improbable scenarios that make for a crazy story but are ultimately unimportant in the denouement of the central mystery. I love the Big Lebowski and I kind of loved this book.
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:
Complicated
I started reading Raymond Chandler's novels to complete my thriller culture. I thought I would find that same cliché of the solitary and invincible detective laying down the law in the streets of Los Angeles. So yes, it's partly true, but the novel is not just a story of gangsters; the essential lies in Chandler's talent: the atmosphere, the intrigue, and the writing are remarkable.
The story begins with an unusual encounter. Marlowe meets a man distinguished by a build "no wider than a tank truck." The behemoth enters a bar frequented by African Americans, and in less than a minute, one of the customers had ejected from the establishment—an excellent glide. The detective, intrigued, enters the bar in turn. And here, he is drawn into a tortuous story that will take him to the living rooms of a millionaire, a medium or an alcoholic slut, a clandestine clinic, or the holds of a boat transformed into a casino.
I particularly liked Chandler's style. He knows how to be lyrical and uses images like that of a beetle stuck in a police building to illustrate Marlowe's state of mind. And then there are these images that I find lovely. Here are two examples: "The moist air was cold as the ashes of a dead love" and "the voice became as cold as a canteen meal." The novel is very well written and has an old-fashioned touch (busty blondes, crooked police officers, Italian mobsters), giving it a natural charm. A favorite!
The story begins with an unusual encounter. Marlowe meets a man distinguished by a build "no wider than a tank truck." The behemoth enters a bar frequented by African Americans, and in less than a minute, one of the customers had ejected from the establishment—an excellent glide. The detective, intrigued, enters the bar in turn. And here, he is drawn into a tortuous story that will take him to the living rooms of a millionaire, a medium or an alcoholic slut, a clandestine clinic, or the holds of a boat transformed into a casino.
I particularly liked Chandler's style. He knows how to be lyrical and uses images like that of a beetle stuck in a police building to illustrate Marlowe's state of mind. And then there are these images that I find lovely. Here are two examples: "The moist air was cold as the ashes of a dead love" and "the voice became as cold as a canteen meal." The novel is very well written and has an old-fashioned touch (busty blondes, crooked police officers, Italian mobsters), giving it a natural charm. A favorite!
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Chandler at his best is one of the most glorious experiences you can have in crime fiction. His writing is eloquent and lean, there is no excess fat in his novels. No unneeded dialogue,no meandering plot. Just sharp hard boiled crime. I'm not going to explain the plot, just read it. Marlowe is one of the greatest fictional detectives there is and each of chandlers novels is a great excuse to be in his company. N
Raymond Chandler’s “The Big Sleep” is a more engaging pulp tale, but his next trip into the Los Angeles crime underbelly, “Farewell, My Lovely,” may be a more vivid portrait of private eye Philip Marlow. His alcoholism is criticized, he’s described as both rugged and handsome and he takes quite a beating throughout this tale of corruption and romance. Once again, Chandler paints expressive pictures of nightlife and criminality, further cementing his legacy as one of noir’s founding fathers. If there were a Mount Rushmore dedicated to the style’s novelists, Chandler would be front and center.
Always gonna love the hard boiled dialogue. So quotable and absurd. Things just aren’t like they used to be.
Sorta interesting twist at the end, I burned through it, but just didn’t quite have the je ne se quois
Sorta interesting twist at the end, I burned through it, but just didn’t quite have the je ne se quois
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
medium-paced