The Big Sleep & Farewell, My Lovely

I am generally not very interested in mystery/detective books and don't think that I've read any other than a few Sherlock Holmes books many years ago. That said, I picked this book up on a whim and really enjoyed it.The short novels included in this book all feature LA private eye Phillip Marlowe and are apparently set in the '30s and '40s. I really liked the following aspects of these novels:1) It is really fun to read Chandler's descriptions of the places, clothes, cars, slang, mannerisms, characters, etc. of the time. Marlowe's wise-crack observations, while cliched, often had me laughing out loud;2) While Chandler uses all of the stock characters (smooth but menacing nightclub owners, sultry crooners, wise-guy PIs, effete rich buffoons, etc.), he really makes most of them come alive with the dialogue and their interactions with each other. In other words, Chandler does a great job of taking what would seem to be card-board cut-out characters and breathing life into them;3) Marlowe is able to resolve most conflicts with a couple glasses of whiskey and some wise-cracks, especially if a "dame" is involved. Today, it seems like most such conflicts would be resolved with a burst of AK-47 fire or worse. While no doubt highly idealized, Chandler's more innocent world is appealing to read about.4) For what it is worth, I am a big fan of the Everyman's Library series (which this edition is part of)--they are attractive, have good heft, include a page-marker ribbon, etc.Probably my only criticism of these novels is that the plots are a bit contrived, but I guess that is part of the fun.TMR

I first came across Chandler when I heard the Coen brothers interview and discovered that 'The Big Lebowski' was written in the style of one (name itself being derived from 'The Big Sleep'). This alone interested me enough to buy and read The Big Sleep.Six novels later, I'm still reading Chandler novels, and still finding each and every one different, interesting and intriguing. The main character Marlowe is a wisecracking detective, wary of women - whom he obviously mistrusts - except for the "bad type of women", for whom he does not particularly care. He is also a complex, intelligent man, often an altruist who goes to some extraordinary lengths for his clients, even when he's not paid.Novels are usually set in 30's/40's Hollywood and Bay City (which is since called something else), and are especially nostalgic, if you've lived in the surrounding areas.Chandler's writing is funny and unique - the stories - all told in first person, are written so that the reader is both aware of Marlowe's conscious thoughts, and at the same time, when the ending or some pivotal point in the story arrives - is not. This point is not easy to describe, but it works extremely well - the stories are always amusing, captivating, and suspenseful.I will easily recommend any Chandler novel for anyone interested in mysteries, as well as to those that enjoy unconventional styles of storytelling.

Raymond Chandler was the best crime fiction writer there ever was. Vivid and imaginative prose, sharp & cinical wit, smart ass asides and then some - to keep us all seated reading entranced.... Unforgetable characters - with Philip Marlowe a pinnacle achievement. Complex and twisty plots that are neatly unravelled to our pleasure. The list could go on and on like a very rich lady's shopping list for Christmas. And the two stories in this book are among the four best ones Chandler wrote. Magnificent volume !!

"Shake your business up and pour it. I haven't got all day." Pure Raymond Chandler.

The first time I had encountered anything that had developed around the personality & activites of Philip Marlowe, the emotions that had flooded my mind can be summarised as the title of this review. Not only is Marlowe's world light-years away from the Victorian London in terms of time, space, characters, thought-process, but he himself is as different from Holmes as it is possible to imagine. But nevertheless, there are traits in him (I hope you have already noticed that I am not describing the novels in this book, because they are literary accomplishments way beyond my limited reviewing capacity, and better persons have spent reams upon them) that make him the template for any modern detective. If you know him, and are interested in reading his classic cases, this book and its companion volume are the best possible options, since they are sturdier than the Library of America volumes, and you should associate a certain degree of elegant rusticity with Chandler's works, shouldn't you? Highly recommended.