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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The original noir novel. I read it for a class in college and really enjoyed Chandler's world-building and atmosphere. I feel like a lot happened in this book in the so few pages it has. It was a little slow at first, but it was worth the read.
I'm not sure I would have finished if it wasn't for a graded class, otherwise I would've rated it higher.
I'm not sure I would have finished if it wasn't for a graded class, otherwise I would've rated it higher.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Murder
I always thought I'd really like Raymond Chandler, when I finally got around to reading him. A friend of mine whose opinion I really respect is a tremendous fan. On his advice I had started the second Marlowe novel, [b:Farewell, My Lovely|2050|Farewell, My Lovely|Raymond Chandler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1465778099l/2050._SY75_.jpg|1263111] some time back but never finished it. When The Big Sleep, the first of the Chandler novels starring his detective, Philip Marlowe, showed up in my Libby audiobook feed, I thought I might as well begin at the beginning.
First off, if you go the audiobook route, Scott Brick, who has done many novels, including most of Chandler's, is stellar. He strikes the hardboiled style I associate with film noir, which is perfectly fitting for the novels that fueled the genre. He gives it the drama of old radio plays. You really feel like you're there.
There's a lot to admire here. Chandler's characters are more than memorable. They're unforgettable. His settings are evocative. His plotting is intricate. There's plenty of action. There's a good dose of seediness. He tends to describe scenes in quite a bit too much detail for my tastes, but his novel is a masterclass in the the simile (e.g. "The sunshine was as empty as a head waiter’s smile" and "His thoughts were as grey as ashes"). Chandler took a long time to compose his novels, and it shows in the precision of his plots and his sometimes over the top but always impressive style.
All that said, and keeping in mind it's a novel from 1939, it's really Chandler's (or, to be fair, Marlow's) homophobia and depiction of women that makes it hard for me to enjoy The Big Sleep as much as I'd like to. This is unfair of me, as I'm willing to set aside, for instance, [a:F. Scott Fitzgerald|3190|F. Scott Fitzgerald|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1517864008p2/3190.jpg]'s depictions of race while I enjoy [b:The Great Gatsby|4671|The Great Gatsby|F. Scott Fitzgerald|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1490528560l/4671._SY75_.jpg|245494], or [a:Ernest Hemingway|1455|Ernest Hemingway|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1574217836p2/1455.jpg]'s antisemitism and homophobia while I enjoy [b:The Sun Also Rises|3876|The Sun Also Rises|Ernest Hemingway|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1509802323l/3876._SY75_.jpg|589497]. Maybe Chandler is just more in your face about it. Maybe I'm less willing to give him a pass because his novel is from 1939 and not the mid 1920s.
All that aside, I'm not done with Philip Marlowe nor with Chandler. I've always heard that [b:Farewell, My Lovely|2050|Farewell, My Lovely|Raymond Chandler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1465778099l/2050._SY75_.jpg|1263111] is his best novel, so I'm going to start that one again. And I'm eager, at some point, to see the film adaptations of Chandler's novels. Perhaps I'm still too new to noir as a literary genre to appreciate it. Perhaps I'll come to appreciate and understand his works more over time. I'm open to it.
First off, if you go the audiobook route, Scott Brick, who has done many novels, including most of Chandler's, is stellar. He strikes the hardboiled style I associate with film noir, which is perfectly fitting for the novels that fueled the genre. He gives it the drama of old radio plays. You really feel like you're there.
There's a lot to admire here. Chandler's characters are more than memorable. They're unforgettable. His settings are evocative. His plotting is intricate. There's plenty of action. There's a good dose of seediness. He tends to describe scenes in quite a bit too much detail for my tastes, but his novel is a masterclass in the the simile (e.g. "The sunshine was as empty as a head waiter’s smile" and "His thoughts were as grey as ashes"). Chandler took a long time to compose his novels, and it shows in the precision of his plots and his sometimes over the top but always impressive style.
