marcelina's review
3.0
The Big Sleep (3/5)
So glad I finally read what is, essentially, the blueprint to that hardboiled detective, noir, classic genre. While Chandler's writing is great, the first person's narration was something that was a bit off-putting/hard to get into. That POV definitely took away from the fight scenes, but most of the descriptions Chandler provided through the protagonist were definitely well written.
The mystery itself was great overall, but with all the different racketeers you had to keep track of, it felt annoying at first. Towards the end when you get the hang of all the names and when Marlowe explains what has gone down, its all understood, but the back and forth in the beginning was a tad irksome.
While I know Bacall and Bogart gave this story a life inconceivable by most screen adaptations, I really wanted the source material to be better than the film. However, the mood of the story and the quips are better seen and heard than read. That being said, I have heard that The Big Sleep isn't the best of Marlowe's stories and I am definitely willing to continue reading more of his adventures.
So glad I finally read what is, essentially, the blueprint to that hardboiled detective, noir, classic genre. While Chandler's writing is great, the first person's narration was something that was a bit off-putting/hard to get into. That POV definitely took away from the fight scenes, but most of the descriptions Chandler provided through the protagonist were definitely well written.
The mystery itself was great overall, but with all the different racketeers you had to keep track of, it felt annoying at first. Towards the end when you get the hang of all the names and when Marlowe explains what has gone down, its all understood, but the back and forth in the beginning was a tad irksome.
While I know Bacall and Bogart gave this story a life inconceivable by most screen adaptations, I really wanted the source material to be better than the film. However, the mood of the story and the quips are better seen and heard than read. That being said, I have heard that The Big Sleep isn't the best of Marlowe's stories and I am definitely willing to continue reading more of his adventures.
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