Status
Available
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
New York : Vintage Books, 1992.
Description
Fiction. Mystery. HTML:Crime fiction master Raymond Chandler's sixth novel featuring Philip Marlowe, the "quintessential urban private eye" (Los Angeles Times). In noir master Raymond Chandler's The Long Goodbye, Philip Marlowe befriends a down on his luck war veteran with the scars to prove it. Then he finds out that Terry Lennox has a very wealthy nymphomaniac wife, whom he divorced and remarried and who ends up dead. And now Lennox is on the lam and the cops and a crazy gangster are after Marlowe.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Bookmarque
I’ve attempted this book in the past and failed to engage even though I love Chandler and the Marlowe series to pieces. This time it clicked and wow, I think it might be his most personal novel in the sense of how much he evokes through Marlowe. As usual the writing is snappy, the plot is
Here are some noteworthy gems -
“I caught the rest of it in one of those snob columns in the society section of the paper. I don’t read them often, only when I run out of things to dislike.” p 11
“Very methodical guy, Marlowe. Nothing must interfere with his coffee technique. Not even a gun in the hand of a desperate stranger.” p 19
“I puffed the cigarette. It was one of those things with filters in them. It tasted like high fog strained through cotton wool.” p 39
“And the next time I saw a polite character drunk in a Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith, I would depart rapidly in several directions. There is no trap so deadly as the trap you set for yourself.” p 64
And of course, the second paragraph -
“There was a girl beside him. Her hair was a lovely shade of dark red and she had a distant smile on her lips and over her shoulders she had a blue mink that almost made the Rolls-Royce look like just another automobile. It didn’t quite. Nothing can.” p 1
It’s the longest of the Marlowe novels and the pace is less break-neck, but it still cranks along making the reader wonder how the Terry Lennox/Roger Wade situations will connect. You know they will. Readers of this type of fiction or other thrillers made after Chandler broke ground will connect the dots before he explains it, but watching Marlowe get there is half the fun. The reader doesn’t get everywhere ahead of Marlowe and his detective work, observational skills and sheer guts are spot on as usual.
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convoluted and Marlowe gets ensnared by his own emotions and sense of morality. Here are some noteworthy gems -
“I caught the rest of it in one of those snob columns in the society section of the paper. I don’t read them often, only when I run out of things to dislike.” p 11
“Very methodical guy, Marlowe. Nothing must interfere with his coffee technique. Not even a gun in the hand of a desperate stranger.” p 19
“I puffed the cigarette. It was one of those things with filters in them. It tasted like high fog strained through cotton wool.” p 39
“And the next time I saw a polite character drunk in a Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith, I would depart rapidly in several directions. There is no trap so deadly as the trap you set for yourself.” p 64
And of course, the second paragraph -
“There was a girl beside him. Her hair was a lovely shade of dark red and she had a distant smile on her lips and over her shoulders she had a blue mink that almost made the Rolls-Royce look like just another automobile. It didn’t quite. Nothing can.” p 1
It’s the longest of the Marlowe novels and the pace is less break-neck, but it still cranks along making the reader wonder how the Terry Lennox/Roger Wade situations will connect. You know they will. Readers of this type of fiction or other thrillers made after Chandler broke ground will connect the dots before he explains it, but watching Marlowe get there is half the fun. The reader doesn’t get everywhere ahead of Marlowe and his detective work, observational skills and sheer guts are spot on as usual.
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LibraryThing member lauralkeet
For quite some time now, my husband had been urging me to read "hard-boiled" detective fiction. And I chose this particular book because it won an Edgar Award, and is on the list of "1001 Books you Must Read Before you Die." Well, I have to say the only reason I made it all the way to the end was
Philip Marlowe is a private eye in 1940s Hollywood, California. The Long Goodbye opens with Marlowe encountering a couple outside a bar. The man is quite drunk; the woman drives off in their car, leaving the man in a pretty sad state. Marlowe takes him home, gets him sober, and is drawn into friendship with this mysterious man, Terry Lennox. They meet for drinks several times. Then one night, Lennox visits Marlowe and asks to be taken to Tijuana. His wife has just been killed and although Terry didn't commit the murder, he knows he will be implicated. Marlowe helps him get away, but Terry's story is far from over. Meanwhile, Marlowe takes up another case involving an alcoholic writer. The two cases turn out to have a connection, which is gradually revealed.
