From the Bookshelf of Reading List Completists…

The Big Sleep (Philip Marlowe, #1)

Raymond Chandler

Start date: February 1, 2019

Finish date: February 28, 2019

Discussion: Group Reads

Why we're reading this: February 2019 Completist Book Selection
[close] February 2019 Completist Book Selection

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Group Reads

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What Members Thought

Feb 14, 2019 Matthew rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, completist-book-club, classic, 2019, kindle, library

Reflections on The Big Sleep

- Classic hard-boiled detective fiction at it's finest. Every stereotype, every cliched phrase, it's all there and it is glorious. If you are looking for dames and gumshoes and sawbucks and swapping lead then look no further. Almost every page had a quotable line that had me smirking.

- This book is set in a different time. If you do not remember this, you may be upset or offended by the content. These characters are uncouth and indelicate. Several times during the boo ...more

131 likes · Like · see review

Aug 11, 2017 James Joyce rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: a-fiction, aa-have-a-copy, thriller, mystery, aa-series-part-of, setting-na-usa

Actually a re-read. This is an amazing book and Chandler is a dark night poet. Constantly running across quotable lines and vivid imagery.

And, for those who have seen the movie, but not read the book, the story is different. They smoothed out some of the twists and turns, in the movie. (hint: the book's better) ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Feb 23, 2019 Brooklyn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: great-books-groupreads-completist

Great writing - seminal and iconic - sometimes ugly - sometimes poetic. A poet of the City of Angels - an adventure through the dark alleys of this sun drenched place - though it seems to be raining a lot in The Big Sleep. Sentences and descriptions to be savored. A purposely confusing plot as an excuse to create a tone poem to lost souls and hope?

2 likes · Like · see review