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928 ratings,
3.92
average rating, 53 reviews
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published
(first published 1941)
by Vintage
binding
Paperback, 272 pages
characters
isbn
0394758269
(isbn13: 9780394758268)
description
A wealthy Pasadena widow with a mean streak, a missing daughter-in-law with a past, and a gold coin worth a small fortune—the elements don't quite add...more
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avg 3.92
editions: all | this edition
editions: all | this edition
I love Raymond Chandler. And Marlowe, the joke cracking private eye who's tough on the outside and golden on the inside and who would be cliched except he's the original everyone else copied...it's vintage noir, hard-boiled action, the world without frills, a trail of murders and blackmail and robbery. It's flawed the way America's underbelly is flawed but it's always clear where Marlowe's sympathies lie...with the poor, the lost, the wicked, the desperate doing all they can to get out of povert...more
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Read in May, 2009
First:
What really sets Raymond Chandler apart from his precursors and endless successors is the microscopically-trained eye for detail (obviously an asset in detection) and ability to convey it in concise, exacting terms. I could draw his sets and characters from memory. And, of course, his narratives are gripping, but then it takes an awfully sorry noir to be actually boring.
...
Then, finished:
This was my second foray into Chandler, and maintains my earlier ...more
What really sets Raymond Chandler apart from his precursors and endless successors is the microscopically-trained eye for detail (obviously an asset in detection) and ability to convey it in concise, exacting terms. I could draw his sets and characters from memory. And, of course, his narratives are gripping, but then it takes an awfully sorry noir to be actually boring.
...
Then, finished:
This was my second foray into Chandler, and maintains my earlier ...more
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7 comments
Read in January, 2009
My third Chandler book in less than a month, and I think I've reached the saturation point. The High Window feels a bit formulaic after The Big Sleep and Farewell, My Lovely, but it's reasonable fun. Marlowe's fully in control throughout here, unlike Farewell, My Lovely (which I think made that book a more interesting read), and the stock L.A. characters all make appearances. To me, this book presented the most contrived plot of the three books, but I guess that's not really the point when on...more
Read in March, 2009
First Chandler I've read that didn't really irritate me! I think the fact that the redeemed person was female this time round helped a lot. Still lots of unlovely females of course, but that's Chandler.
I'm also gaining more of an appreciation for Marlowe's innate code. Maybe it's more clearly applied in this book, or maybe free of the usual gender issues that surround Chandler, I can see it better, but I'm starting to apprciate why Chandler gets the praise he does. Anyway good story...more
I'm also gaining more of an appreciation for Marlowe's innate code. Maybe it's more clearly applied in this book, or maybe free of the usual gender issues that surround Chandler, I can see it better, but I'm starting to apprciate why Chandler gets the praise he does. Anyway good story...more
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Read in October, 2008
recommended to Chris and Yuri by:
Steve Roberts
I started reading classic hard-boiled detective fiction so I could get into Raymond Chandler, one of L.A.'s leading literary lights. I started off with Dashiell Hammett, who Chandler himself admired, and read several of Hammett's books. Then I moved on to Chandler with The High Window.
Though in The High Window I saw sparks of Chandler's unmistakable and addictive style, I have to say I prefer Hammett. It may be because the kinds of plots and characters Chandler used have been so imit...more
Though in The High Window I saw sparks of Chandler's unmistakable and addictive style, I have to say I prefer Hammett. It may be because the kinds of plots and characters Chandler used have been so imit...more
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Read in August, 2008
This is my first Raymond Chandler novel, and I am an instant fan. I've been wanting to read his stuff because I'm a big fan of film noir classics, especially 'The Big Sleep', and Chandler is universally acknowledged as the supreme master of the 'hard-boiled' genre, from which so many Hollywood classics have been made. I think the detective mystery, along with the western, are truly American creations, and Chandler deserves credit as a great influence on American culture.
The plot o...more
The plot o...more
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Read in August, 2008
This third Marlowe is more on the level with “The Big Sleep” than was Chandler’s second effort.
As in the second novel, “Farewell, My Lovely,” Chandler seems to be fighting to write another saleable novel with the convolution of “The Big Sleep.” Trouble is, the first novel came by its Daedalian corridors honestly. The second two, not so much.
