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Summary: big up da raymond chandler
Review: Up until Big Sleep, detective stories were Agatha Christie, Sherlock Homsian two-dimensional curiosities. They were books to while away half an hour at a time. Nothing you could really engage with, due to a lack of depth on the part of the characters and the story, sometimes even the storytelling. But Chandler took this concept and farted on it.
The Big Sleep concerns a believable, engaging character, a convoluted plot (which is incredibly hard to follow) and a sleazy underworld. Where Hercule Poirot was a virtuous do-gooder, where Sherlock Holmes was a mastermind gentlman, Phillip Marlowe is just about as seedy and bent as the villains he's following. Welcome to the father of modern crime fiction.
Although the language might be a little hard to grasp for the younger generation, the slang sort of works itself out, very much a la Clockwork Orange. After the first few pages, you get into the swing of the language and the style.
The cinematic Film Noir classic adaptation is definitely worth seeing after reading this weighty novel; although it removes some of the more nit-picky plot points, it's not for the worse. The Big Sleep is a landmark novel, and one worth reading if at least to say you've read it.
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Summary: Phillip Marlowe in: The Big Sleep
Review: Although the film noir genre may now be gone it is not hard to understand why it was once such a popular past time.
Raymond Chandler created one of the genre's most famous anti-heroes in Phillip Marlowe; a tough talking, wise cracking alchoholic, private detective.
His first case is depicted in this novel and he immediately becomes a likeable character.
From introducing himself to general Sternwood's daughter as "Doghouse Reily" to cracking wise with the butler by claiming he has having fun working out what his duties are.
Chandler uses Marlowe to narrate his way through this complex mystery of blackmail, pornography and even murder with aplomb.
By the last few chapters the reader will be scratching their heads, a habbit quashed in the finale when Chandler masterfully ties up all the loose ends.
Chandler and Marlowe defined the genre and The Big Sleep is proof of why.
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Summary: The Big Amazingly, Unexpectedly Good Novel
Review: Raymond Chandler's first novel, The Big Sleep, is the best mystery/crime novel I've ever read and even one of the best novels I've ever read. This story of Private Eye Philip Marlowe kept me awake and alert with its colorful descriptions and brilliant plot.For me, this book was important not only because of the plot, but also because of the setting. By learning more about 1939, I was able to reflect on today and look at current events with a better perspective. I feel that I now understand current times better because I know what "it used to be" like. I recommend this book not only to mystery lovers, but also to anyone who wants to read a good, well-written book. If you've not read a good book in a while and would like to, this book is for you.
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Summary: This is where it all began
Review: Raymond Chandler's very first attempt at a detective novel was a clear winner. The Big Sleep features a complex plot and a fantastic character - Philip Marlowe. Chandler set his story in the gritty streets of Los Angeles, with a detective who was known for doing the right thing rather than what he was told to do. Philip Marlowe became an instant icon not only amongst mystery and detective fans, but among readers everywhere. When this became a movie in 1945 with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, even though the movie cut out a lot of the plot complexities, the characters affected the lives of millions. Chandler's writing style is simply phenomonal. He describes the ins and outs of the city and its suburbs, giving you vivid impressions of that world. He moves from lush mansions to dingy bars, with each character having strong motivations, backgrounds, reasons for being. In a time when minorities were discounted as meaningless and women were considered the "lesser sex", Marlowe plows right in with a fair eye for all. He takes on work with blacks that others disdain. He treats women as being intelligent while others discount them. The stories talk about homosexuality and porn and other topics as a "part of life". It's interesting how much of the books had to be 'white washed' to be made into movies. If you read this story and then read many of today's detective stories, you can see clear traces of what Chandler began in the works of others. His style, his incredible humor, his honor and justice. His desire to do what was right even when others around him pushed him to do the "easy thing". A Big Sleep is a must read for any mystery fan, to see where it all began.
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Summary: Less than I expected
Review: I read this book because it was a choice for a book group I'm in and I was excited to read such an historically important novel. However, I was very dissappointed. I tried to like the book, but I was completely bored and could not even finish it. There was so suspense, the characters were flat and undeveloped, and I couldn't get past the misogyny/racism/etc. The book was entirely devoid of any emotion at all. It provides an interesting historical look into that society, but other than that, I could not have enjoyed it less. I think part of the problem was that this theme has been improved upon so much over the years, it is hard to look back at the beginning and enjoy it.
