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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
This is the third book in the Marlowe series that I am reading. And I must admit that I understand why it is so popular. There is an undeniable charm to these stories.
First of all, Marlowe himself has his own specific charm, which also results from the fact that he is a completely unreal character. He is a tough guy who, against all odds, strives for justice as he understands it. No woman is immune to his allure. And the number of times someone tries to kill or beats him is almost absurd. And yet he works great as the main character of the series and has become a model for other similar characters.
I think I liked the plot of this book the least of those I've read, which does not mean that it was a bad book. But I think the plot is rather complicated and it is not necessary. There are several threads here that, at one point or another, connect and intersect. There are also a lot of characters, although fortunately they are quite easy to distinguish. Even if determining who played what role in this story is a little more difficult. And that's what I mean when I say this story is unnecessarily complicated. Of course, the final answers to the whole story turn out to be very simple.
Despite what I wrote above, I had a lot of fun reading this book. Marlowe is the main character you want to follow through this story. It always seemed to me that he was one step ahead of me, that he saw something that I did not notice. And while that wasn't always true, it felt good.
First of all, Marlowe himself has his own specific charm, which also results from the fact that he is a completely unreal character. He is a tough guy who, against all odds, strives for justice as he understands it. No woman is immune to his allure. And the number of times someone tries to kill or beats him is almost absurd. And yet he works great as the main character of the series and has become a model for other similar characters.
I think I liked the plot of this book the least of those I've read, which does not mean that it was a bad book. But I think the plot is rather complicated and it is not necessary. There are several threads here that, at one point or another, connect and intersect. There are also a lot of characters, although fortunately they are quite easy to distinguish. Even if determining who played what role in this story is a little more difficult. And that's what I mean when I say this story is unnecessarily complicated. Of course, the final answers to the whole story turn out to be very simple.
Despite what I wrote above, I had a lot of fun reading this book. Marlowe is the main character you want to follow through this story. It always seemed to me that he was one step ahead of me, that he saw something that I did not notice. And while that wasn't always true, it felt good.
Classic hardboiled crime novel. Marlowe is a detective force to be reckoned with.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
P.I. Philip Marlowe gets caught up in an investigation when he meets Moose Malloy, who is looking for Velma, the love of his life
A great well-written and entertaining re-read
A great well-written and entertaining re-read
Iconic Los Angeles hard-boiled private detective noir.
Wow what a case!
I enjoyed every bit of this novel. I've only read Chandler's The big sleep and now this story. And I don't think it's a coincidence that both had a cunning, enigmatic, seductive, blonde murderess!
I preferred this novel over the former. The case was so big, so complicated, many suspicious characters, many dead bodies, many events that appeared to be random but are spectacularly tied together. A dark, bloody and gruesome mystery. "It’s not that kind of story,’ I said. ‘It’s not lithe and clever. It’s just dark and full of blood.’"
I have a love/hate relationship with Philip Marlowe. Like he professed, He's no Sherlock Holmes for sure!
There's so much smoking and drinking going on in this novel that you'd feel like coughing when you're done with it!
I enjoyed every bit of this novel. I've only read Chandler's The big sleep and now this story. And I don't think it's a coincidence that both had a cunning, enigmatic, seductive, blonde murderess!
I preferred this novel over the former. The case was so big, so complicated, many suspicious characters, many dead bodies, many events that appeared to be random but are spectacularly tied together. A dark, bloody and gruesome mystery. "It’s not that kind of story,’ I said. ‘It’s not lithe and clever. It’s just dark and full of blood.’"
I have a love/hate relationship with Philip Marlowe. Like he professed, He's no Sherlock Holmes for sure!
There's so much smoking and drinking going on in this novel that you'd feel like coughing when you're done with it!
Raymond Chandler is known as one of the masters of detective fiction, so I was excited to start reading, "Farewell, My Lovely." But I could hardly get past the first sentence, "It was one of the mixed blocks over on Central Avenue, the blocks that were not yet all Negro." Then, page 7, "Heads (of "all Negroes") turned slowly and the eyes in them glistened and stared in the dead alien silence of another race." And I could not continue to read a story by someone who so objectified his characters.
I really enjoyed this book while I was reading it, and it was a very fast read. Unfortunately, I found the end unsatisfying. I would still look forward to reading other Raymond Chandler.
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this book mostly as research for my own murder mystery, which I want to inject with noir flavour, and to me Raymond Chandler is the ultimate old school noir writer. I've read The Big Sleep multiple times (all of which for different undergrad classes) and thought it was fun, though having some flaws that speak to the time in which it was written (and also the fact that one murder in it just straight up doesn't get solved, which remains hilarious to me).
Anyway, I like Chandler's style. Marlowe is a weirdly likeable character despite all his flaws, and I find the experience of reading these books to be pretty entertaining. I also have found that his female characters tend to be pretty interesting, and allowed to be complex in ways that seem rare even for the modern day.
Of course, there's still some issues. This book in particular suffers from era-typical racism in similar ways that The Big Sleep suffers from era-typical homophobia, which is not great. Mostly what I want to learn from Chandler is style, so I can turn it to my own noir murder mystery, which is of course queer as hell.
Anyway, I like Chandler's style. Marlowe is a weirdly likeable character despite all his flaws, and I find the experience of reading these books to be pretty entertaining. I also have found that his female characters tend to be pretty interesting, and allowed to be complex in ways that seem rare even for the modern day.
Of course, there's still some issues. This book in particular suffers from era-typical racism in similar ways that The Big Sleep suffers from era-typical homophobia, which is not great. Mostly what I want to learn from Chandler is style, so I can turn it to my own noir murder mystery, which is of course queer as hell.