Review: The Big Sleep
Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Title: The Big Sleep
Author: Raymond Chandler
Genre: Crime
Read: 27th May 2005
Comments: Good, I liked it. The story was pretty standard detective story stuff, but I guess since Chandler's basically the father of the genre, that's why it IS the standard. Probably for its time (it was originally published in 1939 in case anyone was wondering) it was a lot more ground-breaking. The writing however, was something else. Absolutely 100% great. Even before I'd read this I'd heard homages and parodies of his style, but there's really no comparison. I'll let the man speak for himself though.
"It was about eleven o'clock in the morning, mid October, with the sun not shining and a look of hard wet rain in the clearness of the foothills. I was wearing my powder-blue suit, with dark blue shirt, tie and display handkerchief, black brogues, black wool socks with dark blue clocks on them. I was neat, clean, shaved and sober, and I didn't care who knew it. I was everything the well-dressed private detective ought to be. I was calling on four million dollars."
Pretty sweet opening, eh?
Marlowe's first encounter with the wild daughter of the millionaire who hired him is gold too...
" 'I don't see what there is to be cagey about' she snapped. 'And I don't like your manners.' 'I'm not crazy about yours,' I said. 'I didn't ask to see you. You sent for me. I don't mind you ritzing me or drinking your lunch out of a scotch bottle. I don't mind you showing me your legs. They're very swell legs and it's a pleasure to make their acquaintance. I don't mind if you don't like my manners. They're pretty bad. I grieve over them during the long winter evenings. But don't waste your time trying to cross-examine me.' "
And on and on... It's really just brilliant the whole way through. But as they used to say on 'Reading Rainbow'(Levar where are you now?) Don't take my word for it... Just let me know if you want to borrow it. The Library of Becki is open 24-7!
Quote: see above
Goog Niter! I'm off to watch 'Queen Margot' for about the 9 millionth time.
P.S. re-edited to gel with the new format
Labels: Books
posted by Becki at 11:00 PM
2 Comments:
I like the name Janwillem. Is that an actual German name or did the spammers make that up as well? On a side note, I haven't actually read any "livre noir" or whatever this detective genre is called but I have seen the old b&w film adaptations. I think I wrote some papers on them.
Yuka- Thank you for coming to see my blog!
Are you going to start a blog soon too? That would be great. And a good way to practice your English too!
Thanks again!- Becki
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