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waytoomanybooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It’s a compelling read, especially for an an assigned reading assignment. It doesn't meander like the other crime/mystery novels I've read, which I appreciated. I did have to ding it point for the misogyny, homophobia, and racism that I have learned comes with territory of the genre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Stalking, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
vladdbad's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Homophobia, Racial slurs, and Sexism
There is a reason Raymond Chandler is still read... He shines a light on the shadows that surround the spotlight, and no one really likes to see that which lurks within those. People talk about the post-War Golden Age, but even at the time the darkness and the rot to which the sequins were sewn was known. Chandler lived a life as a businessman with an unorthodox lifestyle back before that was something you could accept even in yourself, and it shows in his writing. He knows the self-loathing and the desire to make clean that which was never really as dirty as the cover-up made it, and it shows. He understands what money can and can't buy, and what drives real desperation. But he also knows that there can be real redemption found at times, as well, and it is always remarkable to me how his stories have all the good guys playing bit parts away from the spotlight... He knows that there is a better path available, and that taking it rarely makes for an interesting story. Look at the minor characters in his stories, the honest ones or the folks just making do with a bad hand... That is a remarkably diverse crowd, given the sameness of the spotlit degeneracy that drives the plot. Worth a second and a third read... And worth looking at what is shown versus told, like any good writer.