All that said, and keeping in mind it's a novel from 1939, it's really Chandler's (or, to be fair, Marlow's) homophobia and depiction of women that makes it hard for me to enjoy The Big Sleep as much as I'd like to. This is unfair of me, as I'm willing to set aside, for instance, [a:F. Scott Fitzgerald|3190|F. Scott Fitzgerald|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1517864008p2/3190.jpg]'s depictions of race while I enjoy [b:The Great Gatsby|4671|The Great Gatsby|F. Scott Fitzgerald|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1490528560l/4671._SY75_.jpg|245494], or [a:Ernest Hemingway|1455|Ernest Hemingway|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1574217836p2/1455.jpg]'s antisemitism and homophobia while I enjoy [b:The Sun Also Rises|3876|The Sun Also Rises|Ernest Hemingway|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1509802323l/3876._SY75_.jpg|589497]. Maybe Chandler is just more in your face about it. Maybe I'm less willing to give him a pass because his novel is from 1939 and not the mid 1920s.
All that aside, I'm not done with Philip Marlowe nor with Chandler. I've always heard that [b:Farewell, My Lovely|2050|Farewell, My Lovely|Raymond Chandler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1465778099l/2050._SY75_.jpg|1263111] is his best novel, so I'm going to start that one again. And I'm eager, at some point, to see the film adaptations of Chandler's novels. Perhaps I'm still too new to noir as a literary genre to appreciate it. Perhaps I'll come to appreciate and understand his works more over time. I'm open to it.
dark
mysterious
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
Big Sleep is an apt title because it made me big sleepy. Marlowe is cool and I would not mind reading The Long Goodbye in the future.
All my literary life long I've heard what a hack Chandler was, so I was surprised to like his writing so much. Some of his metaphors and similes made me guffaw out loud, and I think the previous critic's harshness probably stems from the fact that they have no sense of humor.
I was also interested in one scene where our hero comes across a couple of gay men. In fact, I think I may reference it for an article about changing attitudes about gay people that I plan to write oh so soon.
I was also interested in one scene where our hero comes across a couple of gay men. In fact, I think I may reference it for an article about changing attitudes about gay people that I plan to write oh so soon.
adventurous
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
Language: 8/10
Read the french translation, was pretty interesting, chandlers uses a lot of comparisons too, noticed i did get annoyed at them sometimes, but only when they're absurd, and even Philip remarks on that.
Characters: 7/10
I don't know how Chandler did it, but he made Philip a bad-ass character, a believable character, while not being too try-hard. I like him a lot.
General Sternwood never really got any screen time so to speak, but he played his role i guess.
Carmen well ... *giggles*
Vivian was intriguing, although irritating at times, not unbelievably so since it fits in perfectly with the char.
Brodie, eddie, and he rest of the bad guys are not very memorable. Eddie sounded intriguing and was more competent than i gave him credit for, tbf.
Setting: 7
Not much to say, it was rainy, and while reading I entertained myself with ambient noir music. it good
Pacing was mid most of the time, but really fast sometimes.
Mystery/mechanic/twist/plot: This was a very complex plot, will 100% remember to re-read the last chapter where Philip tells Vivian what he figured, the final raison-d'être of the hiring of Philip's hiring -Rusty's disappereance- had a somewhat unexpected culprit.
The conclusions philip drew never felt completely out of the blue either, and i felt throughout the book that Philip was quite competent overall.
Anyways, twas a good read and i am happy for reading it.
P.S: Watched the movie adaptation, really good, changed a bit but still thematically resonant.
Read the french translation, was pretty interesting, chandlers uses a lot of comparisons too, noticed i did get annoyed at them sometimes, but only when they're absurd, and even Philip remarks on that.
Characters: 7/10
I don't know how Chandler did it, but he made Philip a bad-ass character, a believable character, while not being too try-hard. I like him a lot.
General Sternwood never really got any screen time so to speak, but he played his role i guess.
Carmen well ... *giggles*
Vivian was intriguing, although irritating at times, not unbelievably so since it fits in perfectly with the char.
Brodie, eddie, and he rest of the bad guys are not very memorable. Eddie sounded intriguing and was more competent than i gave him credit for, tbf.
Setting: 7
Not much to say, it was rainy, and while reading I entertained myself with ambient noir music. it good
Pacing was mid most of the time, but really fast sometimes.
Mystery/mechanic/twist/plot: This was a very complex plot, will 100% remember to re-read the last chapter where Philip tells Vivian what he figured, the final raison-d'être of the hiring of Philip's hiring -Rusty's disappereance- had a somewhat unexpected culprit.
The conclusions philip drew never felt completely out of the blue either, and i felt throughout the book that Philip was quite competent overall.
Anyways, twas a good read and i am happy for reading it.
P.S: Watched the movie adaptation, really good, changed a bit but still thematically resonant.