But I didn't really care, and that was my problem with this book. If there's one thing I've learned about my reading, it's that I enjoy character-driven novels. In The Long Goodbye, every single character was a stereotype. The central characters were fabulously wealthy (except for Marlowe, who still managed to move within their society with relative ease). There were a few seedy characters who acted suspiciously, just to keep the reader interested. The local police were violent, ineffetive, or both. Most characters had some level of dependency on alcohol or drugs, and associated behavioral issues. There were few women in this book, but all of them were blonde bombshells with only one real function in life.
It's a shame -- Raymond Chandler is quite famous for this type of novel, and some of the film adaptations make for interesting viewing. But I think I'll take a pass on his other books.
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because I love my husband, and wanted to give this book a fair shake. But it really wasn't my cup of tea.Philip Marlowe is a private eye in 1940s Hollywood, California. The Long Goodbye opens with Marlowe encountering a couple outside a bar. The man is quite drunk; the woman drives off in their car, leaving the man in a pretty sad state. Marlowe takes him home, gets him sober, and is drawn into friendship with this mysterious man, Terry Lennox. They meet for drinks several times. Then one night, Lennox visits Marlowe and asks to be taken to Tijuana. His wife has just been killed and although Terry didn't commit the murder, he knows he will be implicated. Marlowe helps him get away, but Terry's story is far from over. Meanwhile, Marlowe takes up another case involving an alcoholic writer. The two cases turn out to have a connection, which is gradually revealed.
But I didn't really care, and that was my problem with this book. If there's one thing I've learned about my reading, it's that I enjoy character-driven novels. In The Long Goodbye, every single character was a stereotype. The central characters were fabulously wealthy (except for Marlowe, who still managed to move within their society with relative ease). There were a few seedy characters who acted suspiciously, just to keep the reader interested. The local police were violent, ineffetive, or both. Most characters had some level of dependency on alcohol or drugs, and associated behavioral issues. There were few women in this book, but all of them were blonde bombshells with only one real function in life.
It's a shame -- Raymond Chandler is quite famous for this type of novel, and some of the film adaptations make for interesting viewing. But I think I'll take a pass on his other books.
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LibraryThing member john.cooper
This is a book by Raymond Chandler, which means that it is excellent. Many reviewers (and there are a lot of perceptive reviews of this book on Goodreads) believe that it's Chandler's masterpiece, but I disagree. The structure throws me. Chandler is the master of the perfect, punchy, assertive
I love a lot of things about this novel--and make no mistake, this is a real novel, not just a pulp thriller. The heat and technicolor seediness of southern California, circa 1953, is vividly rendered. The book doesn't shy away from the ugly, which includes the easy racial slurs flung about by the hero, but neither does it make the mistake, so common to this type of fiction, of denying the existence of the beautiful. If the world looks cheap and worn through Marlowe's eyes, it's because of the part of it he makes his way through. The dialogue, of course, is a joy and endlessly quotable, as is much of the description. "I drove back to Hollywood feeling like a short length of chewed string." "There is nothing tougher than a tough Mexican, just as there is nothing gentler than a gentle Mexican, nothing more honest than an honest Mexican, and above all nothing sadder than a sad Mexican. This guy was one of the hard boys..."
I wouldn't mind reading this again, knowing more about it going in, and I'd be happy to revise my opinion. But as it stands, I prefer Chandler's books to be as compact and tightly structured as his prose. And I like Philip Marlowe a little better when he's more in charge of his own direction. This is, probably by design, a sad book at it center, lacking the exhilaration found earlier in the series.
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sentence, yet his hero Philip Marlowe strolls passively through hundreds of pages until the mystery is resolved, almost despite him, at the end. Marlowe is manipulated, used, beaten, even spat upon without throwing a punch. He doesn't want to be involved in what he's involved in, but he allows himself to be pushed and pulled out of vague feelings of personal obligation. One plot seems to end a third of the way through. When a new story takes its place, we wait a very long time to find out how they connect.I love a lot of things about this novel--and make no mistake, this is a real novel, not just a pulp thriller. The heat and technicolor seediness of southern California, circa 1953, is vividly rendered. The book doesn't shy away from the ugly, which includes the easy racial slurs flung about by the hero, but neither does it make the mistake, so common to this type of fiction, of denying the existence of the beautiful. If the world looks cheap and worn through Marlowe's eyes, it's because of the part of it he makes his way through. The dialogue, of course, is a joy and endlessly quotable, as is much of the description. "I drove back to Hollywood feeling like a short length of chewed string." "There is nothing tougher than a tough Mexican, just as there is nothing gentler than a gentle Mexican, nothing more honest than an honest Mexican, and above all nothing sadder than a sad Mexican. This guy was one of the hard boys..."
