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A review by book_concierge
The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
4.0
An elderly, wheelchair-bound millionaire hires private detective Philip Marlowe to handle the blackmailer of one of his two troubled (and troublesome) daughters. Before he knows it Marlowe is immersed in a complicated web of crime that involves much more than just extortion. Seduction, gambling, pornography, adultery, and murder are just some of the issues he’s faced with.
This is the novel that introduced readers to Philip Marlowe, and what an introduction it is! Chandler is a master at crafting a plot that is complicated with more twists than a mountain road. The action is quick, but with surprisingly little violence, given the genre. (Well, there IS violence, but it is mostly left to the reader’s imagination; ditto for the sex.) The characters are some of the least savory in crime fiction. Even the “good guys” – i.e. Marlow’s clients – are pretty shady. Marlow, himself, isn’t above bending the law to the breaking point, when it serves his purpose, but he has integrity and professional code of ethics that prohibit him from doing anything that would harm his client.
The star of the novel, in my opinion, is Chandler’s way with words. His style is often imitated, but no one uses the simile and metaphor so well. Some examples:
She brought the glass over. Bubbles rose in it like false hopes.
Beyond the garage were some decorative trees trimmed as carefully as poodle dogs.
The calves were beautiful, the ankles long and slim and with enough melodic line for a tone poem.
She gave me one of those smiles the lips have forgotten before they reach the eyes.
The purring voice was now as false as an usherette’s eyelashes and as slippery as a watermelon seed.
All told, this was a fun, fast read. I’m glad I finally read this book that has languished on my tbr for so many years.
This is the novel that introduced readers to Philip Marlowe, and what an introduction it is! Chandler is a master at crafting a plot that is complicated with more twists than a mountain road. The action is quick, but with surprisingly little violence, given the genre. (Well, there IS violence, but it is mostly left to the reader’s imagination; ditto for the sex.) The characters are some of the least savory in crime fiction. Even the “good guys” – i.e. Marlow’s clients – are pretty shady. Marlow, himself, isn’t above bending the law to the breaking point, when it serves his purpose, but he has integrity and professional code of ethics that prohibit him from doing anything that would harm his client.
The star of the novel, in my opinion, is Chandler’s way with words. His style is often imitated, but no one uses the simile and metaphor so well. Some examples:
She brought the glass over. Bubbles rose in it like false hopes.
Beyond the garage were some decorative trees trimmed as carefully as poodle dogs.
The calves were beautiful, the ankles long and slim and with enough melodic line for a tone poem.
She gave me one of those smiles the lips have forgotten before they reach the eyes.
The purring voice was now as false as an usherette’s eyelashes and as slippery as a watermelon seed.
All told, this was a fun, fast read. I’m glad I finally read this book that has languished on my tbr for so many years.