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Summary: The American crime novel stem cell.
Review: Yup. Any modern American crime novel worth it's salt can trace it's genetic lineage back to this book.
To be initiated into the world of Raymond Chandler without formal introduction was an exhilarating experience. Yes, it's hard to not use the term "hard-boiled", as his work is often simplistically described, but it was so much more than that. Oh so much more. Or is it that most other hard-boiled writers offer so much less...? First of all, I laughed. A lot. Do you know how difficult it is to write comedy? To write something that causes someone to laugh out loud? The dialogue here is to die for. To. Die. For. I agree with others who compare Chandler's Los Angeles to Dickens' London. After reading those authors, it becomes second nature to imagine life there. You can see what exists beyond the page. Another exceedingly difficult feat to perform, but Chandler here makes it look effortless. Most important, we see the creation of a character as indelible as Holmes in Phillip Marlowe. Chandler was lucky to have had Bogart play him in the film; it's a perfect match. You see his face, deliver these lines with that voice, while you're reading this book. It's crime novel nirvana. With his first novel, Chandler vaulted into the pantheon of great crime novelists. I think time has proven he's also a great American novelist. His other six novels sit on my shelf, beckoning me as I type this...I gotta go now...
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Summary: Set the Bloody Bar for Every Other American Mystery Writer
Review: When "The Big Sleep" was first released it was dismissed by those in the literary community as a worthless, pop-culture, dime-store novel. Now, If a book is compared to a Chandler novel, it is a bigger compliment than a Hemmingway comparison (Ernest's "Machismo" theme has fallen flat). Aside from the fact that Chandler's novels are just SO DAMNED FUN, they also set the bar for what a good detective novel should be. Chandler's protagonist in this and all of his major works, Philip Marlowe, Private Eye, is by far one of the most memorable in ALL 20th century literature. He has come to embody what the cool-headed, quick-witted, tough-guy detective is supposed to be in Hard-Boiled Crime Fiction (in both Books and Film). To define an entire genre is no small feat and happens once in a blue moon, thus "The Big Sleep" has become an importaint book for those who are mystery-lovers and those who are not. Looking back at what America has produced in the last 100 years, it would be safe to say that "The Big Sleep" is one of the most importaint and influential works to be published.
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Summary: A classic -- monumental
Review: Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep should not be sold in this fine art deco-style cover in pristine condition. It should be sold dog-eared with the cover torn and with pages falling out. After all, that will be the condition of your copy after you've read it and reread it and reread it again. Chandler's startling first novel is a lot of fun. His innovative style rings true today, never to be matched. Philip Marlowe, tough, unrepentant, loyal, yet acting above the law, is a remarkable character. His encounters with crime figures and loose ladies stand the test of time.