I wouldn't mind reading this again, knowing more about it going in, and I'd be happy to revise my opinion. But as it stands, I prefer Chandler's books to be as compact and tightly structured as his prose. And I like Philip Marlowe a little better when he's more in charge of his own direction. This is, probably by design, a sad book at it center, lacking the exhilaration found earlier in the series.
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LibraryThing member KeishonT
The appeal of Chandler eludes me. My reading of this book was mixed bag. It was overly long and the story kind of wondered all over the place. Yet, there were moments of excellent prose and atmospheric scenes. This reading was a mixed bag for me.
LibraryThing member Laurenbdavis
Arguably Chandler's masterpiece. Tough, witty, poignant and smart. Okay, maybe his female characters could use just a soupcon of shading, but it's Chandler's world and he's the boss. Marlowe is a classic character, with enough complexity to spill over onto all the others. There just ain't no book
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like this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member alexrichman
The ultimate noir novel? It's long, it's bleak, it's about power, and love, and lust, and booze, and getting beat up by cops and doing the right thing. The plot's foundations seem a little shaky: Marlowe goes on a crusade to protect a 'friend' he barely knows, but then again that's the kinda
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straight-up guy he is, right? Superb. Show Less
LibraryThing member figre
My first Raymond Chandler; it will not be my last.
I was snagged with the first few paragraphs. “ …because Terry Lenox’s left foot was still dangling outside, as if he had forgotten he had one. “ “…and over her shoulders she had a blue mink that almost made the Rolls-Royce look like just
The writing is eloquent and concise. Descriptions that take you into the location without tearing you away from the story. Writing that makes the story better. And what a story. There is a lot of twisting and turning squeezed in this book. And the ending is perfect. Yes, you may get an inkling where it will wind up, but still a nice little jolt.
My first sentence says it all
I was snagged with the first few paragraphs. “ …because Terry Lenox’s left foot was still dangling outside, as if he had forgotten he had one. “ “…and over her shoulders she had a blue mink that almost made the Rolls-Royce look like just
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another automobile. It didn’t quite. Nothing can.” The writing is eloquent and concise. Descriptions that take you into the location without tearing you away from the story. Writing that makes the story better. And what a story. There is a lot of twisting and turning squeezed in this book. And the ending is perfect. Yes, you may get an inkling where it will wind up, but still a nice little jolt.
My first sentence says it all
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LibraryThing member lilithcat
One of the noir-est of the noir. Philip Marlowe, private detective. Lone wolf, paladin, man of honor. The usual philosophical drunks and women with "mink[s] that almost made the Rolls-Royce look like just another automobile". Crooked cops and crooks with a conscience.
Terry Lennox's very rich, very
Also as in any good noir novel, nobody is what they seem or means what they say. Mysteries are "solved", but there are no tidy endings, no real heroes or villains. The atmosphere is all. And there is plenty of that here.
Terry Lennox's very rich, very
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nymphomaniac wife is found dead, her head bashed in. Lennox takes it on the lam to Mexico, and then is found dead with a bullet in his brain and a confession in front of him. But did he really do it? A lot of people want Marlowe to think so, and not to look into the case. But then he gets dragged into trying to save an alcoholic, best-selling novelist, and, as with any good noir novel, there's a connection.Also as in any good noir novel, nobody is what they seem or means what they say. Mysteries are "solved", but there are no tidy endings, no real heroes or villains. The atmosphere is all. And there is plenty of that here.
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LibraryThing member ConnieJo
I followed up "The Talented Mr. Ripley" with this novel, hoping to go on a '50s noir binge. Unfortunately Raymond Chandler was less to my taste.
Though it's extremely well-constructed, I didn't like the plot that much until the twist at the very end. I guess I just wasn't connecting the pieces most
My biggest problem was probably how aggressive the characters were, though. Phillip Marlowe picked fights with everyone he ran across, and most everyone obliged him by fighting back, either verbally or physically. I just didn't understand why this was an acceptable way of getting information, or why it was necessary to fight with absolutely everyone, including a man he brushed past in a bar.
I don't know. That kind of soured it for me, I guess.
Though it's extremely well-constructed, I didn't like the plot that much until the twist at the very end. I guess I just wasn't connecting the pieces most
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of the way through, but I didn't really appreciate what was going on until the very end.My biggest problem was probably how aggressive the characters were, though. Phillip Marlowe picked fights with everyone he ran across, and most everyone obliged him by fighting back, either verbally or physically. I just didn't understand why this was an acceptable way of getting information, or why it was necessary to fight with absolutely everyone, including a man he brushed past in a bar.
I don't know. That kind of soured it for me, I guess.