In keeping with the genre’s fabricated world, the detective still stumbles onto all the bodies, still reads so much m...more
As in the second novel, “Farewell, My Lovely,” Chandler seems to be fighting to write another saleable novel with the convolution of “The Big Sleep.” Trouble is, the first novel came by its Daedalian corridors honestly. The second two, not so much.
In keeping with the genre’s fabricated world, the detective still stumbles onto all the bodies, still reads so much m...more
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Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
anyone who can read
Chandler's third Philip Marolowe mystery happened to be the first mystery novel I've read. I was not prepared for how wonderful it was. Chandler has written elsewhere that "the best mystery novel is one where it doesn't matter if you get to the end." The story's power gathers in the atmosephere and mood established by individual scenes. Chandler's eye for detail and unique gift for description will leave some images permanaently etched on your mind, and Marlowe has some of the grea...more
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Read in June, 2007
Raymond Chandler's greatest skill is his ability to write the most gorgeous prose you could ever imagine in a hardboiled detective novel, and The High Window is no exception. Chandler's descriptions are fantastic, and yet, they don't seem out of place in the hardboiled novel- they are dark, and lovely, and totally weave a spell around the reader.
However, I wasn't particularly interested in the plot or the characters of The High Window. Merle Davis, the flighty, damaged assistant of...more
However, I wasn't particularly interested in the plot or the characters of The High Window. Merle Davis, the flighty, damaged assistant of...more
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Another brilliant mystery novel from Mr. Chandler. His books employ the same masterful formula - a sarcastic detective happens upon a few murders, has a drink every hour or so, cops an attitude toward everyone including the police and his clients, snoops around places he shouldn't and leaves the reader utterly confused as to what's going on, then reveals how everything is tied together at the end and outs the criminals. I honestly can't tell you specific details about Chandler's novels, but th...more
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Read in March, 2009
recommends it for:
Anybody who appreciates really fine writing
Geez--Chandler is good--better than good. While this one might not rate with his very best overall, the writing just zings you, page after page. I found myself stopping frequently to reread passages, frequently aloud, just to hear them. Overall, it's a good crime noir thriller with a memorable narrator and some of the best pure writing you'll find anywhere.
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Read in November, 2005
Raymond Chandler’s The High Window sees Philip Marlowe investigating the theft of a rare early American gold coin, the Brasher Doubloon. The case turns out also to involve blackmail and three murders. This is vintage Chandler. The plot is delightfully Byzantine. Marlowe, as usual, finds himself trying to resolve the case in such a manner that at least some vague semblance of justice is done. Which isn’t easy, since just about everybody has something nasty that they’re trying to hide. ...more
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Read in April, 2009
oooo... out of all his books that i've read thus far, i liked this one the least. that is to say, i liked it, but the story wasn't as rich and brightly entwining in clean licks of flames like the others.
looking back i feel the writer may have been dampened and cooled by despair at the time of writing.
looking back i feel the writer may have been dampened and cooled by despair at the time of writing.
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The story itself is OK but there are some classic lines. Although Chandler has been imitated often, no one can really copy his style. For that reason alone, it's worth reading if you haven't read anything else by him.
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I would recommend almost any of Chandler's novels and even his essay The Simple Art of Murder. Chandler writes with style and observation that beats most 'serious' novelists.
Read many times over the decades.
Read many times over the decades.
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I left this book in hotel room before I could finish it. A fitting ending to a Chandler read in its own unfortunate way. It was a corker until it got left behind. Can anyone tell me how it ends?
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Read in May, 2009
I needed a lighter read after 2666 and I picked this book off RJ's shelf because of the excellent cover art. The High Window did not disappoint.
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A fun read. Chandler is kind of addictive. This one was not as strong as The Big Sleep and Farewell, My Lovely. Phillip Marlowe was the same. But the characters and plot interested me less. But still very good.
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What I learned from this book...don't trust anyone, including your own memory.
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Read in February, 2009
Vintage Chandler. Somehow missed this one in my youth.
As good as the rest !
As good as the rest !
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quotes from this book
"I looked at Spangler. He was leaning forward so far he was almost out of his chair. He looked as if he was going to jump. I couldn't think of any reason why he should jump, so I thought he must be excited. I looked back at Breeze. He was about as excited as a hole in the wall."
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