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Summary: Superb prose, plot and characters
Review: Raymond Chandler's prose was nothing short of brilliant, yet his writing was primarily pulp fiction. In 1939, his novel "The Big Sleep" was published, one of his best, although all of them are good. There weren't many of them. Chandler was not a young man when he began writing. By the time he died in 1959, he'd published possibly 8 novels and 2 volumes of short stories. But what he did write is incredibly good. His prose is masterful. His turns of phrase are frequently original and quite entertaining. His grammar, syntax, vocabulary, metaphors and similes are all so perfectly tuned to his story that the writing style alone would keep the pages turning. In "The Big Sleep," Chandler spins a yarn that is not only engaging, but one of the most exciting whodunits ever written. I've never read any author who could create images in my mind the way Chandler does -- it is as though I'm touring greater Los Angeles in 1939 when I read this book. (In fact, when I read Chandler, I've never had sharper or more gratifying mental images of what's transpiring in a book -- and when I put the book down I feel as though I'd been dreaming lucidly and vividly. Not only is the plot of "The Big Sleep" intriguing, it's masterfully convoluted -- you can't see around Chandler's many unexpected corners and the twists and turns are thrilling. Philip Marlowe, 6'1" tall, 180 pounds, handsome, driven by integrity, loved by the ladies, is one of the most memorable detective protagonists in the genre. In this story, he is engaged to deal with the wealthy, profligate Sternwood sisters by their dying father, General Sternwood, and as a result Marlowe finds himself involved in blackmail and murder. It amazes me that this story was written in 1939 -- it also involves pornography and homosexuality. (Don't worry -- no pornographic detail is described, but one of the bad guys markets porn, and one of them is gay.) You have to pay close attention to this novel to stay on top of the plot as it wends its tortuous way from start to end -- but, in its final pages, the many unexplained questions resolve beautifully. Once you've read a Chandler novel, I think you'll want to read more of them and soon. It's sad there aren't very many. His short stories are wonderful too, and one of the collections contains his very interesting essay on the genre of the mystery novel, again written masterfully and engagingly. A footnote: "The Big Sleep" made for classic film noir starring Bogart and Bacall, made toward the end of World War II and released in 1945. The film is great, but enough is left out of the plot thanks in part to the Hays Commission that the convoluted story can be hard to follow at times and a few loose ends remain untied at the finish. The movie is one of the best I've seen, but reading the novel fills in the lacunae in the movie's plot. Neither 1939 novel nor 1945 film is to be missed.
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Summary: Meet Philip Marlowe
Review: "The Big Sleep," written in 1939, was Raymond Chandler's first Philip Marlowe novel. Chandler went on to write several other classic noir novels, like "Farewell, My Lovely," "The High Window," and "The Long Goodbye." Chandler did not start writing his classic works until the age of forty-five, when he began submitting short stories to pulp magazines like Mask. Sadly, Chandler died in 1959, effectively depriving us of more classic Marlowe novels and stories. The shame of the whole thing is Chandler did not start writing until late in his life, although seeing how some great authors decline over the course of their careers perhaps it is best we only have a few novels from Raymond Chandler. "The Big Sleep" finds Marlowe in the employ of General Sternwood, a wealthy but dying oil tycoon. Sternwood wants Marlowe to track down a blackmailer who is trying to bleed some money out of the old general. The problem is Sternwood's two daughters, Carmen and Vivian. Both women have major problems; Carmen is just plain weird, suffering from seizures and a penchant for sleeping around with scum of the earth types. Vivian is not much better; she is a heavy gambler who dates (and marries) mob types. In the course of working the case, Marlowe uncovers underground pornography shops, blackmailers, gambling dens, a couple of murders, and other seedy events in the growing town of Los Angeles. Like other Chandler novels, what we initially see is hardly the whole enchilada. While working the case, Marlowe stumbles on deeper and deeper mysteries involving a missing mobster and his abducted wife. While "The Big Sleep" is Chandler's best known work, it is not his best novel. It seems that Chandler is still working out the style and form later expressed so gallantly in "The Long Goodbye." "The Big Sleep" is classic Chandler; there is plenty of the gritty atmosphere, amusing wordplay and slang, and despicable characters found in Chandler's later novels. The problem with "The Big Sleep" is that the story does not hold together well. Far too often, I found myself wondering why things happened the way they did, or I had trouble following the twists and turns of the case. Even a somewhat confusing story line does not cause much damage to the entertainment value of "The Big Sleep." You still get the classic snappy dialogue between Marlowe and everyone he encounters, and that is always fun to read. Even more exciting is the realization that you are reading the first book length effort from a master of noir fiction. You can see how he develops his technique by comparing this book with his later novels. What is also amusing is seeing how Chandler paints L.A. at the end of the 1930's. By that time, Los Angeles had yet experienced the enormous growth of the post World War II era. At one point, one of the characters in the book states that L.A. is still a growing town. You have to chuckle over Marlowe's discovery of a pornography shop operating with police protection-this in what is today the home of the pornography industry! Any fans of Chandler will want to read "The Big Sleep" eventually, although I recommend starting with some of his later novels first. Nearly forty-five years after Chandler's death, there is still no one who can touch the master. That fact alone should convince anyone interested in crime novels to read everything Chandler ever wrote.
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