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LibraryThing member donaldgallinger
You don't read Raymond Chandler for the plots--you read him for the magnificent "hard boiled" prose. The Long Goodbye is probably his most complex work, full of world weary insights and a somewhat more "tender" Marlowe. The great pleasure of The Long Goodbye is seeing how the main character, Philip
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Marlowe, reconciles his cynical view of humanity with a genuine desire to help a few unfortunates in life. The best Marlowe...classic... Show Less
LibraryThing member kettle666
Someone tucked a copy of this in the school library. It was a paperback, which was odd, because the library had nothing but hardbacks. I checked it out and was told it was not a school book and that someone must have placed it on the shelf mistakenly. You should not read this sort of book, said the
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teacher on library watch. Which was, of course, the most incentivising tag you can give a teenager. I read it and then consumed every book Chandler wrote. Show Less
LibraryThing member shrubbery
My first Marlowe and a pretty good start. The dialogue was crisp and Marlowe was an interesting guy, although there were probably a few too many twists and turns.
LibraryThing member otterley
It makes me wonder who taught Chandler and Wodehouse when they were at school together! The Long Good-Bye hides a romantic heart beneath its hard boiled demeanour; the writing and characterisation is taut and vivid and the plotting clever. The story knits together cleverly, mixing reflection with
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action and it leaves a taste like a gimlet - Rose's lime juice only.... Show Less
LibraryThing member Georg.Miggel
Though Chandler is one of my favorite authors and "The Long Goodbye" is one of my favorite books I have to admit that I have never understood Marlowe and what makes him tick. He almost always does the thing I would avoid and his lack of greed and egotism makes me always feel miserable. I certainly
"The homicide skipper this year was a Captain Gregorious, a type of copper that is getting rarer but by no means extinct, that kind that solves crimes with the bright light, the soft sap, the kick to the kidneys, the knee to the groin, the fist to the solar plexus, the night stick to the base of the spine. Six months later he was indicted for perjury before a grand jury, booted without trial, and later stamped to death by a big stallion on his ranch in Wyoming." (p. 44)
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would have taken all the money he was offered, and I certainly would have let me been seduced by the "Golden Angel" (Eileen). But how can you not adore an author who writes a c.v. like that: "The homicide skipper this year was a Captain Gregorious, a type of copper that is getting rarer but by no means extinct, that kind that solves crimes with the bright light, the soft sap, the kick to the kidneys, the knee to the groin, the fist to the solar plexus, the night stick to the base of the spine. Six months later he was indicted for perjury before a grand jury, booted without trial, and later stamped to death by a big stallion on his ranch in Wyoming." (p. 44)
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LibraryThing member Steph78
I've never read chandler before, and picked this up without any real expectations of finding a book I would really enjoy, and I was totally blown away by the first 3rd of the book. I love the prose, the characters, the dialogue, the way it talks about corruption, ethics and honour - really
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interesting, with a page turning plot which kept me reading. The plot does get very convoluted as it continues and the female charcaters seem somewhat one dimensional, but i'll definitely be going back for more. Show Less
LibraryThing member seanj
I couldn't put it down. Even better than The Big Sleep, I thought.
LibraryThing member Periodista
Pretty near perfect. Certainly worthy of being reprinted so many times, in so many languages, with so many interesting covers. And as far as the murderer of Terry Lennox ... he had me until the end.
Of course, there's the dialogue, especially Marlowe with these ice cool blondes. I could only imagine
My biggest reservation, though, concerns the initial meeting with Lennox and why Marlowe carted the guy home. I mean, why? It may well work in the movie, but Lennox isn't particularly charming. Well, Lennox must remind Marlowe of something or someone from his past. I kept thinking we were going to get a few more hints of that, but it never came.
The 1950s. Or 1950s LA noir: so much drinking! And the discreet sex scene.
Of course, there's the dialogue, especially Marlowe with these ice cool blondes. I could only imagine
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Bogart in the role (Elliot Gould? God help us). And I'm not sure that in a blind reading test I could pick Hammett from Chandler. But maybe: despite the ping pong dialogue, Chandler does have a habit of throwing in superfluous adverbs. How else can someone read a newspaper alone in a restaurant booth but "quietly." And these women speaking "gravely" and so on. My biggest reservation, though, concerns the initial meeting with Lennox and why Marlowe carted the guy home. I mean, why? It may well work in the movie, but Lennox isn't particularly charming. Well, Lennox must remind Marlowe of something or someone from his past. I kept thinking we were going to get a few more hints of that, but it never came.
The 1950s. Or 1950s LA noir: so much drinking! And the discreet sex scene.
