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michaelromeo's review against another edition
4.0
While this book may not be Chandler's best from a literary stand point it is by far the most entertaining of the ones I've read. If I have it correct I only have 2 left to read. Like all of Chandler's works this one is a solid page turner.
leftoverjen's review against another edition
4.0
When starting this book I was tempted to sneer at what I believed to be a story built out of every private eye cliche there is.... until I realized this is where those cliches originated. Before L.A. Noire, Black Dahlia Murder, Sin City or whatever glitzy and glamorous gangster Hollywood murder mystery you prefer, there was Raymond Chandler.
His economical, hard-boiled style is the baseline for every detective-hero with a loose sense of the law and impeccable internal morals. At first, it seems easy to write off the style as just simple exposition. It looks like plot running away with confused women and men's men, that is until you get to Chapter Thirteen, which is fucking poetry. I read it twice. And you're only tempted to write off Chandler's writing as a one-trick-pony in terms of style until you get to Chapter Twenty-One. That's the exact moment I knew I was reading a master.
His economical, hard-boiled style is the baseline for every detective-hero with a loose sense of the law and impeccable internal morals. At first, it seems easy to write off the style as just simple exposition. It looks like plot running away with confused women and men's men, that is until you get to Chapter Thirteen, which is fucking poetry. I read it twice. And you're only tempted to write off Chandler's writing as a one-trick-pony in terms of style until you get to Chapter Twenty-One. That's the exact moment I knew I was reading a master.
msand3's review against another edition
5.0
It had been over a decade since I last read Chandler, and what a wonderful reminder of just how clever he is as a prose stylist: witty, fun, and funny. This is one of the most enjoyable hardboiled novels I’ve ever read and definitely my favorite Chandler so far (note: I haven’t yet read [b:The Long Goodbye|2054|The Long Goodbye (Philip Marlowe, #6)|Raymond Chandler|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388225584s/2054.jpg|998106]). It is less convoluted in plot than [b:The Big Sleep|2052|The Big Sleep (Philip Marlowe, #1)|Raymond Chandler|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1371584712s/2052.jpg|1222673] and [b:The Lady in the Lake|776159|The Lady in the Lake (Philip Marlowe, #4)|Raymond Chandler|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1501530591s/776159.jpg|1939840], and funnier than [b:Farewell, My Lovely|2050|Farewell, My Lovely (Philip Marlowe, #2)|Raymond Chandler|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1465778099s/2050.jpg|1263111]. The dialogue is punchy (pardon the pun) and laugh-out-loud on many pages. Chandler knows he is writing hammy prose, and he plays it up. It takes equal parts talent and courage to go all-in with this kind of writing -- strings of outrageous similes, 1940s slang, and memorable passages that Chandler just owns. There are absolute gems on every page:
“She stood so that I had to practically push her mammaries out of the way to get through the door. She smelled the way the Taj Mahal looks by moonlight.”
****
"[The house had] a general air of having been redecorated by a parolee from a nut hatch. Its color scheme was bile green, linseed-poultice brown, sidewalk gray and monkey-bottom blue. It was as restful as a split lip.”
****
"Never the time and place and the loved one all together," I said.
“What’s that?” She tried to throw me out with the point of her chin, but even she wasn’t that good.
“Browning. The poet, not the automatic. I feel sure you’d prefer the automatic.”
****
I could go on and on. So many fantastic lines filling every page. Highly recommended for fans of crime fiction, noir, detective fiction, or just fun reads.
“She stood so that I had to practically push her mammaries out of the way to get through the door. She smelled the way the Taj Mahal looks by moonlight.”
****
"[The house had] a general air of having been redecorated by a parolee from a nut hatch. Its color scheme was bile green, linseed-poultice brown, sidewalk gray and monkey-bottom blue. It was as restful as a split lip.”
****
"Never the time and place and the loved one all together," I said.
“What’s that?” She tried to throw me out with the point of her chin, but even she wasn’t that good.
“Browning. The poet, not the automatic. I feel sure you’d prefer the automatic.”
****
I could go on and on. So many fantastic lines filling every page. Highly recommended for fans of crime fiction, noir, detective fiction, or just fun reads.
thekarpuk's review against another edition
3.0
It was either the third or the fourth time a dame, in a fit of histrionics kissed Philip Marlowe that I became slightly exasperated.
Don't get me wrong, [b:Raymond Chandler|2052|The Big Sleep|Raymond Chandler|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41AGA624Z5L._SL75_.jpg|1222673] is a good writer, his prose is packed with cleverness to the point of overflowing, the dialogue snaps, and everything has the cool sleazy vibe of old time Hollywood.
But even one of the characters points out how baffling it is that ladies just seem to want to lock lips with sadsack detective Philip Marlowe.
Otherwise, the writing is gutter poetry, something worth savoring and as an amateur writer I find it well worth studying.
My only issue, and this seems to be an issue with Noir in particular, is that I have trouble constructing the crime in my head. I could give you a blow by blow of all the events of the book, but somehow I often come away fuzzy on the details of the mystery all the characters were circling around.
I know that the search for missing Big Brother is just the MacGuffin around which a lot of cool talk and snazzy descriptions happen, but I can't tell if my uncertainty about the nature of the crimes committed over the course of the book is Chandler's fault or mine.
