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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this book because I came to love Philip Marlowe. He's a funny mix of hard and soft, sentimental and cynical, funny and serious, dangerous and kind. He's a sweetheart generally, and I absolutely adored him. His nonchalant charm carried me through a confusing and sprawling plot, and through the dated racism of the writing. Definitely going to read more of these, simply for the protagonist.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
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
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
I inhaled some of my drink. "It's not that kind of story ," I said. "It's not lithe and clever. It's just dark and full of blood "
This book is notably dated - racist and sexist - and I felt increasingly uncomfortable as I was reading it until I had to put it down.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism
Almost felt like a "noir parody" - but I liked it! Weird reading the original noir author!
I'm a huge fan of Chandler's unique style and originality. He was a true artist in the way he painted word pictures. Dozens of times as I'm reading his stories, I'll stop and want to underline or highlight or jot down a phrase, sentence, metaphor, or description that jumped out at me as being clever or brilliant or fresh, or funny in a sardonic way. The best part of his skill is that the voice is totally consistent with Marlowe the character. Often times a writer will craft a good line or lovely metaphor that seems exceptional but doesn't fit with the scene or the character.
His plots aren't predictable and have plenty of twists to keep the reader guessing the killer's identity. Characters other than the police are well-drawn. However, everyone seems to have a depressed, negative, perhaps cynical outlook on life (especially Marlowe). But that's consistent with Noir, so readers should be aware that this is not an uplifting book with any sort of happy ending, although Marlowe solves the case, of course.
I've become a huge fan of Noir mysteries from this era because writers like Hammett and Chandler painted such believable settings and characters in a world that was nothing like today's world. They make for a dark yet entertaining escape from 21st-century life.
His plots aren't predictable and have plenty of twists to keep the reader guessing the killer's identity. Characters other than the police are well-drawn. However, everyone seems to have a depressed, negative, perhaps cynical outlook on life (especially Marlowe). But that's consistent with Noir, so readers should be aware that this is not an uplifting book with any sort of happy ending, although Marlowe solves the case, of course.
I've become a huge fan of Noir mysteries from this era because writers like Hammett and Chandler painted such believable settings and characters in a world that was nothing like today's world. They make for a dark yet entertaining escape from 21st-century life.
Oh, who cares about modernism and the avant guard when we have Marlowe's narration, his intelligence, his wit, and his self loathing. Perfection.