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LibraryThing member icarusgeoff
I can't say anything about that hasn't already been said better by someone else. His style is brilliant, his plots are tight, and he's a joy to read.That being said, I can't help but think he's got some serious pent-up hostility toward blondes.
LibraryThing member IronMike
This was my first Chandler book. I was often tempted to put it aside and read something else, but I stayed with it to the end. I am left with mixed feelings. The Philip Marlowe character somehow eludes me. I can't understand the guy. His standards for accepting fees for the work her performs are so
There was dialogue I truly enjoyed, the plot was interesting, and there are many good things to be said of the book. I guess I have to read more Chandler; but I won't right away.
The paperback I read was published by Pocket Books in 1964. The cover artwork is better than any of the covers shown here, in my opinion, but no credit is given in the book to the artist.
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high that he always refuses payment. How does the guy survive? There is only one client in the book who is acceptably ethical to Marlowe, and he charges this client $20 and leaves it as a tip to a bartender. Any client who has the slightest character flaw encounters Marlowe's disdain, and has his money returned.There was dialogue I truly enjoyed, the plot was interesting, and there are many good things to be said of the book. I guess I have to read more Chandler; but I won't right away.
The paperback I read was published by Pocket Books in 1964. The cover artwork is better than any of the covers shown here, in my opinion, but no credit is given in the book to the artist.
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LibraryThing member bigorangecat
THE Great American Novel, hands down. Poetry as fiction. Wow!
LibraryThing member cuttoothom
Raymond Chandler is the grandpappy of hardboiled detective novels, and The Long Goodbye is a good example of just how good Detective genre stories can be.
This is my favorite of Chandler's stories, because it contains a heartfelt core that isn't necessarily present in all of the Philip Marlowe
For young adults, this could serve as a wonderful introduction to noir fiction and mystery as a whole.
Note: some adult content - drunkenness and seduction and the like.
This is my favorite of Chandler's stories, because it contains a heartfelt core that isn't necessarily present in all of the Philip Marlowe
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stories, as well as a good mystery and alluring writing.For young adults, this could serve as a wonderful introduction to noir fiction and mystery as a whole.
Note: some adult content - drunkenness and seduction and the like.
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LibraryThing member mcc89
My favorite Chandler novel so far, also the first I had ever read at that point. Somewhere someone told me to buy this, I'm glad they did.
LibraryThing member hbergander
In the novel, as in the film, a Madison portrait, synonym for a five thousand dollar bill with a picture of James Madison, fourth president of the United States, repeatedly changes hands. Last printed in World War II, it is out of circulation, but is still lawful money.
LibraryThing member AdonisGuilfoyle
I re-read this purely for research purposes: so that I could make a fair comparison between Chandler and Benjamin Black's 'tribute' novel, The Black-Eyed Blonde. Only trouble is, I'm now also slightly disappointed by Chandler's classic. Don't get me wrong, I love Chandler - I think he's an amazing
Black's derivative mystery novel, based just after The Long Goodbye, will undoubtedly fail to hold a candle to the original, but that said, I didn't really fall in love with Marlowe all over again either. No modern author - Rex Stout came fairly close, with Archie Goodwin - will ever match Chandler's distinctive narrative, and probably shouldn't try.
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word-smith, and his books are funny, sexy and shrewd. I just think The Long Goodbye is slightly too miserable to really enjoy again and again. Marlowe spends most of the story moping on the hopelessness of the human race, particularly rich people who live in Hollywood, whereas the admittedly still very clever mystery is solved in about the length of a decent novella. I'm with the miserable shamus on the 'nanny state' mentality of passing the buck, however: 'They all blame the wrong things. If a guy loses his pay-cheque at a crap table, stop gambling. If he gets drunk, stop liquor. If he kills somebody in a car crash, stop making automobiles'. I think that rant still applies today! Black's derivative mystery novel, based just after The Long Goodbye, will undoubtedly fail to hold a candle to the original, but that said, I didn't really fall in love with Marlowe all over again either. No modern author - Rex Stout came fairly close, with Archie Goodwin - will ever match Chandler's distinctive narrative, and probably shouldn't try.
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LibraryThing member FMRox
First foray into Raymond Chandler wasn't very desirable. It took a very long time to read such a short novel. The main character wasn't very desirable and I certainly didn't root for him to close the case. The plot was interesting enough but the characters distracted from it so much, I didn't enjoy
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it. I read this book for a reading group and couldn't even finish on time to participate in the discussion. I am doubtful there will be any other Chandler novels for me. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
Edgar Award (Nominee — Novel — 1955)
Julian Symons' 100 Best Crime Stories (1953 — 1953)