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amymd729's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
cimorene1558's review against another edition
3.0
I thought it was time I tried some classic American detective stories, since I'm such a fan of English ones. I don't think I'll be rushing out to read more--it's all drinking and sexually-charged banter with some noble stupidity thrown in--but I guess I'm glad to have tried one, anyway.
violinknitter's review against another edition
4.0
Well, that took me by surprise! Nice twists all the way to the end. (I do *not* like the way this author writes women, though.)
dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
A down and out friend of Marlowe's flees to Mexico with Marlowe's help, his wife dead under suspicious circumstances. Marlowe's friend soon turns up dead, an apparent suicide. But what does his death, if anything, have to do with a drunk writer Marlowe finds himself watching?
I'm not really sure how I feel about the Long Goodbye. It's Chandler so the writing is great, with Chandler's trademark similes and hard-boiled atmosphere. On the other hand, it's written a little differently than his other Philip Marlowe books. It's more philosophical and less crime-oriented. The two victims in the story seem to be stand-ins for Chandler himself.
It's still crime oriented, though. It took me forever to figure out how the two seemingly unrelated cases were linked. I got there just before Marlowe did but it was a close shave.
What else is there to say without giving anything away? Chandler once again delivers the goods, just not in the same package as usual. Still, it was a very enjoyable read.
I'm not really sure how I feel about the Long Goodbye. It's Chandler so the writing is great, with Chandler's trademark similes and hard-boiled atmosphere. On the other hand, it's written a little differently than his other Philip Marlowe books. It's more philosophical and less crime-oriented. The two victims in the story seem to be stand-ins for Chandler himself.
It's still crime oriented, though. It took me forever to figure out how the two seemingly unrelated cases were linked. I got there just before Marlowe did but it was a close shave.
What else is there to say without giving anything away? Chandler once again delivers the goods, just not in the same package as usual. Still, it was a very enjoyable read.
kbogdano80's review against another edition
5.0
Truly a wonderful, complex novel and a great example of not only the noir genre but of a solid story and really good writing. The novel begins with L.A. P.I. Philip Marlowe befriending a down-on-his-luck, drunken war veteran named Terry Lennox. Through further interactions, Marlowe learns that Lennox has a rich, unfaithful wife. When the wife turns up dead and Lennox shows up at Marlowe's door with a gun and plea for a ride to Mexico, the plot takes off, twists, turns, and then twists and turns some more until the very end. You may think you know what's going on or have it all figured out, but don't be fooled. Marlowe is smarter than you and always three steps ahead, and Chandler has many tricks up his sleeve. All you can do is sit back and enjoy the ride.
I found Marlowe fascinating: tough-talking, whiskey-drinking, world weary, darkly funny, able to see through the most convoluted BS. Yet underneath it all, Marlowe is a pretty decent guy. He has a quiet dignity, he's deeply rooted to his own set of morals, though cynical and jaded he's able to feel empathy for even the hardest villains, he's able to help a friend out, he's able to do what he thinks is right, even if it gives him nothing but grief. I'm not exactly sure what makes him tick but I definitely want to read more of him.
I found Marlowe fascinating: tough-talking, whiskey-drinking, world weary, darkly funny, able to see through the most convoluted BS. Yet underneath it all, Marlowe is a pretty decent guy. He has a quiet dignity, he's deeply rooted to his own set of morals, though cynical and jaded he's able to feel empathy for even the hardest villains, he's able to help a friend out, he's able to do what he thinks is right, even if it gives him nothing but grief. I'm not exactly sure what makes him tick but I definitely want to read more of him.
rbreade's review against another edition
In this novel, far more than the Chandler's earlier ones, I noticed the frame of Marlowe recounting a case since closed, rather than Marlowe, and the reader, experiencing the details and incidents of a case as they happened. The opening sentence, in fact, begins this sense of a story-present that is different and far removed from the story about to be recounted: "The first time I laid eyes on Terry Lennox he was drunk in a Rolls Royce Silver Wraith outside the terrace of the Dancers." A few pages later, Marlowe has the following thought about an exchange with a parking lot attendant: "He was partly right of course. Terry Lennox made me plenty of trouble." All of this before he's learned Terry Lennox's name.
As in Farewell, My Lovely, Chandler opens with one "case," seemingly closes it when he helps Lennox flee to Mexico after Lennox allegedly killed his wife--and later hears that Lennox committed suicide there in a small town--moves onto another case during the middle part of the book, and gradually becomes aware of how the two might be connected. Once again, there is a femme fatale, which you'll be able to spot, though it's fascinating to see how her case and the Lennox case are entwined.
