The Big Sleepby Raymond Chandler
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This was my Classics Club spin book and I finished it in mid-October. I enjoyed the book, though I was surprised by how risque it was and by the homosexual slurs in it. Philip Marlowe is an appealing character, despite his very rough edges.
I also watched the movie with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Reading the book I couldn't figure out who Bacall would play or how some of the storylines could have made it past the Hays Code. The screenplay is by William Faulkner and he left out all the awkward bits (homosexuals, nymphomaniacs, and smut peddlers). This made for a "cleaner" story, but it also makes the plot almost incomprehensible. The Bacall part is a combination of 2 characters from the book, both of them cleaned up considerably.
Overall I would recommend the book but not the movie.
I just read THE BOG SLEEP this past summer. I don't think I ever wrote out a review of it but should strain my brain to think back to what I thought of it. I did think that the literary techniques used in the book reminded me of old cop shows, so I think it started something. I should do more research obviously. Here is my review of my SPIN book: Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson
ReplyDeleteI agree, for the full affect read the book. I'm not a huge fan of the genre, but Chandler's colorful hard-boiled detective and all his jargon are rather fun.
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