But it was fun to read, and since I already bought "The Big Sleep" I know I'm going to revisit this particular author, but sometimes with noir I feel like I'm watching an untranslated Kung Fu movie. It's all really cool and stylish, but damned if I'm 100% sure why they're doing it.
Don't get me wrong, [b:Raymond Chandler|2052|The Big Sleep|Raymond Chandler|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41AGA624Z5L._SL75_.jpg|1222673] is a good writer, his prose is packed with cleverness to the point of overflowing, the dialogue snaps, and everything has the cool sleazy vibe of old time Hollywood.
But even one of the characters points out how baffling it is that ladies just seem to want to lock lips with sadsack detective Philip Marlowe.
Otherwise, the writing is gutter poetry, something worth savoring and as an amateur writer I find it well worth studying.
My only issue, and this seems to be an issue with Noir in particular, is that I have trouble constructing the crime in my head. I could give you a blow by blow of all the events of the book, but somehow I often come away fuzzy on the details of the mystery all the characters were circling around.
I know that the search for missing Big Brother is just the MacGuffin around which a lot of cool talk and snazzy descriptions happen, but I can't tell if my uncertainty about the nature of the crimes committed over the course of the book is Chandler's fault or mine.
But it was fun to read, and since I already bought "The Big Sleep" I know I'm going to revisit this particular author, but sometimes with noir I feel like I'm watching an untranslated Kung Fu movie. It's all really cool and stylish, but damned if I'm 100% sure why they're doing it.
bdplume's review against another edition
4.0
Not as good as the more famous Chandler titles, but still definitely worth reading.
jessicasophie's review against another edition
2.0
★★ 2.5 stars
Mini Review:
To be honest I thought I might enjoy this more than I did, even though I'm not really one for crime drama. In reality I thought it was boring and slow paced and ridiculous with its constant scene changing. It's hard to keep up with and I think that detracts from a lot of the enjoyment - it doesn't slow down to explain things to a reader it just expects you to acknowledge them and keep up. Something that really grated on me were the misogynistic remarks and overtone. However, I think they would be really interesting to examine alongside the genre of the book, considering how and why they were implemented (other than simply because the author is a product of their time).
Mini Review:
To be honest I thought I might enjoy this more than I did, even though I'm not really one for crime drama. In reality I thought it was boring and slow paced and ridiculous with its constant scene changing. It's hard to keep up with and I think that detracts from a lot of the enjoyment - it doesn't slow down to explain things to a reader it just expects you to acknowledge them and keep up. Something that really grated on me were the misogynistic remarks and overtone. However, I think they would be really interesting to examine alongside the genre of the book, considering how and why they were implemented (other than simply because the author is a product of their time).
illyanarasputin's review against another edition
5.0
I adore Raymond Chandler and this stands as my favorite of all his novels
manwithanagenda's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A strong book, bitter and sad and angry, but held up to the light of 'Farewell, My Loveley' and 'The Lady in the Lake', I had to make some deductions.
Orfamy Quest is missing her brother, a couple of movie stars have damning image problems coming in the mail, smooth gangsters run free, and rich corruption swirls around Marlowe in 'The Little Sister'. He's tired and bored with the ridiculous nonsense his clients bring into his life, he can see right through their lies, but doesn't have the heart to really grill them out of it anymore. Not until it's too late anyway. Picking up pieces and catching lucky breaks (not all with his person this time), he manages to stay above water and do, ultimately, what is best for his clients, whether they deserve it or not.
Marlowe isn't only concerned with the phonies of the movie industry, he also has some harsh things to say about those imbibers of tea - and they don't use a cup. That's right. I'm talking about muggle-smoking. It turns out that marihuana, after guns and dames in tight suits, is the real scourge of L.A. Thank goodness for end notes because sometimes I would have had no idea what Marlowe was giving people a hard time about. Nothing like learning some new postwar slang.
Chandler still does not disappoint. Marlowe is an honest guy in a shady game without much to show for his years of effort. His resignation here sets up the ennui of 'The Long Goodbye'.
Philip Marlowe
Next 'The Long Goodbye'
Previous: 'The Lady in the Lake'
Review of 'Later Novels and Other Writings'
Orfamy Quest is missing her brother, a couple of movie stars have damning image problems coming in the mail, smooth gangsters run free, and rich corruption swirls around Marlowe in 'The Little Sister'. He's tired and bored with the ridiculous nonsense his clients bring into his life, he can see right through their lies, but doesn't have the heart to really grill them out of it anymore. Not until it's too late anyway. Picking up pieces and catching lucky breaks (not all with his person this time), he manages to stay above water and do, ultimately, what is best for his clients, whether they deserve it or not.
Marlowe isn't only concerned with the phonies of the movie industry, he also has some harsh things to say about those imbibers of tea - and they don't use a cup. That's right. I'm talking about muggle-smoking. It turns out that marihuana, after guns and dames in tight suits, is the real scourge of L.A. Thank goodness for end notes because sometimes I would have had no idea what Marlowe was giving people a hard time about. Nothing like learning some new postwar slang.
Chandler still does not disappoint. Marlowe is an honest guy in a shady game without much to show for his years of effort. His resignation here sets up the ennui of 'The Long Goodbye'.
Philip Marlowe
Next 'The Long Goodbye'
Previous: 'The Lady in the Lake'
Review of 'Later Novels and Other Writings'