The writing is sharp and tight, as expected. If there are fewer of those trademark one-liners, there are perhaps more moments of insight by Marlowe, on celebrity culture and the media, law, justice, television, and the historical romance genre, among other topics. Once again, Marlowe's big advantage over the cops and gangsters who regularly threaten and beat him is that they don't understand his oddly altruistic worldview, and never will. Also, Chandler makes use of flash forwards in spots, which I don't remember him doing in his earlier novels.
And if you want to have a chance of figuring out the final twist before it happens, keep an eye on the mailbox. It shows up early in the novel, recedes far into the background, and pops back onto a front-burner at the end. Give this mailbox a good deal of thought, especially its location and purported role as recounted in a certain letter Marlowe receives.
As in Farewell, My Lovely, Chandler opens with one "case," seemingly closes it when he helps Lennox flee to Mexico after Lennox allegedly killed his wife--and later hears that Lennox committed suicide there in a small town--moves onto another case during the middle part of the book, and gradually becomes aware of how the two might be connected. Once again, there is a femme fatale, which you'll be able to spot, though it's fascinating to see how her case and the Lennox case are entwined.
The writing is sharp and tight, as expected. If there are fewer of those trademark one-liners, there are perhaps more moments of insight by Marlowe, on celebrity culture and the media, law, justice, television, and the historical romance genre, among other topics. Once again, Marlowe's big advantage over the cops and gangsters who regularly threaten and beat him is that they don't understand his oddly altruistic worldview, and never will. Also, Chandler makes use of flash forwards in spots, which I don't remember him doing in his earlier novels.
And if you want to have a chance of figuring out the final twist before it happens, keep an eye on the mailbox. It shows up early in the novel, recedes far into the background, and pops back onto a front-burner at the end. Give this mailbox a good deal of thought, especially its location and purported role as recounted in a certain letter Marlowe receives.
lgpiper's review against another edition
4.0
Raymond Chandler is awesome. On one level, he's writing your basic hard-boiled, noire detective fiction. But on another level, he provides well-drawn character development as well as intelligent commentary on the problems of society. His protagonist, Philip Marlowe is a smart ass, but somehow he's not so annoying in that role because it's clear that he's also basically a fundamentally decent human being.
In this book, Marlowe befriends a drunk. The drunk gets involved in some way with the murder of his rich-heiress spouse, who is also notoriously promiscuous, and flees to Mexico, where he apparently commits suicide. Marlowe isn't convinced the guy murdered his spouse, nor that he committed suicide. He becomes even more suspicious when fancy mobsters and rich tycoons make the effort to warn him off the case. Marlowe inadvertently becomes involved with several other people who seem also to be peripherally involved with the drunk and his dead spouse. Some of those people end up dead as well. It's all rather a convoluted tale, but quite interesting. Along the way, we are treated to some very wise commentary on the human condition. Little has changed in the past 60 years. Of course, if one has read Dickens or the Bible, one realizes that little has changed in the past 150 years or past five millenia.
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[11 Aug 2022] Always a treat to revisit Raymond Chandler.
In this book, Marlowe befriends a drunk. The drunk gets involved in some way with the murder of his rich-heiress spouse, who is also notoriously promiscuous, and flees to Mexico, where he apparently commits suicide. Marlowe isn't convinced the guy murdered his spouse, nor that he committed suicide. He becomes even more suspicious when fancy mobsters and rich tycoons make the effort to warn him off the case. Marlowe inadvertently becomes involved with several other people who seem also to be peripherally involved with the drunk and his dead spouse. Some of those people end up dead as well. It's all rather a convoluted tale, but quite interesting. Along the way, we are treated to some very wise commentary on the human condition. Little has changed in the past 60 years. Of course, if one has read Dickens or the Bible, one realizes that little has changed in the past 150 years or past five millenia.
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[11 Aug 2022] Always a treat to revisit Raymond Chandler.
ludmilaravazi's review against another edition
4.0
Ótimo! O detetive Philip Marlowe se vê envolvido em uma trama cheia de mistério e sedução. Muito bem escrito e história bem amarrada. Certamente lerei outras obras de Raymond Chandler e Philip Marlowe.
rocketiza's review against another edition
5.0
I'm not a typically fan of mystery novels, but loved this book. Raymond Chandler's writing is in a class of its own, witty and surprisingly philosophical. Marlowe is pretty much impossible not to love. Highly recommend to everyone.