A review by stefhyena
The High Window by Raymond Chandler

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

It flowed better than the first one. Mostly I could follow what was happening. It was still witty but it didn't allow clarity to be sacrificed to wit.

The misogyny and racism of the book- not all of it Marlowe's some coming in from what I can only assume was Chandler's world view is still distracting and depressing but the story itself seemed better than the big sleep. The twists were satisfying in a way even if the main one was overly obvious and depended so strongly on a misogynist trope.

All the DV in the background as well as Marlowe constantly patting the little negro statue on the head kind of sum up the worldview of the book which is extremely ick (and no it doesn't get a free pass just because it is old). Although it was problematic, bits of it were enjoyable and if the ending was a bit less predictable it might have boosted it's score a little.