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46th out of 290 books
—
113 voters
Phantom Lady
Phantom lady, I was with you for six hours last night, but I can't remember what you look like, or what you wore -- except for that large orange hat. We sat shoulder to shoulder at a little bar in the east Fifties. We ate dinner together, saw a Broadway show together, shared a cab together.
The bartender, the waiter, the usher, the cab driver -- none of them remembers you....more
The bartender, the waiter, the usher, the cab driver -- none of them remembers you....more
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
August 1st 2001
by ibooks
(first published 1942)
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Mar 15, 2008
Andy
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
noir fans, crime suspense stories
Shelves:
pulp-fiction
The kind of suspenser Cornell Woolrich excelled at, a woman's race against the electric chair to clear her boss' name for a murder he didn't commit. Many of his books used the format of the black widow drawing up a list of men she has to confront, just like in "The Bride Wore Black" and "Rendezvous In Black".
Woolrich had excellent touch of suspense in his novels (he wrote "Rear Window" among others). If you can catch the movie starring Ella Raines on TCM don't miss it!
Woolrich had excellent touch of suspense in his novels (he wrote "Rear Window" among others). If you can catch the movie starring Ella Raines on TCM don't miss it!
Nifty little puzzle mystery from the 40s that fairly drips with noir-pulp prose. The puzzle, when it is finally solved at (literally) the last minute, is blatantly ludicrous, and thus not entirely satisfying from a logic perspective, but fun nonetheless.
3,5 stars
not quite as much carnage as 'rendezvous in black,' still my fave of the 2 woolrich books i've read so far, mainly for the sheer outlandishness & fantastic nature of its bloodshed.
despite some obvious cinematic noir conventions (which, admittedly, he helped invent) woolrich's plots are generally brilliant (despite a few necessary suspensions of disbelief)... but his characters are stock figures for the most part, lacking the stylish sheen of chandler, the matter-of-factness of hammett, or t...more
despite some obvious cinematic noir conventions (which, admittedly, he helped invent) woolrich's plots are generally brilliant (despite a few necessary suspensions of disbelief)... but his characters are stock figures for the most part, lacking the stylish sheen of chandler, the matter-of-factness of hammett, or t...more
My copy of this is in an old book I found called The Best of William Irish - this was a pen name he had in the 40s, maybe because he produced so much (like Richard Bachman?). Phantom Lady was pretty good. Amazing suspense, of course, with a strong plot twist at the end. I love Woolrich like no other, but actually I often find him boring about half the time. Only, when he is good - isolated lines even - he is phenomenally astounding. They call him the father of noir, and I can see this, but it's...more
Reading this novel made me think of a thing: what if novelists re-wrote other people's novels the way that directors re-make other auteurs' films?
If one did such things, Phantom Lady would be the first novel that I would re-write. The events of the story itself are solid, creepy, interesting. So many passages are beautifully written--these I would leave intact. I loved the typical wacky offbeat noir characters, such as the reefer-mad paranoid/homicidal drummer, the ultra-temperamental Argentine...more
If one did such things, Phantom Lady would be the first novel that I would re-write. The events of the story itself are solid, creepy, interesting. So many passages are beautifully written--these I would leave intact. I loved the typical wacky offbeat noir characters, such as the reefer-mad paranoid/homicidal drummer, the ultra-temperamental Argentine...more
This was my first Woolrich read, so I don't know if this is one of his best or average works. But, with noir more or less meaning, black, dark or gloomy...this one definitely fits in the noir genre. With an anxiety level, and the feeling of being in the dark or in a shadow, even when you know it's midday, really gives the reader that gloomy feeling. Great noir prose and the characters of despair, no wonder he can be mentioned in the same breath as - Cain, Chandler, Goodis, Thompson and others. 4...more
Classic suspense. I felt this novel ignored the literature rule that one's point of view must be fixed. But it might be only Japanese literature rule. Anyway, I thought it's too classic that I was excited that much. But good to read while on the airplane.
Stephen King recommended book as noted in Chapter 9 of Berkley's 1983 paperback edition of Danse Macabre.
Good. Very detailed. Excellent explanation at the end of all the accidents and murders.
Apr 15, 2010
Stas
marked it as to-read
same setup as Balck Angel, but I hear it is better.
This book is preposterous. How many people have to die for Henderson to be saved? Too many! The Phantom Lady is one of those books where you realize the solution far too early on (with one exception) and watch ridiculous things happen and ridiculous conclusions be made. But each incident with Lombard interviewing the various characters involved in Henderson's alibi makes it worth the read. As you're reading, you'll think of ten different ways it could have been written better. But as I said, a g...more
phantom lady is a fun little romp with excellent pacing. woolrich loves enhancing the harrow of a piece by marrying it to a schedule: this one counts down toward an execution: will the phantom lady be found in time to clear henderson's name before he makes it to the chair? and who the hell is she anyway? nobody seems to remember her, which is surprising considering she had a giant orange pumpkin hat on. a bit dated yes, but if you like william irish woolrich books, you won't be disappointed.
Maybe I wasn't in the right frame of mind, but I found this one to be a bit of a chore. Standard Woolrich far-fetched plot and pacing. The plot was fairly retread from previous Woolrich work. The ride just wasn't enough to make it that much fun.
Noir dei primi anni Quaranta, di gran classe. Atmosfere da film in bianco e nero, se non per un tocco di arancione che attraversa tutto il libro sotto forma di un cappello.
Una tensione altissima, una storia avvincente scandita dal conto alla rovescia di un condannato a morte.
Una tensione altissima, una storia avvincente scandita dal conto alla rovescia di un condannato a morte.
The most suspenseful book I can remember ever reading. I'm a big fan of film noir as well, but I thought the Hollywood movie based on this book sucked.
May 18, 2013
Bsg
added it
May 06, 2013
Vladimir
marked it as to-read
May 02, 2013
Maria Esposito
marked it as to-read
Apr 24, 2013
Lorraine
marked it as to-read
Apr 18, 2013
Alexandria
marked it as to-read
Apr 13, 2013
Wes
marked it as to-read
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Cornell Woolrich is widely regarded as the twentieth century’s finest writer of pure suspense fiction. The author of numerous classic novels and short stories (many of which were turned into classic films) such as Rear Window, The Bride Wore Black, The Night Has a Thousand Eyes, Waltz Into Darkness, and I Married a Dead Man, Woolrich began his career in the 1920s writing mainstream novels that won...more
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